Alternative Investing Report - July 27, 2026

*as of 7/26, Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, GOLD

Major auction houses generated $10 billion in sales in the first half of the year, with totals up dramatically at Sotheby’s and Christie’s, and Heritage also setting its new record high. While the art market has experienced a turnaround, the boom has extended to cars, watches, luxury goods, sports cards, and sports and entertainment memorabilia, particularly on the high end. Over the weekend, a signed Jackie Robinson rookie card sold for a record-breaking $1.86 million, while a Pelé rookie card also topped the $1 million mark.

➨ TAKEAWAY: Both the art and collectibles markets tend to react to bigger economic trends, and are highly correlated to the health of the overall economy and stock market. With the AI boom minting new young millionaires, the art and collectibles sectors are benefitting. With massive tech IPOs promising to bring more liquidity to the market, expect price growth to continue in the short-term, particularly for rare blue-chip assets.

In the newest episode of Smart Humans, Slava Rubin talks with Sacra’s Jan-Erik Asplund about the rapidly evolving field of quantum computing, its current state, future potential, and investment opportunities.

🪙 BitMEX shutting down: The crypto exchange that introduced perpetual futures and 100x leverage to Bitcoin trading is shutting down permanently in September, a downfall that began when its three founders were charged with violating the Bank Secrecy Act in 2020. The reputational damage from the charges crushed its trading volume, and the exchange is also facing a lawsuit accusing it of stealing Bitcoin from its users.

💵 Secondaries growth continues: Deal volume for private credit secondaries hit $20 billion in the first half of 2026, already beating the full-year total for 2025. There is still an estimated $31 billion in dry powder that secondaries funds have to deploy as they look for deals in a volatile market.

🏢 Co-working inventory grows: The number of U.S. coworking locations rose 2.7% in Q2, with much of that growth coming in smaller metro areas. While co-working still only represents 2.3% of national office supply, the facilities tend to be Class-A, amenity-heavy spaces competing with the top end of the market.

🚀 Colossal Biosciences fundraise: The startup best known for trying to resurrect the dire wolf and woolly mammoth is reportedly in talks to raise a new round at a $20 billion to $30 billion valuation, well above its $10 billion valuation from last year. Secondary marketplaces are valuing the company closer to $6 billion, so potential investors should keep an eye out.

🏡 New home sales tick up: Sales of new U.S. single family homes rose 1.6% last month, but are still down 5.6% year-over-year, with the median sales price also falling by 2.7% annually.

🤖 Atoms becomes a unicorn: The physical AI and robotics startup founded by Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick raised a round at a $1.7 billion valuation, with funding coming from Uber, a16z, and others.

This week: Nearly one-third of the S&P 500 will report earnings this week, including Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.

Tuesday: S&P Case-Shiller home price index and FHFA house price index released; Consumer confidence index released.

Wednesday: The Fed releases its interest rate decision, with the market currently pricing in a 35% chance of a rate hike.

Thursday: Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) and Core PCE indices, the Fed’s preferred inflation metrics, will be released; Jersey Mike’s is expected to go public with an $8 billion valuation.

Wednesday - Sunday: The 46th National Sports Collectors Convention will be held in Rosemont, IL, the biggest event of the year in the collectibles world.