read the stats
At Lunch: Edition #17 — 1/9/2026
Over some McDonald’s nugs, caviar and a bottle of Moët to start the year off right…
The Bite
Read the stats.
One thing I love to talk about is houses and the market.
Trump made a big to do in a recent post about a proposed ban he wants on institutional Investors buying single family homes. Amazing, that sounds great and should happen.
However, when you zoom in and check the fine print…aka just a little follow up and check on the numbers…you find that institutional investors don’t account for that many single-family homes overall. Blackstone says it’s only 0.5% of US single-family home inventory. Though it can get up to 15% in places like Atlanta, Jacksonville and Florida. So while this is a good thing to do, it’s not the solve he’s selling it as.
It’s more than Blackstone that’s stopping Americans from affording a home and this move won’t change the situation for most people. Take one look at the most recent jobs report to tell you the economy isn’t working for working people.
Land, and owning property, is still one of the greatest assets to building wealth and stability—everyone should have access to that. Chatter and sentiment can shift markets, finance and housing but “big” statements like this are usually just that—a hollow statement.
Check your numbers and constantly assess the whole situation.
The Apéritif
Venezuela could be sitting on $60B in bitcoin. (For the record, I’m never in favor of acts of war and I don’t know how this lowers the price of American groceries.)
‘The Church and the Second Sex’ by Mary Daly. First book of the year done. (That’s saying a lot for me, I usually don’t read a single book all year.) By a self-proclaimed “radical feminist lesbian,” this book is bars. Ladies, read up.
The Take Home Meal
On nuggets and caviar…this is one of my new favorite things.
I love a high-low food pairing because for me, eating is meant to be a mix of experiences. I am a well rounded person and what I eat is a reflection of that.
Also go for a great red wine and cheesesteak.
Don’t limit yourself, be creative.