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
1426
Is China Poised to Nationalize Alibaba?
Today on the Brief: Whales accumulated during yesterday’s crash  Kentucky legislators introduce bill to attract crypto miners UBS lowers the threshold for charging savers because of negative interest rates Our main discussion: What China’s...
18 min
1427
Did This Bitcoin Cycle’s FUD Phase Just Begin?
Today on the brief: Trump ejected from social media  Bakkt confirms plans to go public via SPAC NYDIG buys Digital Assets Data Our main discussion: Are we at the beginning of a new FUD cycle?  In this episode, NLW looks at: What happened...
16 min
1428
Why I Changed My Mind on Bitcoin
On this week’s Long Reads Sunday, NLW reads two pieces from former bitcoin skeptics who have changed their mind about the asset.  “” by Ed van der Walt  “” by Nick Maggiulli, COO of Ritholtz Wealth Management   -- Earn up to...
12 min
1429
Was This The Craziest Week in Bitcoin History?
On this edition of The Breakdown’s weekly recap, NLW looks at what was one of the most spectacular and surprising weeks in bitcoin and crypto history. Specifically, he discusses: Price action Macro tailwinds Regulatory shifts in surprise guidance...
10 min
1430
BRRR: Biden Readies a New $3T Stimulus Package
Today on the Brief: U.S. loses 140,000 jobs in December Chamath’s SoFi SPAC A SPAC for Bakkt Our main discussion: upcoming stimulus plans  As the dust (finally? sort of?) settles on elections that began last year, the Democrats are looking to...
12 min
1431
Can Bitcoin Just Keep Going Up?
Today on the Brief: U.S. President Trump signs order banning Chinese apps Initial jobless claims hold steady at 787,000 Elon Musk becomes the world’s richest person Our main discussion: Can bitcoin just keep going up?  In this episode, NLW...
15 min
1432
What Georgia’s Elections Mean for Bitcoin
Today on the Brief: ShapeShift goes full DEX Neil Young and the changing business of music China stocks delisted from NYSE Our main discussion: What are the implications of Georgia’s runoff elections for bitcoin and markets as a whole?  In...
16 min
1433
Most Important Crypto Regulation Yet? Banks Can...
Yesterday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released Interpretive Letter 1174. The letter allows banks to participate as nodes in “independent node verification networks” (which you might better know as blockchain networks) as well as...
23 min
1434
Understanding Bitcoin's Blistering Rise Past $3...
The end of December was a momentous time in bitcoin’s history. Not content to clear the psychological barrier of $20,000, bitcoin’s price smashed up almost all the way to $30,000, although it would take the turn to the new year to hit that new...
13 min
1435
The Unorthodox Trades That Will Drive Value in ...
Tony Greer is a macro analyst and author of the Morning Navigator Newsletter. In this conversation, he and NLW discuss how central banks continued to kick the can down the road on debt as well as unexpected sources of strength for the economy heading...
26 min
1436
Why Bitcoin Is Bigger Than an Inflation Hedge, ...
Dan Tapiero is an investor and entrepreneur with deep experience in gold and bitcoin. In this conversation with NLW he discusses the new group of institutional investors coming into the space and why, for them, bitcoin represents much more than just a...
23 min
1437
Bitcoin Is Digital Social Justice, feat. Tyrone...
The wealth adviser and CEO of Onramp Invest discusses why the Federal Reserve continues to ignore its role in income inequality and what the bitcoin community can do to be a force for positive change. Find our guest online: Enjoying this content?...
20 min
1438
The Most Important Bitcoin Infrastructure Devel...
Alyse Killeen is the founder and managing partner of StillMark, and has been investing in bitcoin companies since 2013. While much of the conversation this year has been about high level narratives and new institutional investors, Alyse breaks down...
20 min
1439
What 2020 Taught Us About the ‘Dollar Milkshake...
Brent Johnson is an investor at Santiago Capital and the creator of the well-known “Dollar Milkshake Theory.” In this conversation with NLW, he discusses what 2020 taught us about the state of the dollar around the world. Find our guest online: ...
22 min
1440
The Devastation of Main Street Business, feat. ...
Daniel Lacalle is the chief economist for Tressis SV and a well-known economics personality. In this conversation with NLW he discusses the devastation of small businesses in America and around the world and why the recovery could be less even than...
21 min
1441
Bitcoin, Bank Coins and Bonds, feat. George Gon...
George Goncalves has been a macro analyst specializing in bonds for more than 20 years. In this conversation, he and NLW discuss the story bonds are telling the market and why central bank digital currencies are likely to have an important part of the...
23 min
1442
Sound Money vs. the Great Reset, feat. Mark Moss
Mark Moss is the host of a fast-growing and covering economics, bitcoin and more. In this conversation, he discusses why gold, bitcoin and sound money have become even more important in the context of central bank printing gone wild. Find our guest...
24 min
1443
Central Banks Gone Wild! Feat. Bill Barhydt
Bill Baryhdt is the CEO of Abra, a mobile crypto banking app. In this discussion with NLW, Bill talks about the year in bitcoin and why the mass expansion of central bank balance sheets was the most important economic story of the year. Find our guest...
24 min
1444
The View on Bitcoin From Inside Fidelity Digita...
Ria Bhutoria is the director of research at Fidelity Digital Assets. In this conversation she gives listeners a look at how one of the most important institutional players in the space has viewed the evolution of bitcoin over the past year. Find our...
25 min
1445
‘Bitcoin and Ethereum Have Gone Completely Sepa...
Bully Esquire is a Crypto Twitter personality, lawyer, founder of AlphaMarkets and host of the “Bully Esquire” podcast. In this conversation, he and NLW discuss what was good and bad about the DeFi boom of 2020 and more. Find our guest online:
22 min
1446
Why 2020 Unlocked a New Generation of Investors...
No one would have expected an economic crisis to bring a new generation of investors to the table, but that's exactly what it did.
25 min
1447
Hacking Humanity With Bitcoin, feat. Max Keiser...
Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert are one of bitcoin's most dynamic duos, producing a variety of content, including the Orange Pill podcast. In this discussion with NLW, they talk about why this year was transformational in terms of how people view the...
26 min
1448
Raoul Pal on the Coming Transformation of Monet...
Raoul Pal is the founder and CEO of Global Macro Investor and Real Vision and one of the leading voices in modern macroeconomic discussions. In this conversation, he and NLW discuss bitcoin's monster 2020, how DeFi compares to ICOs, and why we should...
25 min
1449
Why Bitcoin and Rehypothecation Don’t Mix
On this week’s Long Reads Sunday, NLW starts with the latest essay by Jeffrey Snider, “” and then with Caitlin Long’s , putting the discussion of rehypothecation in the bitcoin context. 
21 min
1450
Preston Pysh on Why Currencies Fail [Encore]
On March 12, as the U.S. government struggled to wrap its head around the emerging COVID-19 pandemic and markets floundered, bitcoin had one of its worst days in history, crashing by thousands of dollars and even hitting below $4,000 on some...
65 min