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Latest Episodes:

The Real Story of Inflation Right Now Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

There is perhaps no question more debated in macroeconomics than what sort of inflation we’re likely to see in the coming years. Many are convinced that the combination of a growing money supply, expansionary monetary policy, pent-up demand, reshoring of manufacturing and more are pointing us to a secular inflation era. Others say the forces of deflation and disinflation, like technology and demography, are too strong.

In today’s episode, NLW looks at not only the latest Consumer Price Index numbers released today, but also recent Producer Price Index surveys, wage growth and more to try to put together a more complex, nuanced picture of the likely inflation scenarios going forward.

-- Earn up to 12% APY on Bitcoin, Ethereum, USD, EUR, GBP, Stablecoins & more. Get started at nexo.io -- Enjoying this content? SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1438693620?at=1000lSDb Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/538vuul1PuorUDwgkC8JWF?si=ddSvD-HST2e_E7wgxcjtfQ Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9ubHdjcnlwdG8ubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M= Follow on Twitter: NLW: https://twitter.com/nlw Breakdown: https://twitter.com/BreakdownNLW The Breakdown is produced and distributed by CoinDesk.com

Coinbase Going Public Is the Bitcoin Bull Market's First Big Test Apr 13, 2021

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Coinbase is set to go public via direct listing on Wednesday.

In today’s episode, NLW breaks down why this is the current bull market’s first big test, looking at:

Mainstream narratives
Institutional liquidity
Retail participation
Spillover effects
The direction in which we head next

What’s clear is that this bull run does not equal 2017 and will be shaped by a largely different set of forces.

Byzantine General’s overview thread: https://twitter.com/ByzGeneral/status/1381095621017354240

How Bitcoin Can Help Break Cycles of Poverty Apr 11, 2021

Show notes

This week’s edition of “Long Reads Sunday” features NLW reading Bradley Rettler’s “The Rich Get Richer, the Poor Get Bitcoin.” It is an argument that, far from being just a speculative tool for the already wealthy, bitcoin represents a disruptive force that can combat wealth inequality.

-- Earn up to 12% APY on Bitcoin, Ethereum, USD, EUR, GBP, Stablecoins & more. Get started at nexo.io -- Enjoying this content? SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1438693620?at=1000lSDb Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/538vuul1PuorUDwgkC8JWF?si=ddSvD-HST2e_E7wgxcjtfQ Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9ubHdjcnlwdG8ubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M= Follow on Twitter: NLW: https://twitter.com/nlw Breakdown: https://twitter.com/BreakdownNLW The Breakdown is produced and distributed by CoinDesk.com

So, Is This a Bitcoin Supercycle or What? Apr 10, 2021

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On this week’s “Weekly Recap,” NLW digs into the theory of the bitcoin supercycle. Are we in the same sort of four-year, halving-driven, boom-bust cycle that has characterized bitcoin so far, or are the new institutional participants breaking us out of that in a fundamental way?

Liberty Mutual and State Street Are the Latest Institutions to Join the Bitcoin Party Apr 10, 2021

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Today on the Brief:

Crypto Climate Accord
Robinhood crypto trading
The decentralization of venture capital

Our main discussion:

This week was absolutely chock-full of institutions getting into the bitcoin space, yet barely anyone noticed. From Liberty Mutual and Starr Insurance investing in NYDIG to a massive real estate company moving treasury into bitcoin and accepting it for rent, the institutional infiltration of bitcoin shows no signs of stopping.

Is Bitcoin a Chinese Financial Weapon? Peter Thiel Ignites a Geopolitical Debate Apr 09, 2021

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Peter Thiel is nothing if not good at igniting controversy. For the last 24 hours or so, Bitcoin Twitter (and really, FinTwit and TechTwit and Politics Twitter as well) have been hotly debating his assertion in recent remarks that bitcoin had become a “Chinese financial weapon.”

In today’s episode, NLW breaks down:

The debate around Thiel’s comments
Why bitcoin is more likely a threat to Chinese aspirations around the digital yuan’s future status as a global currency than the U.S. dollar
Why digital dollars like tether and USDC might make this whole debate moot from the get-go

$400,000 Bitcoin in 2021? The Best of Bloomberg's Latest Bullish Bitcoin Report Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

Today on the Brief:

Coinbase’s monster Q1 numbers
150 million evaporate from the global middle class
Jamie Dimon’s shareholder letter comments on crypto

Our main discussion: Bloomberg’s latest crypto outlook is out. In this episode, NLW looks at seven aspects of the report:

Bitcoin as digital reserve asset in a low-yield world
Price support at $50,000
Price possibilities of $400,000 in 2021
Gold replacement happening more quickly than anticipated
Growth in publicly traded companies with crypto exposure
Exchange outflows
The supremacy of USD digital currencies

From Dinosaur Altcoins to the Kimchi Premium, 13 Numbers That Tell The Story of Markets Right Now Apr 07, 2021

Show notes

On today’s episode, NLW provides a whistle stop tour of some of the most interesting and illuminating numbers from crypto and traditional markets, including:

The pop in Jurassic Park altcoins
Archegos fallout
US vaccine distribution
Outflows from Turkey
SPAC performance before and after mergers
Decline in price and volume of NFTs
Coinbase valuation
Stablecoin transaction volume
And more!

Earn up to 12% APY on Bitcoin, Ethereum, USD, EUR, GBP, Stablecoins & more. Get started at nexo.io -- Enjoying this content? SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1438693620?at=1000lSDb Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/538vuul1PuorUDwgkC8JWF?si=ddSvD-HST2e_E7wgxcjtfQ Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9ubHdjcnlwdG8ubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M= Follow on Twitter: NLW: https://twitter.com/nlw Breakdown: https://twitter.com/BreakdownNLW The Breakdown is produced and distributed by CoinDesk.com

How Will the Coinbase IPO Affect Bitcoin's Price? Apr 06, 2021

Show notes

Today on the Brief:

The 88th anniversary of Executive Order 6102
Former SEC Jay Clayton on bitcoin regulations
GBTC intends to become an ETF

Our main discussion:

NLW breaks down the potential implications of the Coinbase IPO. He looks at the bullish arguments of mainstream presence, the potential to send people down a bitcoin rabbit hole and the provisioning of easy on-ramps versus the argument that it will give people a chance to get crypto industry exposure without actually holding bitcoin or other crypto assets.

The Future of Bitcoin Lies with Renegades and Malcontents Apr 04, 2021

Show notes

On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads CoinDesk journalist Brady Dale’s “Don’t Follow the Suits, Follow the Weirdos.” NLW argues this topic is even more important in the context of bitcoin institutionalization.

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