The Coin Bureau Podcast: Crypto Without the Hype

Latest Episodes:

Inflation's Many Evils and Stopping US Politicians from Insider Trading Oct 26, 2022

Show notes

From our YouTube archive this week come two videos which lay bare many of the failings of the current financial system.

The first is inflation - that pernicious force which is busy making lives harder for most people around the world. Most, but by no means all, because those at the very top of the pyramid ultimately benefit from the inflationary system the rest of us labour under.

Believe it or not, but inflation is guilty of more than just rising prices and increasing living costs. It also drives many of the most troubling aspects of society, including war, environmental degradation, inequality and corruption, to name but a few. In the first part of today’s episode, you’ll hear how inflation furthers these evil ends and allows the wealthy and powerful to benefit, while everyone else foots the bill.

Then, in part two, you’ll hear all about a new bill in Washington DC which aims to crack down on insider trading by US politicians and other government officials. This shady practice has been going on since time immemorial, and this isn’t the first bit of legislation to try and tackle it. However, as the economic climate deteriorates and public opinion hardens against such underhand practices, perhaps this could be the moment the folks on Capitol Hill are brought into line. Here’s everything you need to know about the extent of the insider trading that’s been going on and what’s being done to curb it.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Producer for iHeartMedia: Noel Brown

Editor: Semir Mutapcic

Theme music composed by: Noel Brown

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China vs Taiwan and Oil Price Worries Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

This week highlights from Coin Bureau’s YouTube channel focus on two critical macroeconomic issues - China and its stance on Taiwan and concerns around global oil prices. Both of these factors will be weighing on any investor’s portfolio in some way.

You’ll almost certainly be aware of the fact that China has long coveted Taiwan and aims to unite the two countries - by force, if necessary. This dispute has rumbled on for decades, but tensions are currently higher than they have been for a long time. As Chinese president Xi Jinping consolidates his absolute power by securing a third term in office - meaning he is effectively president for life if he so chooses - the likelihood that China will make its move is becoming uncomfortably high.

In the first part of today’s episode, we look at some of the main reasons as to why China could be on the brink of invading Taiwan. As US president Joe Biden has repeatedly pledged military support for Taiwan in such an eventuality, the stakes could not be higher for all three countries and the wider world. As we’ll see, there are many reasons why China could be readying for a strike and just as many reasons why such a move would have dire consequences for the world.

Next up, we take a look at why oil prices are also something we should all be concerned about (there’s not much in the way of good news this week, sadly). The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries - OPEC - the powerful international cartel that sets global oil prices, recently decided to cut production by 2 million barrels a day, meaning the price of oil is set to climb. This obviously has serious consequences for the global economy.

There’s also the uncomfortable fact that the US has recently tapped its Strategic Petroleum Reserve - SPR - to make up for the disruption to oil production caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This has helped to combat inflation caused by rising energy costs and insulate Americans from higher prices at the pump. But it also means that the US has decreasing amounts of oil in reserve for an emergency, such as, for instance, a war with China over Taiwan.

So, find a safe spot behind the sofa and have a listen.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Producer for iHeartMedia: Noel Brown

Editor: Semir Mutapcic

Theme music composed by: Noel Brown

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Day the Markets Broke and The Company That Wants to Take Over Crypto Oct 12, 2022

Show notes

It’s time for some more hits from our YouTube channel to brighten your week. Today you’ll hear all about the recent mini financial crisis in the UK and our investigation into a company that could be poised to dominate the crypto industry.

The UK has a new Prime Minister and a new Chancellor of the Exchequer and it’s safe to say they haven’t got off to the most auspicious of starts. Once parliament had reconvened following the period of mourning for the Queen, Chancellor Kwazi Kwarteng announced a so-called ‘mini budget’ that was focused on growth. The only problem was, this involved borrowing billions of pounds to not just cover soaring energy bills, but also to effectively fund a tax cut for the rich.

The markets were unimpressed and the pound plunged. What was more disconcerting however was the state of the UK bond market. The yield on UK gilts (government bonds) shot up, while the price went the other way. As a result, it became much, much more expensive for the government to borrow money. It also meant that UK pension funds became dangerously exposed, all of which is explained in the first part of this episode. It’s a sorry tale and a bitter pill for us Brits to swallow.

Then, in the second part of this episode, you’ll hear all about Circle, the company that is fast becoming one of the richest and most powerful forces in crypto. For those unfamiliar, Circle issues USDC, the second largest stablecoin by market cap. It also has some seriously heavyweight backing from the likes of BlackRock and Goldman Sachs.

Circle has been around for a few years now and began life as a bitcoin-focused payments company before moving into the stablecoin sector. It is also due to go public later this year, which would make it only the second crypto company after Coinbase to take this massive step. Suffice to say, this is a company you need to be aware of.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Producer for iHeartMedia: Noel Brown

Editor: Semir Mutapcic

Theme music composed by: Noel Brown

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A chat with Rob from Digital Asset News Oct 07, 2022

Show notes

Mike is away this week, but never fear because we’re lucky enough to have a guest joining us who is one of the wisest heads in the crypto space. Rob Wolff is the man behind Digital Asset News, one of the best crypto-focused YouTube channels out there. Rob is a seasoned investor and businessman, but also the sort of person who never rests on his laurels or stops being curious. As such, what he has to say about the crypto space, about investing and heck, about most things, is always worth hearing.

