Alternative Investing Report - April 8, 2026

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*as of 4/7; Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, CL50

Anthropic — maker of Claude AI — moved into top position in the AI race as it reported $30 billion in annualized revenue, up 58% since the end of February and more than triple its year-end 2025 run rate. With this momentum, the startup surpassed OpenAI's $25 billion February figure to become the fastest-growing AI company on the planet. It also signed a 3.5 gigawatt compute deal with Broadcom and Google for TPUs, one of the industry’s top compute commitments so far. The company is expanding via acquisition too, including a purchase of biotech startup Coefficient which sets it up to compete in more verticals. And it’s rumored to be in talks to raise $800 million for a $1 billion PE consulting joint venture with General Atlantic and others to sell Claude capacity as a management consultant to private equity firms.

➨ TAKEAWAY: Anthropic isn't just a competitor to OpenAI anymore — it's cementing its own central position in the white-hot AI ecosystem and seems poised to add onto its $64 billion in financings to date. Private markets have taken note, and its stock is showing endless demand from investors, hitting the top spot on most private exchange leaderboards. Even its dispute with the “Department of War” hasn’t dimmed the energy around the business. Investors can still get exposure if they can find it from trusted counterparties at palatable prices, but the current dynamic makes it more competitive each day.

In the newest episode of Smart Humans, Slava Rubin talks with Skybridge’s Anthony Scaramucci about the current macroeconomic and geopolitical environment and his investment strategies and picks.

🛢️ Good news from Hormuz: Last night’s ceasefire immediately boosted bullishness and dropped oil prices. Research firm Citrini had previously sent an analyst to the Straits and found traffic more open than media coverage suggested, which already hinted at prices partially unwinding. Whatever the cause, less pressure on oil and potential for lasting peace could provide tailwinds to markets.

₿ Strategy's $14.5B loss doesn’t shake its conviction: MicroStrategy — aka Strategy — posted a massive Q1 unrealized loss as Bitcoin slid, then immediately bought $330 million more BTC, boosting holdings past 500,000 coins. The company is the clearest real-time proxy for the institutional digital asset thesis — when it doubles down at the lows, it signals where true believers stand.

🏡 Best first-time buyer cities: Zillow puts Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Detroit at the top of the first-time buyer list with each boasting prices under $200K median, manageable price-to-income ratios and strong rental demand where almost no new apartments are being built.

💰 America’s growing upper middle class: WSJ data shows upward mobility accelerating, with the professional class growing faster than at any point in the last decade. More people with $250K-$2M to invest means a larger audience looking for alternative assets.

📉 PE buyouts at a multi-year low: LBO activity slumped in Q1 as AI disruption uncertainty and war volatility froze dealmakers. Investors should be mindful that PE funds pitching today are operating in a tougher environment than their historical track records reflect.

🎨 A $110M Basquiat in Miami: The most expensive painting ever sold by an American artist — Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Untitled" (1981) — goes on its debut public view at the Pérez Art Museum Miami starting June 25, on loan from Ken Griffin's collection. The showing coincides with Miami hosting seven FIFA World Cup matches.

How much do you think a 0-bedroom tiny house in Long Island will run you? If you guessed $329,900, congratulations. The 446 square foot “house” does have a small kitchen, dining room, living room, and full bathroom, and a basement that can be converted into a laundry room with a half bathroom. Located in Selden, almost exactly halfway between New York City and the Hamptons, the property is on a 2200 square foot lot with a backyard shed, so there is a fair amount of space, just no official bedrooms.