The Breakdown

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**The Breakdown**

The Breakdown dives into the deepest topics in crypto, blockchain, and the macro forces shaping markets and power structures. Each episode breaks down complex ideas into clear, grounded analysis — separating signal from noise across crypto, finance, and geopolitics.

Hosted by David Canellis, The Breakdown features explainers, interviews, and conversations with the people building, regulating, and challenging the financial system.

A Blockworks podcast.

Subscribe to The Breakdown newsletter: https://the-breakdown.carrd.co/

Latest Episodes:

Should We Care if the US Is Falling Behind on CBDCs? Oct 25, 2020

Show notes

For this week’s Long Reads Sunday, NLW reads two selections from CoinDesk’s op-ed section:

CBDCs Are Evolution, not Revolution - Benoit Coeure

The US Risks Getting Left Behind on CBDCs - JP Schnapper-Casteras & Misha Guttentag

Billionaire Hedge Fund Manager Paul Tudor Jones: A Bet on Bitcoin Is a Bet on Human Ingenuity Oct 24, 2020

Show notes

On this week’s Breakdown weekly recap, NLW looks at:

The initial price action that started the week
Debates about whether BTC was thriving at the expense of alts and DeFi
The PayPal news
News of more public companies putting treasury reserves into BTC
Paul Tudor Jones’ optimistic take on the human ingenuity driving bitcoin’s success

Why Fiat is Failing in 2020: Argentina, Turkey, Brazil Oct 24, 2020

Show notes

Today on the Brief:

DOJ crypto enforcement a “disaster” for privacy
Ant’s blockchain tools pre-IPO
Better news around jobless claims

Our main discussion: fiat failures, 2020 edition.

In this episode, NLW looks at a raft of geographies in which bitcoin has recently reached all-time highs, priced in the local currency. The story, he says, is about fiats floundering more than mispriced local bitcoin.

Special focus on economic happenings in Brazil, Argentina and Turkey.

Monopoly is Un-American: Matt Stoller on Google Antitrust Oct 23, 2020

Show notes

Matt Stoller works with the American Economic Liberties Project and is the author of “Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy” as well as the popular Substack newsletter “BIG.”

In this conversation, he and NLW discuss the history of American antitrust sentiment and politics including:

The origins of antitrust sentiment
How the “Watergate Babies” generation of Democrats turned away from antitrust sentiment
How the 1990s shifted power in favor of corporates and tech
Why the 2008-2009 crisis was a seminal moment in our attitudes towards big finance
The significance of the new antitrust case against Google

Find our guest online:

Twitter: @matthewstoller

Web: mattstoller.com

PayPal Adds Bitcoin: Most Bullish News of the Year? Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

Huge news broke this morning as PayPal announced it would be offering buying, selling and eventually merchant payments for bitcoin and other cryptos across its network.

In this late-breaking Breakdown episode, NLW explores:

The specifics of the news
Why the scale, precedent and normalization are hugely bullish
What some skeptics are saying
Why it’s significant PayPal is focused on the coming central bank digital currency era

How Strong Is Bitcoin’s Push Above $12,000? Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

Today on the Brief:

DOJ files biggest antitrust case in two decades against Google
Goldman Sachs’ 1MDB settlement
LINE’s new CBDC platform

Our main discussion: bulls vs. bears as bitcoin passes $12K

Someone recently tweeted, “Bitcoin price has never been this high with such bearish sentiment.”

On this episode, NLW looks at the bullish case (growth in open interest on CME backed by strong macro narrative around stimulus) and bearish case ($12K sell wall and bleeding from alts and DeFi).

A New ‘Bretton Woods’ Moment? Oct 20, 2020

Show notes

Today on the Brief:

Chinese citizens less than impressed with DCEP trial
Is Filecoin the “Titanic” of ICOs?
Mnuchin, Pelosi go one more round on stimulus

Our main discussion: A new Bretton Woods moment?

In a recent speech, the International Monetary Fund argued that the time to fundamentally re-evaluate the global economic order is here. Goldbugs see the potential to return to the gold standard, bitcoiners anticipate ever-growing stimulus and macro observers are betting on massive disruptions in the wake of central bank digital currencies.

How Stocks, Bitcoin and Other Investments Fare in a 0% Interest Rate World Oct 18, 2020

Show notes

On this week’s Long Reads Sunday, NLW reads: “Capital Allocation & Risk Asset Ramifications in a 0% Interest Rate World”

The piece examines how different asset classes – from stocks to bonds to bitcoin and beyond – fare in the context of a world where the Federal Reserve is determined to keep interest rates at or near zero for years to come.

Blockchain is a National Security Issue, According to Trump Admin Oct 17, 2020

Show notes

On this edition of The Breakdown weekly recap, NLW looks at:

Growth in the institutional investment space in crypto
A new 10,000 BTC treasury announcement
Reports from the Bank for International Settlements, G20, WEF, IMF and more around central bank digital currencies
A National Security Council report labeling distributed ledger technology key for national security

RAC on the First Truly Free Markets for Music and Culture Oct 17, 2020

Show notes

Today’s Breakdown is a conversation with Andre Anjos – aka RAC, a Grammy Award-winning recording artist and music entrepreneur. He and NLW discuss:

Starting the “Remix Artist Collective” as a business
Evolving from remixing to performing artist
The challenges and trade-offs of working with major labels
How the music industry beat back technology innovation where other industries failed
How NFTs, tokens and other crypto innovations are opening up truly free markets for music and culture

Find our guest online:

Twitter: @RAC

Web: rac.fm