So this week, Rob and I dialled in to talk about, well, a lot of things. We cover Rob’s fascinating career up to now and how he discovered crypto. We talk about his five rules for investing which everyone should know and how he’s learned from past mistakes to become wiser and more resilient. We also dive into the current state of the crypto market and where it could be heading. And that’s just for starters.

Rob is one of crypto’s good guys. He’s bullish on the future of the industry, but doesn’t deal in hype or hopium. His philosophical approach to crypto, to investing and to life in general is just what’s needed in these difficult, uncertain times. A gentleman, a scholar and a damn nice guy into the bargain.

Digital Asset News, Rob’s brilliant YouTube channel can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/c/DigitalAssetNewsDAN and you can follow him on Twitter at @NewsAsset. His website is an amazing source of FREE educational resources about crypto and can be found at https://danteachescrypto.com/

The book ‘This Time is Different’ that Rob mentions is also essential reading. https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691152646/this-time-is-different

It was an absolute pleasure having Rob on the show and we hope he’ll come back and join us again soon.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Executive Producer for iHeartMedia: Noel Brown

Editor: Sam Moult

Theme music composed by: Noel Brown

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crypto in the Eurozone and the BlackRock Report Oct 05, 2022

Show notes

Two more selections from our YouTube channel today, in which we take a look at the latest efforts by EU politicians to regulate crypto in the Eurozone and delve deep into a 2019 report by BlackRock which seemed to predict much of what we’re seeing play out in fiscal and monetary policy-making today.

We were lucky enough to get our hands on an advance copy of the EU’s Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation or MiCA bill, which will be passed by the European parliament in the next few days. We were also fortunate to get to work with insider and expert Patrick Hansen on going through it all. When the bill was originally presented a few months ago, it contained some alarming suggestions that threatened to seriously hamper the growth and development of the European crypto industry. Since that time, we have awaited the revised bill with bated breath.

Happily, much has changed during the revision period and it looks like Europe could become a trailblazer for regulatory clarity. There are still some concerns though and, in the first part of this episode, we break down what’s in the bill and give our assessment of what it all means for crypto in the EU and beyond.

Next, we dig through a report published by asset-management behemoth BlackRock all the way back in 2019, as the world barrelled unwittingly towards the era of covid-19. What’s strange is that this report has since proved to be spookily accurate when it comes to how fiscal and monetary policies would take shape in the aftermath of a global crisis, such as was then on the horizon. There’s a lot to unpack in this report, but our breakdown of it is essential listening - especially when you consider that BlackRock is arguably more powerful than most national governments. How did the report’s authors know so much about the future?

We hope you enjoy the show.

Producer for iHeartMedia: Noel Brown

Editor: Semir Mutapcic

Theme music composed by: Noel Brown

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hearing Coinfessions Sep 30, 2022

Show notes

Poor Mike felt a bit down after the last time we spoke. Yes, the merge was a success, but the crypto market found its way back into the doldrums pretty quickly afterwards and looks like remaining there for quite some time to come. There are just too many factors weighing on all financial markets at this point in time and it’s hard not to feel a bit gloomy about it all.

So, this week, we thought we’d try something different and turn to that ever-reliable source of news, nonsense, time-wasting and procrastination: Twitter. If you want to keep tabs on what’s going on in crypto, you need to monitor crypto Twitter - or CT, if you’re into the whole brevity thing. CT is, in short, where it all goes down.

If you are going to immerse yourself in the world of CT, then Coinfessions (@coinfessions) is one account you need to follow. Billed as anonymous crypto confessions, it’s a place where people go to fess up to the crypto-related shenanigans they just have to get off their chests.

Some of them make for uncomfortable reading, some are distressing, some are even uplifting. But, as entertaining and diverting as Coinfessions is, there are lessons to be learned from many of these tweets. So, let’s veer away from the horrors of global markets and dig into some confessions from the crypto space and see what they have to teach us.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Executive Producer for iHeartMedia: Noel Brown

Editor: Sam Moult

Theme music composed by: Noel Brown

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weather Modification and the White House's Crypto Framework Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

For this week’s YouTube selection, we bring you an investigation into the practice of weather modification and a look at how various arms of the US government responded to President Biden’s executive order about cryptocurrency from earlier this year.

It’s been a longstanding human aim to control the weather, but it’s only recently that we’ve taken a technological approach to fulfilling it. Prior to that, we simply entreated one god or another to do it for us, but now we’re learning to play god ourselves. From showmen in the early 20th century burning chemicals to stimulate rain to governments shooting clouds with lasers in the 21st, we’ve come a long way from sacrificing the odd goat or two.

