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.

Business
Investing
1201
Why Cathie Wood Thinks Bitcoin Could Replace Bonds
Today on the Brief: SEC investigating Elon’s DOGE tweets? U.S. income growth has second biggest monthly gain ever Robinhood growth suggests crypto mainstreaming Main discussion: Cathie Wood thinks bitcoin could replace bonds. In this episode, NLW...
13 min
1202
Bitcoin Investing Is ESG Investing
In today's episode, NLW looks at how bitcoin fits with the growing trend of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investing. In it, he:  Argues that ESG investors should disregard the false idea that bitcoin is only used for crime Provides...
24 min
1203
If You Sell Your Bitcoin, Michael Saylor and Ja...
Today on the Brief: Fed Chair Jerome Powell comments on markets and digital currency Cathie Wood’s ARK faces toughest stretch since last September  India’s latest anti-crypto sentiment  Our main discussion: More news on corporate...
12 min
1204
The Most Conservative Regulator in America Just...
On today’s episode, NLW breaks down the final settlement of the New York Attorney General’s case against Tether. He argues that the outcome is extremely positive for the industry, discussing: Why Tether risk became a major source of FUD in 2021...
16 min
1205
Canada's Bitcoin ETF is Soaring: Is A US Bitcoi...
Today on the Brief: Welcome back to the price rollercoaster The latest from China’s digital yuan trial A 3-week sprint to a stimulus package Our main discussion: Canada’s first Bitcoin ETF. NLW discusses: ETF 101 Pros and cons of a bitcoin ETF...
18 min
1206
Should the US Federal Reserve Buy Bitcoin?
On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads Alex Treece’s recent essay “.” The piece argues the U.S. will inevitably adopt bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset, but by doing so sooner rather than later it can enjoy geopolitical...
14 min
1207
'I Am Not a Cat': The GameStop Hearing Shows Ho...
This week, instead of our normal Weekly Recap, NLW digs into Thursday’s congressional hearings around GameStop, Robinhood and WallStreetBets.  He explores:  Why there was a significant focus on T+2 settlement  Bipartisan agreement on...
22 min
1208
Bitcoin Is Now a Trillion-Dollar Asset: Where D...
Bitcoin is officially a $1T asset. As the price surged over $54,000, the total market cap of bitcoin reached the new all-time high.  In this episode, NLW explores the significance of the milestone, arguing: There has been a slate of good news,...
11 min
1209
How 2,000 Years of Monetary History Led Us to B...
Nik Bhatia is a financial researcher, a CFA charterholder and an Adjunct Professor of Finance and Business Economics at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.  Nik’s new book “Layered Money: From Gold and Dollars...
55 min
1210
Coinbase Trades at a $77B Valuation as BTC Head...
Today’s episode of “The Breakdown” analyzes a number of topics across the bitcoin and crypto industry, including: Bitcoin reclaims $50,000 and looks towards a $1 trillion market cap Treasury yields rise, hammering gold but so far having no...
10 min
1211
Is $50,000 BTC the Beginning of a Bitcoin Super...
Early this morning, bitcoin reached a new all-time high above $50,000. While the market quickly retraced, the psychological barrier was breached. On today’s episode, NLW explores what it means, including whether there is any technical value in the...
19 min
1212
The Mainstream Media Narrative Shifts as Deutsc...
Today on the Brief: A follow-up on celebrity in crypto Dapper Labs and BlockFi raising at multibillion dollar valuations Cathie Wood and ARK increase their bitcoin position Our main discussion looks at the latest institutional bitcoin news: ...
12 min
1213
Why Comparing Bitcoin to Visa Doesn’t Make Any ...
This week’s “Long Reads Sunday” is a reading of Nic Carter’s latest essay for CoinDesk “.” -- Earn up to 12% APY on Bitcoin, Ethereum, USD, EUR, GBP, Stablecoins & more. Get started at nexo.io -- Enjoying this content?   SUBSCRIBE...
14 min
1214
Corporate Crypto Makes Government Bans Less Likely
On this edition of the weekly recap, NLW breaks down the entrance of corporates into the crypto space this week, including: Tesla BNY Mellon Mastercard Twitter Amazon He also argues that more corporate actors investing in bitcoin and crypto makes it...
8 min
1215
Why Jay-Z's Bitcoin Trust Matters
On today’s episode, NLW breaks down: The Miami Commissioners vote to start educating people about bitcoin and crypto The Nigerian Senate debate following the Central Bank of Nigeria’s recent crypto ban Why Jay-Z and Jack Dorsey’s bitcoin trust...
14 min
1216
Gradually, Then Suddenly: Mastercard, BNY Mello...
On today’s episode of The Breakdown, NLW looks at a slew of news from corporates getting into the bitcoin and crypto space, including: Twitter CFO exploring bitcoin treasury holdings and payments to employees and vendors Mastercard announcing...
13 min
1217
How Nigeria and India Are Dealing With Crypto Bans
On today’s episode, NLW examines two governments' attempts to restrict how their citizens interact with crypto. He breaks down: India’s history with crypto bans India’s history with demonetization and financial control What we know about a new...
20 min
1218
Will Apple Be the Next Fortune 500 to Buy Bitcoin?
Today on the Brief: A shifting inflation narrative Reddit raises $250M and has a $6B valuation  Castle Island Ventures announces $50M fund II  Our main discussion: Might Apple by the next company to dive into bitcoin?  In the wake of...
18 min
1219
Elon Musk Buys Bitcoin: Everything You Need to ...
Elon Musk’s Tesla (TSLA) has purchased $1.5 billion in bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset. Additionally, the company will soon be allowing people to pay for Teslas with bitcoin.  In this episode, NLW breaks down: How Elon got to this moment,...
22 min
1220
Wall Street Is ‘The Hunger Games’ With Suits
On this edition of Long Reads Sunday, NLW reads Ben Hunt’s latest essay “” about the lies of Wall Street and how the GameStop episode has exposed them for all to see. 
20 min
1221
A Bitcoiner Is Now on the Senate Banking Committee
On this edition of The Breakdown’s weekly recap, NLW discusses: The state of WallStreetBets The Bitcoin for Corporations event ETH all-time highs in advance of CME ETH futures Tether Cynthia Lummis on the Senate Banking Committee -- Earn up to 12%...
9 min
1222
Travis Kling: In the Fed Era, There’s No Such T...
On today’s episode, NLW is joined by Travis Kling, co-founder and chief investment officer of Ikigai Asset Management. They discuss: GameStop, WallStreetBets and financial populism Whether regulatory hearings will actually address any issues around...
77 min
1223
What We Learned About PayPal's Crypto Strategy ...
Today on the Brief: Elon Musk back to DOGE trolling Bank of England says to prepare for negative interest rates Janet Yellen on “Good Morning America” discussing retail investors Our main discussion: What did we learn about PayPal’s crypto...
14 min
1224
Michael Saylor’s Mission to Get 1,400 Corporati...
Today on the Brief: An update on Ant and Jack Ma Bezos stepping down as CEO of Amazon  Miami’s play to become a crypto hub Our main discussion: MicroStrategy’s “Bitcoin for Corporations” event  Michael Saylor and MicroStrategy...
22 min
1225
Is This the End of the Reddit Retail Investor D...
WallStreetBets is having a rough day. Its stocks are crashing. Champions from as recently as last week are selling out. More brokerage apps are turning off buying.  In this episode, NLW explores what it means for this set of assets and the larger...
20 min