The Breakdown

China

The Business of Geopolitical Competition

As Oracle wins a bid for TikTok US, a look at how tech competition, culture competition and currency competition shape the business of geopolitics.

People  ·  14 September 2020
Podcasts

Is Being the ‘Saudi Arabia of Money’ Good for America?

A reading of “How to Diagnose Your Own Dutch Disease,” a look at the problems of America’s dollar trade.

People  ·  13 September 2020
Surveillance

The Raw, Savage Capitalism of Open-Source Protocols

Recapping the biggest stories of the week, including Joe Biden’s China plan, a market holding pattern and, of course, the strange competitive saga of SUSHI.

People  ·  12 September 2020
Podcasts

How Monetary Policy Undermined American Resilience

A legacy of artificially low interest rates is not just the death of savings, but a forced buying into the perpetual growth machine of financial asset prices.

People  ·  10 September 2020
Podcasts

‘Absolute Raging Mania’: Famed Investor Druckenmiller Thinks 10% Inflation Is Possible

The Hedge Fund legend says in a new interview the Federal Reserve’s policies have created a massive asset bubble while making both inflation and deflation more likely.

People  ·  9 September 2020
Bitcoin

Why Bitcoin Investors Aren’t Worried About This Price Pullback

Critiques of correlation between bitcoin and equities miss the fact that bitcoin adoption within traditional markets has been driven by a fiat collapse concern.

People  ·  8 September 2020
Podcasts

Sorry, Governments, We’re Entering the Era of Private Money

Whether the U.S. government likes it or not, the world is demanding crypto-dollars and the private market is ready to supply them.

People  ·  7 September 2020
Podcasts

A Practical Utopian’s Guide to the Coming Collapse

A reading on revolutions from the late great David Graeber.

People  ·  6 September 2020
Podcasts

Is Tesla a Stock for Suckers?

The markets kicked off the week with a 5-1 Tesla stock split rally and ended with major questions about tech company valuations.

People  ·  5 September 2020
Podcasts

8 Historical Analogies That Help Explain the Madness of 2020

From the U.S. presidential elections of 1896 to the dot-com bubble to housing markets in 2006, these historical moments help us make sense of a truly WTF year.

People  ·  4 September 2020
DeFi

DeFi Degens Are Crypto’s Suicide Squad

A look at the subculture and ethos driving the white-hot DeFi space, which has grown from $2 billion to $9 billion in total value locked in just two months.

People  ·  3 September 2020
Stocks

US Stock Market Cap to GDP Ratio Reaches 190%, Eclipsing Dot-Com Bubble High

The booming stock market is driven by perception of the Federal Reserve’s commitment to high prices and growing individual trading, but how sustainable is it?

People  ·  31 August 2020
Bitcoin

The Case for $500,000 Bitcoin

The Winklevoss brothers make an argument that, in the long run, bitcoin is the only good safe haven.

People  ·  30 August 2020
Bitcoin

The End of an Era? Why Bitcoin and MMT Won the Week

Fed Chair Jerome Powell tried to make it seem like the end of an era, but didn’t inspire confidence in the central bank’s ability to lead in the era that comes next.

People  ·  29 August 2020
Election 2020

The Anxiety Index: 4 Fear Factors Shaping the Economy

From COVID-19 relapses to election insecurity, these factors drive defensiveness up and demand down.

People  ·  28 August 2020