What’s particularly intriguing is that it appears as though these technologies we’ve developed are actually very effective. That opens the door to all sorts of possibilities, both benign and otherwise. Back in 1974, many countries pledged to refrain from modifying the weather for warlike purposes, but there are now suspicions that some are no longer abiding by these terms. Weather modification is a huge but seemingly underreported subject, so we thought we’d take a break from the gloom of the crypto markets to shed some light on it for you.

Crypto concerns can’t be ignored for long though, because authorities in the United States appear to be gearing up for a big regulatory push against the industry. IN March this year, President Biden issued an executive order about cryptocurrency and the deadline for responses to it fell just a few weeks ago. The result is a report which reviews these responses and provides some important indications of what crypto regulations in the United States could one day look like. It’s required reading for anyone interested in crypto, whether US-based or otherwise, so we’ve summarised it for you in the second part of today’s episode.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Producer for iHeartMedia: Noel Brown

Editor: Semir Mutapcic

Theme music composed by: Noel Brown

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Post-Merge Post-Mortem Sep 23, 2022

Show notes

After previewing Ethereum’s merge event last week, it’s time to look back on the big day and see where it’s left us. Is the post-merge world any different from the world of proof of work Ethereum?

Happily the merge went to plan and there were no issues - the sense of relief was palpable. Less happily, the euphoria that followed the merge evaporated in the blink of an eye. The gloomy economic situation that the world economy finds itself in has not gone away and these pressures continue to press down hard on the crypto market. Not even one of the most seismic events in the history of computing could change that fact.

So, there’s bad news and good news to be aware of. In the latter category, rising interest rates, untamed inflation, continuing geopolitical tensions and war are just a few that spring to mind. Crypto also faces its own unique threats. The SEC considers all cryptos bar Bitcoin’s BTC to be securities, while there are also concerns around proof of stake Ethereum’s vulnerability to regulatory capture and even protocol-level censorship. Worrying times.

But, it’s not all bad. The investment case for ETH has been strengthened by the success of the merge and - long term - investors will look more favourably on it. The massive reduction in electricity usage, as well as ETH’s future as a deflationary asset, are both enormous positives. And, there are further improvements in the work, being undertaken by a team of developers who have more than proven their expertise.

So, as the merge recedes in the rear-view mirror, why not join us for one last look back, before we turn our gaze once more to the future? It may look rough, but better times lie beyond the horizon.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Executive Producer for iHeartMedia: Noel Brown

Editor: Sam Moult

Theme music composed by: Noel Brown

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Europe's Energy Squeeze and Fake Trading Volumes Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

Coming to you this week from our YouTube archive is a piece on Europe’s energy squeeze and a recent report which casts doubt on much of cryptocurrency’s trading volume.

The war in Ukraine drags on, causing death, destruction and misery on a shocking scale. But the effects of Putin’s madness are being felt beyond the borders of Ukraine and Russia in many different ways. For Europe, it means a potentially long, cold and dark winter, as fossil fuel exports from Russia dwindle in the face of sanctions and a proposed price cap on Russian oil. A stand-off has ensued, with Russia turning off the gas taps and refusing to budge until sanctions are lifted, while Europe tries to stand firm and not let energy shortages weaken its resolve.

In the first part of today’s episode, we look at what led to this situation and examine why it’s more precarious than many might think. We also look at some of the ways in which European countries are starting to take steps to try and limit the damage, all while winter gets closer with each passing day.

Then, in the second part of the episode, we go through a recent report by Forbes which digs down in the trading volumes on cryptocurrency exchanges. It’s titled: ‘More Than Half Of All Bitcoin Trades Are Fake’ and is critical of much of the crypto industry. It was an interesting report to cover, containing much to disagree with, but also plenty of food for thought. Have a listen and see what you think.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Producer for iHeartMedia: Noel Brown

Editor: Semir Mutapcic

Theme music composed by: Noel Brown

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You'll Own Nothing and be Happy & Cardano Update Sep 14, 2022

Show notes

As well as our bonus catch-up episode, we’re also bringing you our regular Wednesday edition of the podcast today. Two for the price of one.

One of our most popular videos of late has been our look at the World Economic Forum’s dystopian vision of the future. This is built around the idea that ‘you’ll own nothing and be happy,’ something the folks at the WEF seem to believe is a good thing. Well, we beg to differ.

In the first part of this episode, you’ll hear our assessment of the WEF’s plans, as well as a look at how its stakeholders are starting to implement all the ways they can stop us owning but keep us consuming. We also look back at where these ideas originated - it turns out that concepts like planned obsolescence have been around for a surprisingly long time.

Next up, you’ll hear our update on Cardano, one of the biggest and most talked-about crypto projects going. All the recent talk has been of Ethereum’s upcoming merge, but Cardano has a big upgrade of its own coming up later this month, which will go a long way towards determining whether or not it will be able to challenge Ethereum’s dominance in the future. Here’s everything you need to know about where Cardano is right now.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Producer for iHeartMedia: Noel Brown

Editor: Semir Mutapcic

Theme music composed by: Noel Brown

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.