Alternative Investing Report - June 23, 2026

*as of 6/22; Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, GOLD

The cost of home ownership has skyrocketed over the past few years, with ancillary costs like insurance, maintenance, taxes and repairs rising faster than inflation. In total, expenses have risen 39% since 2019, compared to the 26% that the consumer price index has jumped in that same time period. Along with the rise of mortgage rates and housing prices remaining near record-highs, home ownership is out of reach for a large share of Americans.

➨ TAKEAWAY: With hidden costs driving up the true cost of owning a home, would-be buyers continue to pull away from the market. Unsold home listings are steadily increasing across the country, and a record number home sellers are providing financial concessions to attract buyers. These concessions are more common in the Sun Belt than any other part of the country, with 75% of all sellers offering them in Nashville, compared to just 3% in New York.

Vincent's Slava Rubin is joined by Sacra's Jan-Erik Asplund to explore the rapidly evolving field of quantum computing, its current state, future potential, and investment opportunities. They share insights on private and public market options, technological milestones, and what to expect by 2030.

🚀 Defense tech surging: Startups in the sector have raised $12 billion of venture capital so far in 2026, already surpassing last year’s record-high total of $9.6 billion, as the Iran war and the ongoing war in Ukraine has led to rising demand for cheaper, more efficient weapons systems. There is some concern that earlier-stage startups are becoming overvalued, and much of the revenue in the sector comes from government contracts, which can create a winner-takes-all scenario.

🤖 Robotics also breaks record: Another hot sector in the Pre-IPO world has also raised more money so far in 2026 than it did in all of 2025. Robotics startups have attracted $18.8 billion of funding this year, compared to the previous record-high of $15 billion last year, with notable big rounds from Saronic (also a defense tech company), Skild AI, and Apptronik.

🍷 Vint shuts down: The fractional wine investment platform is shutting down and selling off its remaining assets after five years in business. It raised $5 million in early 2023 but was unable to find its way to profitability, as the fractional investing boom has tailed off over the past few years.

🏢 Two-pronged market: The office market has become a story of have and have-nots. Loan delinquencies hit a record-high while at the same time loan originations rose 50% year-over-year. High-end buildings with amenities are attracting tenants, but lower-level buildings are struggling with vacancies and significant drops in property value.

🚀 SpaceX’s Reflection AI deal: The newly public company signed a $6.3 billion deal to provide computing power to the open source AI startup, the third such major deal SpaceX has inked recently. However, the company’s stock fell by more than 16% yesterday, and is down 30% from its post-IPO peak.

🪙 MoneyGram joins Solana: The payments processor is joining the Solana network as a validator, allowing it to directly stake Solana, and becoming a deeper part of its ecosystem. This move reflects the growing push from mainstream payments companies to use blockchain and stablecoins to facilitate cross-border transactions.

The Episcopal Church is planning to put its 12-story New York City headquarters on the market, either for a redevelopment or sale. The 146,000 square-foot office building is located at 815 2nd Ave. in Midtown Manhattan, and was completed in 1963. Part of the reason for sale is practical - most of the church staff now works remotely and more than half the building is vacant - but part of the reason is symbolic, as well. The church no longer feels it needs a headquarters in a major urban center and it is prioritizing resources on the local level. The sale is likely to still be a few months off, and no price has been set, but the timing is pretty good, as Manhattan’s office market is one of the strongest in the country right now.