Alternative Investing Report - June 8, 2026

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*as of 6/7, Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, GOLD

The U.S. added more than double the jobs expected in May, with the report showing 172,000 new jobs compared to the consensus forecast of 80,000. The report also revised the March and April figures up, leading to a three-month average of 188,000 jobs gained, the highest level since 2024. Average hourly earnings are up 3.4% year-over-year, which still lags the 3.8% annual rate of inflation according to the Fed’s favored measure. The stock market took a nosedive on the news, with the S&P 500 down 2.6% and the Nasdaq 100 down 4.1%, the worst day for equities since last October.

➨ TAKEAWAY: The market’s reaction to what should be positive news went the way it did because it now seems unlikely that the Fed will cut rates anytime soon, since the labor market does not need boosting and inflation remains high. In fact, the odds of a rate hike now are outpacing the odds of a cut for the rest of the year according to the CME FedWatch tool. As a result, expect mortgage rates to climb higher, which will keep the stagnant real estate market in neutral.

🚀 Quantinuum IPO: The quantum computing startup that was spun out of parent company Honeywell raised $1.68 billion at $60 per share, well above the initial target range. The stock opened for trading Thursday above the IPO price at around $68 per share but ended the week down 15% to $56.26 per share, which suggests that investor demand for the quantum sector is not as robust as hoped.

🪙 Bitcoin dips below $60K: For the first time since October 2024, before the election of President Trump launched a bull market, Bitcoin fell below $60,000. It has bounced back slightly, but was still down 14% on the week and Bitcoin ETFs saw a record-high 13 straight days of net outflows.

💵 Blackstone caps withdrawals: The asset manager is restricting investor withdrawals from BCRED, its flagship $79 billion private credit fund, after redemption requests surged this quarter. It is limiting withdrawals to 5% of shares despite redemption requests hitting 10%, a rise over Q1’s 7.9%.

🏢 Retail supply tightening: National retail occupancy rates are close to historic highs, as new construction has stalled due to high borrowing and construction costs. This trend is likely to lead to further rent growth, as the environment has started to favor landlords.

🏡 New listings fall: New listings of U.S. homes for sale fell 1.3% last week, one of the biggest drops of the year, but are still up 0.7% year-over-year. Mortgage purchase applications dipped with rates at their highest level since last August, but other indicators of buying demand are still up year-over-year.

🤖 Lila Sciences fundraise: The Autonomous AI research startup is raising a $2 billion funding round at a $8.5 billion valuation, with Nvidia as one of the lead investors. The new valuation is a staggering 6.5x over its last valuation of $1.3 billion last October.

Monday: Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference begins, with a highly anticipated update on the company’s Apple Intelligence AI system.

Tuesday: NFIB small business optimism index released, existing home sales report released.

Wednesday: Consumer price index (CPI) and core CPI inflation reports released.

Thursday: The FIFA World Cup kicks off, with games played over the next month in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada; Producer price index (CPI) and core PPI inflation reports released; Sotheby’s Important Design auction, featuring a Giacometti table with a high estimate of $5 million.

Friday: Heritage’s Video Game Signature auction, featuring a sealed copy of the original Super Mario Bros. game that could fetch more than $1 million.

Sunday: Flag Day.