*as of 7/27; Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, GOLD

Midwest and Northeast metros once again dominate the top tier of the latest housing market rankings from Realtor.com and the Wall Street Journal, taking 19 of the top 20 spots. The rankings aggregate a combination of housing market conditions, quality-of-life measures, and local economic health. South Bend, IN was #1 overall for the third straight quarter, followed by Appleton, WI, and Lancaster, PA. A set of rankings for luxury housing markets was also released, with Pittsfield, MA taking the #1 spot, followed by Boulder, CO, and San Jose, CA, as more West Coast markets cracked the rankings.

➨ TAKEAWAY: The story of the post-pandemic era is the outperformance of mid-sized, Midwestern metros as affordability reigns supreme. Local economic conditions and low climate risk also contribute to the attractiveness of these areas for potential buyers. For luxury markets, there is more of an emphasis on quality-of-life and cultural destinations. Investors should always consider where buying demand is growing when searching for long-term rental stability and appreciation potential.

🚀 Boring Company fundraise: The Elon Musk-led tunneling startup is reportedly raising a monster $4 billion funding round at a $20 billion valuation, nearly quadrupling its $5.7 billion value from 2022. The company’s most notable project is the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, and it is expanding to Nashville and Dubai, but is a long way off from mainstream adoption.

🐉 Pokémon regulation: As the continuing boom in Pokémon cards is leading to fraudulent practices such as counterfeiting and money laundering, the Japanese government is considering new regulations. It could lead to better outcomes for collectors if cards are more easily authenticated and bad actors can be punished.

🤖 AI safety initiative: Following last week’s cyberattack by a rogue OpenAI model, Nvidia, Microsoft, SpaceX and other tech giants launched a dedicated security initiative designed to bolster defenses across AI models. This effort comes after many of the same companies, also led by Nvidia, released an open letter in defense of open-weight AI models in response to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatening sanctions on Chinese companies.

💵 Euronext private market: The European exchange operator Euronext is reportedly exploring plans to create a dedicated platform for trading private market shares designed to compete directly with new UK private trading platforms.

🚀 Stripe eyeing OpenRouter: The payments startup is reportedly in discussions to acquire the AI startup OpenRouter for $10 billion, well above its $1.3 billion valuation earlier this year. Stripe is clearly looking to expand its AI infrastructure and footprint as it attempts to move beyond just payment processing.

📜 Titanic letter record: A letter written aboard the Titanic by a passenger only days before he died when the boat sunk sold for a record-breaking £60,000 at auction, nearly double the pre-auction estimate. Titanic memorabilia has consistently been increasing in value as the wreck remains a source of fascination for many.

When you see that a 1,200 square foot, 1 bed, 1 bath property in New York City is on the market for just $65,000, you know there’s a catch. In this case, it’s a houseboat located on a marina in the Bronx. It does contain a full kitchen with appliances, washer & dryer, central heat and A/C, as well as freshwater storage tanks. It appears that the marina charges a reasonable $1,000 per month for slip fees, and there is running water year-round. Of course, there are all sorts of hidden costs and difficulties that come with living on a boat, especially during winter, and many marinas prohibit full-time residents. Still, there is also the possibility of turning it into a short-term rental, and the price tag is extremely low for NYC standards. While the listing says the boat is available for $65,000, a separate Craigslist post says $50,000, so do your own research.