Citigroup established a blockchain-based venture for its wealthy and institutional clients to trade private-company shares. The venture uses authorized, tokenized depositary receipts issued by Citi, initially for foreign investors, with U.S. access planned. The infrastructure, operated by Switzerland-based SIX, aims to broaden access to private firms and can be adopted by other banks.
Old Post Office
The federal government sold the former Old Post Office building to merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners for $80 million. BDT & MSD Partners, which acquired the property, is discussing a sale for around $400 million with potential buyers. President Trump’s family firm previously operated the hotel and sold its lease rights in 2022 for $375 million.
Earnings Growth
Earnings growth is expected to remain robust. Analysts expect companies to see a 22% surge in profits for the second quarter. For the full year, they expect a 23% jump.
Homeowner Down Payment
The typical March 2026 homebuyer paid 15% down on the value of a home, a percentage that's down from 16.1% in March 2025. That translates to about $64,000 — still more than double the median $30,000 down payment homebuyers paid in the years leading up to the pandemic, when buyers were putting down about 10%.
World Cup Occupancy
Hotel bookings in U.S. World Cup host cities lag behind Canada and Mexico, with San Francisco the only U.S. city to crack that threshold at 44%. High ticket prices, soaring transportation costs, visa concerns and a perceived unwelcoming U.S. political climate deter travelers.
SpaceX IPO
SpaceX set a specific price of $135 per share for its initial public offering, bucking traditional IPO pricing methods. The company plans to sell 555,555,555 shares to raise nearly $75 billion, targeting a $1.75 trillion valuation. SpaceX was unprofitable in 2025, losing $4.9 billion on $18.7 billion in revenue.
Redemption Caps
Blackstone, Blue Owl and Cliffwater reverted to a 5% redemption cap after allowing bigger payouts in the first quarter.
Data Centers Delay
Supply-chain backlogs, permitting fights and availability of power supplies are among the issues that have caused the construction of data centers to fall behind targeted timelines, with the gap growing wider in recent months. More than 60% of data-center capacity planned for completion in 2027 isn’t yet under construction, and another 7% is delayed.
Housing Market
The slowest housing market in decades is stretching into its fourth year, causing many real-estate agents to leave the industry or find second jobs. The National Association of Realtors had 1.412 million members as of April, down from a peak of 1.6 million in October 2022.
U.S. Homes
The median age of a U.S. home is a record 44 years, leading to vast and rapidly increasing maintenance and modernization costs. Financial advisers now suggest setting aside 2% to 3% of a home’s value annually for upkeep, up from the traditional 1%.