The Bitcoin Layer

In this comprehensive conversation—and Part 4 of our "Teaching Bitcoin" series—Michael Howell takes the wheel and asks Nik his lingering questions about bitcoin. The pair explore bitcoin's tax implications, regulatory frameworks, and its role in the global economy. They discuss the differences between Bitcoin and stablecoins, the significance of Gresham's law, and try to dream up a future in which...

In this extensive educational video explaining bitcoin, Michael Howell joins Nik Bhatia and The Bitcoin Layer as a student this time instead of as our liquidity teacher. In Part 1, Nik dives into bitcoin's history as Michael inquires whether bitcoin is better described as an asset or as money. Part 2 continues with a deep dive into hashing, mining, and bitcoin's blockchain architecture. Michael gr...

In this episode, Nik is joined by Sam Baker, researcher at River, to analyze the growing trend of bitcoin adoption by businesses. Sam explains the findings of his report, explores the motivations behind businesses adopting Bitcoin, the implications of accounting and tax treatment, and the differences between public and private companies in their Bitcoin holdings. The discussion also delves into th...

In this third episode of our ongoing series with Michael Howell, Nik dives deep into the intricacies of Bitcoin, focusing on its limited supply, mining mechanics, and the integrity of the network. They get into the weeds of individual nodes and the role they play in maintaining network security. They also discuss the impact of government actions, the rise of ETFs, and the role that bitcoin could o...

In this episode, Nik is joined by Matt Dines to break down the latest monetary stimulus from China. In a strong move from the Chinese central bank, rates were lowered and significant tailwinds for equity prices were provided via a new collateral facility. The pair analyze currency moves in Chinese yuan and gold, and Matt breaks down the historical context for these actions. Is China engaging in a...

In Part 2 of our "Teaching Bitcoin" series with legendary financial researcher Michael Howell, Nik delves into the intricacies of bitcoin's cryptography, mining mechanism, and decentralized network. The pair discuss the origin of a blockchain, and Michael learns about hashing algorithms for the first time. A discussion of bitcoin's supply schedule, difficulty target, and difficulty adjustment offe...

In this episode, Nik recaps the latest in global macro after the Fed slashed rates by 50 basis points. As the promise of greater liquidity and less interest rate uncertainty hit financial markets, risk is rallying with stocks reaching an all-time high and bitcoin's price increasing by 6%. Nik discusses the Fed cut, QT, stocks, bitcoin's price, the housing market, and what is motivating the Fed rig...

Do you understand the dangers around SIM swaps? In this sponsored episode, Nik interviews Mark Kreitzman of Efani to discuss mobile security, bitcoin theft, social engineering hackers, and SIM swaps. Mark experienced a SIM swap that resulted in Bitcoin theft several years ago which led him to Efani. Learn about illegal SIM swapping, data breaches, and why it's so crucial to keep Bitcoin in cold st...

In this episode, Nik is joined by legendary financial analyst Michael Howell for a bitcoin educational series titled "What Makes Bitcoin Special". With Michael's immense financial background and bullish bitcoin stance, he was well positioned for a conversation on what separates bitcoin from the cryptocurrency umbrella. This conversation is the first part of a series in which Nik teaches Michael ho...

In this episode, Nik goes around the world of global macro in 21 charts to explain why yields are falling and explore when bitcoin might break out of its current range. We discuss falling yields and the implications of the Fed's first rate cut, oil and gold prices heading separate ways, and bitcoin's outperformance versus Ethereum. Prepare for next week's FOMC meeting with this timely markets reca...

In this episode, Nik explores 19 surprising benefits of bitcoin that are making a real impact worldwide, inspired by a social media post from bitcoin researcher Daniel Batten. From helping war refugees secure their savings and providing financial freedom in hyperinflated economies to powering villages and supporting renewable energy, bitcoin is transforming lives. Nik also highlights how bitcoin o...

In this episode, Nik is joined by Columbia University Law School professor and CEO of the New Civil Liberties Alliance Philip Hamburger to discuss his fight against the administrative state. This discussion focuses on the overturning of the Chevron Doctrine in the Supreme Court, separate branches of government and the dangers of the administrative state, and recent victories in restoring civil lib...

