Alternative Investing Report - September 8, 2025

*as of 9/7; Sources: S&P, BTC, FTSE, DJRE, GOLD

Blockchain data provider Chainalysis released its sixth annual Global Crypto Adoption Index, which showed significant worldwide growth in the use of crypto across all regions from July 2024 to June 2025. The index is made up of four parts, the total on-chain cryptocurrency value, the volume from retail users, the volume from institutional users, and the amount in DeFi protocols, all weighted by per-capita income. India once again took the #1 spot, leading in all four categories, while the U.S. jumped from 4th to 2nd, lagging only in retail use. They were followed by Pakistan, Vietnam, Brazil, Nigeria, Indonesia, Ukraine, Philippines and Russia to round out the top ten. The Asia-Pacific region was the fastest growing region in the world, with a 69% year-over-year increase in crypto activity, while the Middle East was the slowest but still recorded a 33% gain.

➨ TAKEAWAY: The growth in crypto usage worldwide has been staggering, with most of the usage coming in developing countries and regions, with the U.S. as a clear exception. North America’s growth rate increased from 42% to 49%, a rise attributed to loosened regulations and the current administration’s pro-crypto policies. While it does feel like crypto has hit the mainstream, this report shows that there is still a lot of room to grow in many countries.

Darth Vader’s iconic lightsaber from the famous duel in “The Empire Strikes Back” — — where (spoiler alert) the Sith Lord utters the famous line “I am your father” to Luke Skywalker — sold for $3.65 million at auction. This represented a new all-time record for any Star Wars memorabilia, and exceeded the pre-sale estimate of $1 million - $3 million. Other major lots in the Propstore auction included a whip and belt from Indiana Jones that sold for $475,000, and Picard’s flute from Star Trek, which sold for more than $400,000.

➨ TAKEAWAY: The lightsaber, which was also used in “The Return of the Jedi,” is a true one of one item, and it is no surprise it set off a bidding war. Movie memorabilia has become one of the hottest sectors in collectibles, and because of the amount of unique items from icons of pop culture, expect it to keep growing at the high-end. As long as an item is desirable and rare, it will continue to rise in value.

📊 Job growth slows: More data is confirming that the U.S. labor market is struggling, with the latest jobs report showing the average job growth between May and August falling 75% year-over-year, and June recording a net loss of jobs for the first time since 2020.

🏡 Mortgage rates fall: The average 30-year mortgage rate hit 6.5% for the first time in nearly a year, and the weak employment data only strengthens the likelihood of upcoming Fed rate cuts, which could push mortgage rates down further.

💰 Another gold all-time high: The weak jobs report also had the effect of driving up gold prices, which have now topped $3,600 per ounce for the first time ever, as investors flock to the safe haven asset.

🐲 TCG cards outpacing sports cards: Trading card game (TCG) cards such as Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh are being submitted to grading companies at a greater rate than sports cards, with 1.45 million being graded in August, outpacing the 839,000 sports cards graded in the same period.

🤖 Anthropic copyright settlement: The details of Anthropic’s groundbreaking settlement with authors over copyright infringement has been released, with the AI startup agreeing to pay $1.5 billion, or $3,000 per book, to settle the case.

🪙 Tokenized clean energy investments: Plural energy, a tokenized asset management startup, raised a $7 million seed round, as it aims to unlock the high-yield energy market for investors.

Tuesday: NFIB Small Business Optimism index; Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 among other new products.

Wednesday: Producer Price Index (PPI), core PPI inflation reports released.

Thursday: Consumer Price Index (CPI), core CPI inflation reports released.

Saturday: The Summer Goldin 100 auction, featuring a whole host of high-value collectibles; Memory Lane’s Summer Rarities auction, focusing mostly on vintage sports cards.