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
926
What the US Midterm Elections’ Lack of a ‘Red W...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW looks at the U.S. election results, including pro-crypto candidates who were elected (or re-elected) and what the overall balance of power means for crypto and business in general....
17 min
927
Tyrone Ross on Why the Institutions Are Buildin...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   In today’s interview, NLW talks with returning guest Tyrone Ross about the state of financial advice and why the biggest institutions in the world are spending the bear market gearing up for the next...
40 min
928
Why There Is No 'Bitcoin Is Dead' Talk This Cycle
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On this edition of “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads: “” – Isaiah Douglass  “” – Edan Yago - allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fees. You always...
15 min
929
The Industry Coalesces Around Ripple’s Battle A...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at: Reports that Twitter is shelving a crypto wallet project Instagram bringing creation and selling of NFTs natively to its platform  Coinbase and...
17 min
930
Jason Choi on How Crypto Investing Can Better A...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW is joined by Jason Choi. Jason is an investor with Web3 angel collective Tangent, and also produces the long running “Blockcrunch” podcast (and companion VIP newsletter). In...
31 min
931
No Pivot and Higher Terminal Rate Talk at FOMC ...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW covers Wednesday’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting. Nominally the big news was the fourth consecutive 75 bps rate hike. But the big news was Federal Reserve Chair Jerome...
15 min
932
Dan Held on Bitcoin and the Battle Against CBDCs
This episode is sponsored by , and .   Dan Held is a serial bitcoin entrepreneur, the former head of growth marketing at Kraken and currently an adviser to Trust Machines and other crypto companies. In this discussion, he and NLW talk about the...
31 min
933
Can Elon Musk’s Twitter Challenge the Internet’...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW recaps the first few days following Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, including who he has fired and brought in, how the company is thinking about content moderation, a new...
20 min
934
Reflections on the Crypto Market Cycle, With Da...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW speaks with David Hoffman, the co-founder of Bankless. They discuss how this bear market is alike and different from the previous one, as well as the state of Ethereum...
39 min
935
What Bitcoin and the Stock Market’s Correlation...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads:   “” – Noelle Acheson  “” – Steven Lubka  - allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fees....
17 min
936
Xi and the Shift From Economics to Ideology
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW gives an overview of the 20th Chinese Party Congress, including the power moves made by President Xi Jinping, Western reactions and why the leader is shifting...
17 min
937
Why Energy Is the Most (Geo)Political Market, W...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   In this interview, NLW chats with Tony Greer, a veteran trader and author of the Morning Navigator newsletter. They discuss energy markets, inflation and geopolitics.    Find our guest on Twitter:...
36 min
938
Why Bitcoin’s Bear Market Hashrate Surge May No...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW catches up on the bitcoin mining industry, and why soaring hashrate and mining difficulty represent something very different in a bear market than they did during the bull.  -...
18 min
939
Crypto Markets Put the ‘Pump’ in ‘Pumpkin’
  This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW looks at the positive price action of the past few days, with an eye to understanding how people are understanding the move. Is it a macro shift and a belief in a coming...
17 min
940
Reddit NFTs Show People Like Crypto When They D...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW looks into how different pre-Web3 tech companies are getting involved with Web3. Specifically, he looks at how Reddit non-fungible tokens (NFT) are lighting up the Reddit...
17 min
941
Does the Bank of Japan’s Intervention Spell Tro...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   “The Breakdown” kicks off the week with a look at one of the big global macro stories shaping markets right now, which is the first Bank of Japan interventions into the country’s currency markets in...
16 min
942
The Debate Around SBF’s Regulatory Ideas
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads Sam Bankman-Fried’s   He also references Erik Voorhees and a featuring Scupytruples.  - allows you to trade on the spot and futures...
30 min
943
Is Voluntary Regulation the Right Approach to D...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at the state of crypto legal proceedings and global regulatory discussions, including: Hodlonaut wins against Craig Wright in Norway Coinbase,...
19 min
944
The Institutions Aren’t Just Sticking With Cryp...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW gives the latest in his recurrent theme on “post-narrative institutionalization” – the idea that during the 2022 bear market institutional actors have not only not abandoned...
17 min
945
A Head of Lettuce Outlasted British PM Liz Truss
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW looks at the short, fitful reign of the U.K.’s shortest-serving Prime Minister, Liz Truss. He argues that the problems with her time in office were not just about British...
17 min
946
100% Chance of Recession
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode of “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at the various signals markets are grappling with, including continued hawkish commentary from the Fedeal Reserve, financial modeling that keeps...
16 min
947
A CFTC Commissioner Proposes a New Definition o...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW covers a number of stories from across the crypto space, including:  A new definition of retail investors?  Mastercard gets deeper into crypto with Paxos Why BNY...
18 min
948
Are NFTs Still Disruptive in a Zero-Royalty World?
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On today’s episode, NLW looks at the non-fungible token community’s current debate about royalties. Marketplaces are moving to zero-royalty or royalty-optional models, while many in the space think it...
20 min
949
Is Bitcoin Maximalism a Historical Aberration?
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On this edition of “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads “” by Dr. Paul J. Dylan-Ennis.  - allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fees. You always get the best...
22 min
950
Why Chip Manufacturing Is at the Center of Grea...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On this episode, NLW provides a 101-style primer on chip manufacturing and why it has become a key geopolitical concern for the U.S. and China, especially over the last few years.  - allows you to...
18 min