The Bitcoin Layer

Nik welcomes back Michael Howell of CrossBorder Capital for an urgent breakdown of the global liquidity cycle. Michael explains why the cyclical top is in, how oil, the MOVE index, and the dollar have dealt a 20% blow to global liquidity, and why the everything bubble is over. They cover the $45 trillion debt maturity wall, China's monetization driving gold, Treasury QE replacing Fed QE, bank dere...

In this episode, Nik welcomes back Brent Johnson of Santiago Capital for a wide-ranging global macro conversation. Brent breaks down the dollar's behavior during geopolitical crises, the deglobalization thesis and fracturing supply chains, and his Rise of the American Empire framework drawing parallels to Rome's transition from republic to empire. They cover the Office of Strategic Capital's push...

In this episode, Nik welcomes back Yaël Ossowski, Fellow at the Bitcoin Policy Institute, to break down the escalating standoff between Anthropic and the Pentagon. They examine how Claude was reportedly used in the Venezuela raid, why Anthropic is drawing a hard line against warrantless surveillance and autonomous weapons, and the political fault lines forming between AI safety and permissionless...

In this episode, Nik breaks down why Anthropic's Claude has displaced Donald Trump as the single most important force driving global macro and financial markets, walking through the system-level evidence including IBM dropping 12% on a single AI headline, Block cutting 40% of its workforce, trucking capacity sold out from data center buildout, and Treasury yields falling in direct response to new...

In this episode, Nik sits down with Sam Baker, Research at River, to break down River's second annual Bitcoin adoption report, covering how institutional ownership, registered investment advisors, sovereign holdings, and small business adoption all accelerated in 2025 despite price weakness. Sam explains why individual ownership likely peaked in 2024, why RIAs managing $146 trillion hold less than...

In this episode, Nik walks through our TBL proprietary liquidity index, explaining why the red signal flagged in late December and confirmed in January preceded Bitcoin's sharp decline below $70,000. He breaks down the four inputs driving the current liquidity contraction, with focus on dollar volatility and bond stress, the US-Japan currency relationship, and why early-cycle US credit growth rema...

In this episode, Nik breaks down Bitcoin’s bounce following a softer-than-expected CPI print and falling Treasury yields, analyzing the rollover in the 200-day moving average, the latest negative mining difficulty adjustment, and what shifting liquidity conditions mean for risk assets. He explains why bond markets, dollar strength, and fixed income demand, including Google’s rare 100-year bond iss...

In this episode, Nik breaks down dramatic political developments in Japan, including a snap election, currency intervention, and the U.S.-Japan effort to defend the yen, and explains why these moves matter for global liquidity and Bitcoin. He walks through Bitcoin’s drawdown using on-chain metrics like realized price and MVRV, shows why rising volatility and elevated stock correlations point to a...

In this episode, Nik and Matt Dines break down Bitcoin’s 52% drawdown, focusing on the global liquidity forces pressuring risk assets. They explain how reindustrialization, capital rotation out of software and speculative assets, yen and dollar liquidity stress, and rising volatility across gold, equities, and FX are colliding at once. The conversation reframes Bitcoin’s selloff as a macro-driven...

In this episode, Nik sits down with TBL on-chain analyst Johan Bergman to break down Bitcoin’s recent breakdown, sell-the-rip behavior, and the on-chain signals flashing bear market conditions. Johan walks through cost basis models, the AVIV Ratio Mean, short-term holder behavior, and why Bitcoin’s November trend break marked a major regime shift. They discuss ETF flows, forced selling, liquidatio...

In this episode, Nik steps back to assess the massive shifts underway in global markets. With gold surging to record highs, silver collapsing after a historic spike, and Bitcoin struggling versus both gold and the dollar, Nik revisits long-held assumptions about money, Basel III, the Shanghai Gold Exchange, and the end of the WTO era. He explains why gold is reentering the monetary system, how Bit...

In this episode, Nik breaks down the Japan “rate check” that sent the U.S. dollar sharply lower and triggered major moves across global markets. He explains how Japan’s bond stress, rising yields, and yen instability forced coordination with the U.S., why the dollar index breaking long-term support matters for liquidity, and how a weaker dollar is pushing stocks and gold higher. Nik closes by conn...

