The Breakdown

A daily analysis of macroeconomics, bitcoin, geopolitics and big picture power shifts, hosted by Nathaniel Whittemore @nlw. The Breakdown is part of Blockworks.


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Investing
851
Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison Plead Guilty to ...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   In breaking news last night, Sam Bankman-Fried was extradited from the Bahamas to the U.S. to face charges ranging from wire fraud to campaign finance fraud. Almost as soon as the plane took off, the U.S....
16 min
852
Why Are a Dead Guy's Crypto Coins Moving?
This episode is sponsored by , and .   Ah, what a perfect way to end a year of fraud, deception and disappointment. Earlier this week, on-chain sleuths noticed that more than 100 BTC were on the move from wallets that were controlled by and...
16 min
853
Elon Bans Journalists, Kills Spaces and Asks if...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW looks at the latest out of Twitter, including a dust-up about location doxxing and the journalists who were suspended as a result, a new policy banning links to external social...
19 min
854
Audit Firms Don’t Want to Work With Crypto Comp...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW catches up on the latest in the crypto industry, including: Sam Bankman-Fried changes his tune on extradition DCG-owned coins on the move Audit firms ceasing crypto...
15 min
855
What ChatGPT Might Mean for Web3
This episode is sponsored by , , and the .   On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads:“” by Tim Kravchunovsky   “” by Michael J. Casey  - is a security-first platform where you can buy, exchange and borrow against...
15 min
856
Exchange Fears Roil Crypto Following SBF’s Arrest
This episode is sponsored by , , and the .   On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at how the FTX bankruptcy is proceeding following the arrest of disgraced founder Sam Bankman-Fried, as well as the concerns surrounding Binance...
15 min
857
Trump NFTs Sell Out In Hours
This episode is sponsored by , , and the .   On today’s episode, NLW catches up on the latest non-FTX crypto news, including: Former President Trump’s NFT sellout Jack Dorsey funding decentralized social networks PayPal partnering with...
17 min
858
Jerome Powell Says ‘More Work to Be Done’ as FO...
This episode is sponsored by , , and the .   Today’s episode is a deep dive into the Federal Open Market Committee meeting. NLW covers not just the policy updates but the details of Chair Jerome Powell’s speech and the Q&A after. The big...
17 min
859
For Once, a Positive Inflation Surprise
This episode is sponsored by , , and the .   On today’s episode, NLW catches up on the most recent inflation numbers. U.S. headline inflation for November came in at 7.1%, vs 7.7% the previous month and the 7.3% expected by surveyed...
17 min
860
Sam Bankman-Fried Arrested for Wire Fraud and C...
This episode is sponsored by , , and the .   In a shocking turn of events, Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested on Monday, Dec. 12 by Bahamian authorities at the request of the U.S. Southern District of New York. On today’s episode, NLW covers the...
21 min
861
SBF ‘Loaned’ the CEO of The Block $43M
This episode is sponsored by , , and the .   Another day, another betrayal. On Friday, news broke that former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried made three loans totaling $43 million to Michael McCaffrey, CEO of CoinDesk competitor The Block. Those loans...
19 min
862
Why Is Bitcoin Dominance So Much Lower Than in ...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On this episode of “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads Noelle Acheson’s “” as well as comments from NLW’s on Bitcoin dominance.  - is a security-first platform where you can buy, exchange and...
19 min
863
Congressman Who Called Bitcoin an ‘Unstoppable ...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW catches up on the latest U.S. regulatory news, including the legal battle around the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s actions against the Ooki DAO, a...
16 min
864
2022’s Most Influential Bitcoiners
This episode is sponsored by , and .   Crypto Twitter was in a tizzy this week about . Specifically, bitcoin maximalists decried its lack of bitcoin maximalists. On this episode, NLW addresses the controversy, reads and adds his own...
18 min
865
Sherrod Brown Tells SBF, ‘Show Up or Get Subpoe...
This episode is sponsored by , and . Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at the shift in tone around SBF following the FTX collapse. Both the House and the Senate are holding hearings on FTX next week, and have confirmed that if former FTX CEO...
18 min
866
The White-Collar Recession
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW provides an overview of the broader economy, including: Wall Street’s predictions for a bad 2023 PepsiCo layoffs OPEC+ oil decision China backing off Zero-Covid policies  ...
14 min
867
Goldman’s Going on a Crypto Company Buying Spre...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   In a conversation with Reuters, Goldman Sachs’ head of digital assets suggested the bank would be spending tens of millions of dollars to invest in, or buy outright, crypto firms whose prices had come...
18 min
868
SBF Declines a Congressional Invite; Alameda CE...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW catches up on the latest surrounding the fallout of FTX, including Sam Bankman-Fried’s back and forth with House Financial Services Committee Chair Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.)...
17 min
869
Bitcoin and Opting Out of the IMF & World Bank
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads Alex Gladstein’s Twitter version of his new essay "." - is a security-first platform where you can buy, exchange and borrow against your crypto. The...
16 min
870
Market Whiplash as Jobs Report Undermines Powel...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW catches up on the macro landscape, including recapping Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech on Wednesday and how the jobs report released Friday...
16 min
871
Apple’s Monopoly App Store Tax Coming to Crypto?
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, we catch up on the crypto industry, including: Apple’s dust-up with Coinbase around fees for NFT transfers Stripe’s new fiat-to-crypto tooling for developers  Fidelity opens...
16 min
872
Will Sam’s Frenetic Media Tour Save Him or Damn...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   Ah Sam, will we ever be able to escape you? This week, “main character syndrome” came roaring back into fashion as Sam Bankman-Fried broke his silence with a string of interviews culminating in...
19 min
873
Post-FTX, India and Europe Push Ahead With CBDCs
This episode is sponsored by , and .   In today’s global regulatory roundup, NLW looks at news from: Europe: EU holds a hearing on the FTX collapse and France tests a CBDC India: RBI announces Indian CBDC trials to begin Thursday US: Sen. Ron...
16 min
874
Fed Officials Say Interest Rates to Remain High...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW turns back to the macro, where some amount of optimism had seeped into risk assets since a better-than-expected inflation report a few weeks ago. On Monday, a group of Federal...
16 min
875
BlockFi Files for Bankruptcy, Becoming Latest F...
This episode is sponsored by , and . On today’s episode, NLW returns to his usual daily programming with a review of crypto contagion that took place during the last week. He looks at BlockFi, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New...
16 min