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
1501
Are Stablecoins Eurodollars 2.0? Long Reads Sunday
On this week’s Long Reads Sunday, we look at two essays about stablecoins previously published on CoinDesk.  The first is called by Hasu and was one of the first pieces to recognize that demand was coming not just from the crypto space but...
14 min
1502
Social Media Is Democracy’s Faultline: The Brea...
On this edition of the Weekly Recap, NLW explores: No-volatility bitcoin and DeFi’s big quarter An uptick in central bank currency action PayPal crypto confirmation A China-U.S. rhetoric flare up Social media as democracy’s fault line In Fed...
10 min
1503
What If the Too-Strong Dollar Is a Solved Probl...
Today on the Brief: The latest information in the Twitter hack Thailand starts using its central bank digital currency Treasury Secretary Mnuchin calls on Congress for more funds  Our main conversation is with Jon Turek, author of “Cheap...
64 min
1504
No, the Twitter Hack Wasn't about Bitcoin
Today on the Brief: Adjustment to bank profits in anticipation of growing debt delinquency  The lowest decrease in jobless claims since March  A boost in retail spending  Today’s main discussion: The Great Twitter Hack, feat. Dr....
30 min
1505
A Primer on the US and China's 'New Cold War'
No geopolitical relationship will shape the world over the coming decade as much as that of the U.S. and China.  A day after President Trump signed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act enabling sanctions on those that threaten the autonomy of China (and...
26 min
1506
Why Are Execs of Bankrupt Companies Being Rewar...
Today on the Brief: A followup on Tesla, corporate earnings and PayPal’s crypto ambitions New COVID-19 shutdowns in California  Small businesses on the brink  Our main conversation: Bloomberg has reported recently bankrupt companies...
23 min
1507
The Real Story Behind Tesla's Crazy Rally
Today on the Brief: Wall Street quarterly earnings season opens Investor flock to higher-yielding Chinese government bonds Bitcoin whales go down but other types of HODLers go up Our main conversation: What the hell is going on with $TSLA? Elon Musk...
22 min
1508
Does COVID-19 Have The World Rethinking Dollar ...
On this episode of Long Reads Sunday, we look at Professor Stephen S. Roach’s piece In it, he argues: Americans have been squandering their savings potential  Because of this, we are forced to borrow surplus savings from abroad We have...
9 min
1509
The Mixed Signals Economy: The Breakdown Weekly...
On The Breakdown’s Weekly Recap, NLW explores: The final tally on the TikTok Doge viral campaign  The growing geopolitical tension between China and the US and where it’s manifesting  Positive economic indicators in reduced jobless...
10 min
1510
Against Outrage Culture: Why Michael Krieger En...
Today on the Brief: Hong Kong re-closes schools based on COVID-19 growth Coinbase explores direct U.S. exchange listing China starts selling stock, easing massive rally  Our main conversation is with Liberty Blitzkrieg creator and editor...
77 min
1511
Social Chaos and Bankruptcy Rallies: The Best I...
Today on the Brief: Slight good news in new and continuing jobless claims  Record corporate equity and debt sales during the crisis USDC freezes $100k Our main conversation: Introducing the Macro Media Index. The Macro Media Index is a monthly...
25 min
1512
TikTok Doge Is Everything About 2020 Finance In...
What’s old is new again! What happens when you combine a mostly hibernating memecoin with the world’s most powerful (and controversial) meme platform, and throw in a new generation of daytraders that have become convinced that they can drive the...
22 min
1513
Central Banks Cannot Print Jobs: Understanding ...
Today on the Brief: Social media apps get caught in geopolitical tensions  Pitchforks around the Paycheck Protection Program  Brazil blocks Binance Our main discussion is with Daniel Lacalle. Daniel is chief economist at Tressis and is the...
65 min
1514
China Stocks Surge and NYC Real Estate Craters:...
In this extended Brief, NLW tells the story of the economy through five themes: The story of the economy as told by five macroeconomic indicators including Chinese stocks, New York City real estate, coronavirus cases and more. China stocks surge –...
20 min
1515
Why Bitcoin Matters For Freedom [Long Reads Sun...
An appropriate post-July 4th episode of the Breakdown's #LongReadsSunday featuring Human Rights Foundation CSO Alex Gladstein's "Why Bitcoin Matters For Freedom"
8 min
1516
It’s Time for a Revolution in Financial Educati...
Financial education and financial literacy are at crisis levels in this country. Financial advisers spend billions on advertising but a fraction of that on education. The resources that are available tend to be inaccessible and not designed for the...
34 min
1517
Here’s How to Expand Who Contributes to Bitcoin...
OKCoin and BitMEX recently came together to provide a $150,000 grant to Bitcoin Core developer Amiti Uttarwar.  In this conversation, Amiti and OKCoin CEO Hong Fang discuss: Why OKCoin believes it is essential for companies in the space to...
32 min
1518
Why the Robinhood Revolution Is the Future of F...
Even before the COVID-19 crisis, Reddit’s WallStreetBets channel was featured on the cover of Bloomberg BusinessWeek as an emerging market force.  Since then, between the surge in signups for Robinhood and the wave of followers of Davey Day...
47 min
1519
Satoshi’s Unappreciated Marketing Genius, Feat....
Satoshi Nakamoto is often recognized for his technical genius in solving the double spend problem. He is also widely revered for his willingness to walk away from the protocol to make it stronger, something no other entrepreneur who has created...
39 min
1520
‘It Sure Doesn’t Feel Like the Greatest Economy...
What would you do if you were approaching your 40s, burned out and realizing the type of financial success you had been pursuing wasn’t actually serving your true goal of freedom?  If you were George Gammon, the answer would be to change...
65 min
1521
How the Fed Fans the Flame - The Best of The Br...
June 2020 will go down in the history books as an extremely chaotic and confusing period.  In this “Best of the Month” retrospective, we look at some of the best guest conversations from The Breakdown, including: Human Rights Foundation CSO...
29 min
1522
A Primer on the Eurodollar and Shadowbanking Sy...
The latest Long Read is by and This piece covers: The Dollar Milkshake Theory Why the demand for the US dollar remains so high  Why demand for dollars is increasing rather than decreasing  What "eurodollars" are What the shadow banking...
24 min
1523
Welcome to the Groundhog Day Economy (PS, It Su...
As states shutter economic activity because of preventable COVID-19 outbreaks, it’s deja vu all over again.  This is a movie we’ve seen before: Rise in what could have been preventable COVID-19 cases A call for shutdowns (plus voluntary...
10 min
1524
How Monopolies Sow the Seeds of Their Own Destr...
Today on the Brief: A consumer spending rebound A new crypto regulatory regime in Europe A bitcoin warning from a famed investor Our main discussion:  Tuur Demeester is the managing partner of Adamant Capital, a bitcoin investment firm that...
70 min
1525
Is Scam Selling Suppressing the Price of Bitcoin?
Today’s edition of The Breakdown is an extended version of the Brief, this time covering five topics. New Jobless claims - sticking stubbornly at ~1.5 million new claims per week, despite economist expectations  The “whack-a-mole” economy...
17 min