In this episode, Nik breaks down a massive global macro repricing as gold approaches $5,000, bond markets stabilize, and the world adjusts to a new economic order. He walks through key signals across Bitcoin, Treasuries, inflation expectations, labor markets, and global trade to explain why volatility is falling, liquidity conditions are improving, and why Bitcoin’s muted price action may be a fea...

In this episode, Nik sits down with Brian McCarthy to break down China’s debt-driven growth model, rare earth leverage, and why central planning has created deep structural risks. They explore how China’s manufacturing dominance masks massive capital misallocation, why rare earths have become a geopolitical pressure point, and how a potential unwind could reshape global markets. The discussion tie...

In this episode, Nik breaks down how the Supreme Court’s tariff decision, the administration’s healthcare proposal, and growing pressure on the Federal Reserve are all part of a single fiscal and national security framework. He explains why economic sovereignty, debt servicing costs, and healthcare spending are now central to U.S. policy decisions, and how these forces intersect with interest rate...

In this episode, Nik breaks down Bitcoin’s strong start to the year as price reclaims key technical levels following a deep but healthy drawdown. He walks through daily, weekly, and structural trend lines to explain why recent higher lows and higher closes matter for Bitcoin’s next move. Nik then zooms out to discuss resistance zones, bull market structure, and what a potential test of the $108,00...

In this episode, Nik Bhatia and Demian Schatt step back from short-term liquidity signals to examine the global balance sheet and its implications for Bitcoin. They break down why global wealth has decoupled from GDP, how financialization and credit expansion reshaped the world economy, and why policymakers have become increasingly resistant to prolonged contraction. Nik explains how Bitcoin fits...

In this episode, Nik explains why US Treasury stability is critical for sustained Bitcoin strength by walking through repo markets, bond volatility, and Fed balance sheet dynamics. He breaks down how year-end funding stress, Treasury issuance choices, and inflation trends shape liquidity conditions across the system. Nik shows why stable repo rates and calmer bond markets matter for leveraged Bitc...

In this episode, Nik sits down with Dr. André Dragosch of Bitwise to break down why large institutional capital is lining up behind Bitcoin heading into 2026. They explore ETF flows, treasury company demand, wirehouse adoption, & why Vanguard’s green light marks a major shift in access for traditional investors. André explains how global growth expectations, bond market stress, & falling confidenc...

In this episode, Nik sits down with astrophysicist and mathematician Dr. Stephen Perrenod to break down Bitcoin’s power law, bubble behavior, and why the familiar four year cycle framework no longer holds. They explore how Bitcoin trades relative to long term trend, why volatility is structurally declining, and how new tiers of capital shape bubble timing through log periodic behavior. Stephen exp...

In this episode, Nik breaks down why Bitcoin remains resilient despite year-to-date weakness by applying the TBL Liquidity framework. He walks through inflation expectations, energy prices, Treasury yields, and housing costs to explain how policy choices around oil production, affordability, and fiscal math shape liquidity conditions. Nik shows why lower inflation is the key driver for lower yield...

In this episode, Nik and Joakim Book break down why Strategy’s balance-sheet structure, perpetual preferred design, and debt flexibility make it uniquely durable while most 2025 Bitcoin treasury companies are already cracking under MNAV compression, leverage mistakes, and collapsing share premiums. They explain how convertible debt, pipe deals, equity dilution, and falling Bitcoin prices have expo...

In this episode, Nik and Matt Dines break down the European sovereign stress that has become a major driver of global liquidity and Bitcoin’s recent moves. They walk through the ECB’s need to defend German and French yields, Italy’s push to reclaim gold authority, and why Euro strength signals deeper funding pressure inside Europe. Nik and Matt explain how balance sheet constraints, dollar selling...

In this episode, Nik breaks down the White House’s new National Security Strategy and explains why it is the most important document released by the administration so far. He walks through the shift away from globalism, the focus on reshoring industrial capacity, and how defense spending, technology investment, and middle class revitalization tie directly into future market structure. Nik analyzes...

In this episode, Nik breaks down why the Fed is effectively locked into a rate cut next week as repo tightness eases, QT halts, and Treasury interest expense reaches historic levels. He covers how falling yields, weaker dollar action, & a turning liquidity cycle are shaping Bitcoin’s path as it holds near $90,000. Nik also dives into bond volatility, the debt math forcing lower rates, & what TBL L...