Alternative Investing Report - May 11, 2026

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*as of 5/10, Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, GOLD

As the AI boom has increased demand for data centers worldwide, a number of companies are now exploring public offerings, with Blackstone filing last week to create a new $1.75 billion data center REIT with the ticker BXDC. Other firms including the Brookfield-backed Csquare and DayOne Data Centers are also exploring public offerings, as the share prices for existing data center REITs continue to soar. Equinix Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX) and Digital Realty Trust Inc (NYSE: DLR) have both beaten the S&P 500 by more than 20% so far this year.

➨ TAKEAWAY: For investors who want more diversified exposure to the AI boom, data centers could be a good option as demand for AI infrastructure continues to grow. There is clearly a lot of investor interest in the data center sector, and how these upcoming IPOs perform will be a good gauge of how the market views these opportunities. Data center REITs are likely to offer less risk than investing into AI companies, but the potential upside is also more limited.

📊 April jobs report: The U.S. beat expectations in April, adding 115,000 jobs, nearly double the 65,000 that economists had projected. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, but wage growth came in below expectations at 3.6%. The strong results make it less likely that the Fed will cut interest rates anytime soon, as inflation remains more of an issue than unemployment.

🚀 HawkEye 360 IPO: The satellite surveillance company saw its shares jump 30% of its first day of trading, valuing the company at more than $3 billion, in a strong signal of investor demand for the space sector ahead of SpaceX’s anticipated blockbuster public offering.

🏡 New construction rundown: Only 10% of new construction for sale in the U.S. are in urban areas, compared to 80% in suburban areas, a stark difference from existing homes on the market, of which 30% are in urban areas and 55% are in suburban areas. With new inventory scarce in cities, the median listing price of a newly built home is nearly 70% higher than the price of existing homes.

🤖 Corgi fundraise: The AI insurance startup raised a $160 million Series B at a $1.3 billion valuation, more than doubling its $630 million Series A valuation from just four months ago.

💵 Blue Owl lowering software exposure: The private credit firm is responding to the current AI-related downturn int he software industry by reducing their exposure to the sector, in what could be the start of a trend.

🚀 Ramp eyeing $40B valuation: The private fintech company is reportedly looking to raise $750 million at a $40 billion valuation, a 25% gain since last November, and more than double its $16 billion valuation from last June.

This week: New York City’s Spring Art Week begins, with a major contemporary art auction from Sotheby’s on Thursday, the Frieze Art Fair kicking off on Wednesday, and the TEFAF Art Fair kicking off on Friday.

Today: Existing home sales report released; the Senate is expected to vote to confirm Kevin Warsh’s nomination to be the next chair of the Federal Reserve.

Tuesday: Consumer price index (CPI) and core CPI inflation reports; NFIB small business optimism index released;

Wednesday: Producer price index (CPI) and core PPI inflation reports released;

Thursday: President Trump will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping; U.S. retail sales report released.

Friday: Heritage’s Spring Sports Catalog auction, featuring dozens of six-figure items.

Saturday: Armed Forces Day in the U.S.

Sunday: Goldin’s Spring TCG and Manga Elite auction, featuring a Pokémon card with bids already exceeding $1.5 million.