In this episode, Nik provides a global macro update covering a disastrous week for Bitcoin and the stock market. We divide the episode into seven sections, answering your questions throughout. We start with bitcoin's price, the Japanese yen carry trade unwind, and the US dollar's impact on financial markets. We also discuss US Treasury yields, the yield curve, the labor market, and S&P 500 perform...

In this episode, Nik is joined by housing analyst Melody Wright to discuss the current state of the housing market, focusing on Texas, Florida, and California. Melody highlights massive inventory in Florida and the difficulty in accurately tracking inventory due to limited data sources. She predicts price declines, particularly in Texas and Florida, and enlightens us on the crisis in speculative h...

In this episode, Nik is joined by bitcoin mining industry veteran Amanda Fabiano to discuss efforts to orange pill Donald Trump, an unfortunate political divide on bitcoin, and the mining industry as a whole. We learn about Amanda's early days at Fidelity and the reasons why the financial institution mined bitcoin as early as 2013. We also discuss the dynamic relationship between publicly traded a...

In this episode, Nik brings us a timely global macro update on Treasury yields, the dollar, and what might happen in financial markets in September. He breaks down the latest path of global central bank rates, including his expectation for rate cuts at every meeting this year. Finally, Nik analyzes the bitcoin consolidation and dives into the math behind TBL Liquidity, our new metric for market si...

In this episode, Nik is joined by Amboss founder Jesse Shrader to discuss his Lightning Network company and the evolution of bitcoin's second layer. Jesse presents fascinating statistics about the usage of LN, discusses how node operators manage payment channels, and explains LN's tradeoffs & relationship with bitcoin's blockchain. Nik and Jesse unveil how the evolution of LN contributes to bitcoi...

In this video, Joe gives an update on the slow and painful death of Ethereum. He walks through the ETH/BTC pair dropping below the critical 0.05 level, and explains that the downside target is zero over the next several years. With the narratives of ETH all dried up, it and other "crypto" are dying on the vine. The cherry on top is a $100-million sale of ETH from the Ethereum Foundation, a vote fr...

In this episode, Nik is joined by financial markets trader Craig Shapiro to discuss the monumental shift in tone from Fed Chair Jerome Powell at last week's Jackson Hole central banker conference. Craig Shares with us a snapshot of his portfolio and describes the changes he made after hearing Powell's dovish rhetoric. Watch to find out how he has positioned around the dollar, gold, and bitcoin. Th...

In this episode, Nik recaps the news out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming that the Fed is now confirmed to start cutting rates in September. He explains how money markets and Treasury yields already showed us months ago that rate cuts would arrive, discusses the economy and unemployment as drivers of the Fed's latest announcement, and closes with an analysis of bitcoin's price and what rate cuts will mean...

In this episode, Nik poses a question to the audience about quiet home mining. He goes through the social media responses to his question, and several home mining options are discussed. The Bitcoin Layer is not sponsored by any company discussed in this video, rather we attempt to understand the scope of options for quiet home mining. Enjoy this short episode to learn about this potential endeavor...

In this episode, Nik brings us a global macro update to recap a most dramatic downward revision in labor statistics. He begins with the two most noteworthy items in economics: the downward revision of jobs added by almost one million, the rampant manipulation of labor statistics by the government, and the latest FOMC minutes which stated that the Fed was close to cutting rates in July. Nik breaks...

In this episode, Nik brings us a global macro update to recap a most dramatic downward revision in labor statistics. He begins with the two most noteworthy items in economics: the downward revision of jobs added by almost one million, the rampant manipulation of labor statistics by the government, and the latest FOMC minutes which stated that the Fed was close to cutting rates in July. Nik breaks...

In this episode, Nik is joined once again by Daniel Batten to discuss overcoming ESG roadblocks to bitcoin investment at sovereign wealth funds. Daniel breaks down the math behind his projection that a 1% allocation from this pool of $35 trillion in capital could drive bitcoin's price higher by nearly $100,000 from here. He also explains how he is fighting the existing negative propaganda about bi...

In this episode, Nik is joined once again by Daniel Batten to discuss overcoming ESG roadblocks to bitcoin investment at sovereign wealth funds. Daniel breaks down the math behind his projection that a 1% allocation from this pool of $35 trillion in capital could drive bitcoin's price higher by nearly $100,000 from here. He also explains how he is fighting the existing negative propaganda about bi...