The Breakdown

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at New York State’s latest crypto-unfriendly actions, including a last-minute, frankly sneaky passing of a proof-of-work mining moratorium.  - Nexo is an all-in-one platform where you can buy crypto with a bank card and earn up to 16% interest on your assets. On the platform you can also swap...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    In September, then-OpenSea product manager Nate Chastain was discovered to be front running the market by using secret addresses to buy non-fungible tokens (NFT) from collections that the site was about to feature on its homepage. This week, Chastain was arrested in what the U.S. Department of Justice called the “First Ever Digital Asset In...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at a story – or at least a headline – that is getting big traction on Twitter. The headline is about the Biden administration pushing Bitcoin to be more energy efficient. Except there really isn’t any news to that effect. All of the repurposed headlines stem from one Bloomberg Law piece with a few vague q...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    On today’s episode, NLW marks the next phase in the shift in monetary policy. Starting this month, the Federal Reserve is going to allow U.S. Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities held on its balance sheet to expire without renewal. The goal is to reduce the overall balance sheet by billions of dollars per month. NLW explains how we got...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    “Sell in May and go away,” says the old market aphorism. Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW previews a set of discussions he believes will shape markets this summer: The inflation battle – the Federal Reserve’s Jerome Powell meets with President Biden The energy battle – the European Union bans the majority of Russian oil  The crypto regulation...

  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads and comments on “Bitcoin Is Apolitical, but Won't Be Much Longer” by Daniel Kuhn.  - Nexo is a secure crypto exchange and crypto lending platform. Buy 40+ hot coins with your bank card in seconds and swap between exclusive pairs for cashback. Earn up to 17% interest on your idle crypto assets...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at why venture capitalists are not only recommending their companies batten down the hatches, but wondering if the fundamental assumptions of their industry will hold in a new monetary era.  - Nexo is a secure crypto exchange and crypto lending platform. Buy 40+ hot coins with your bank card...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    On today’s episode, NLW analyzes community sentiment as bitcoin and ether have their most protracted, continuous downturns of all time and while consumer sentiment in traditional markets hits all-time lows.  - Nexo is a secure crypto exchange and crypto lending platform. Buy 40+ hot coins with your bank card in seconds and swap between excl...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW explores the macro set-up, including Fed unanimity on two 50 basis point rate hikes in June and July followed by optionality at the September FOMC meeting. He also looks at the housing market and retail sector to see how the real economy is responding.  - Nexo is a secure crypto exchange and crypto lending plat...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.  On today’s episode, NLW covers: Acting Comptroller Michael Hsu’s comments on systemic risk in crypto following Terra South Korean authorities’ push for answers USDC on Ethereum flippens USDT on Ethereum among whales  Crypto funds raise billions  - Nexo is a secure crypto exchange and crypto lending platform. Buy 40+ hot coins with your bank c...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    On today’s episode, NLW looks at a number of topics from across the crypto space and wider economy, including: New Fed data about the percentage of Americans using crypto.  Wall Street’s banking lobby getting nervous about central bank digital currencies. The European Central Bank’s latest paper about crypto and systemic risk.  Institutiona...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    On today’s episode of “The Breakdown,” NLW previews two things happening this week: First, hope from the markets that slightly dovish comments from the Fed might prompt a relief rally.  Second, a preview of the discussions that will be taking place at the World Economic Forum, particularly around bitcoin and crypto.    - Nexo is a secure cr...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    On this week's “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads “Let’s Use New Forms of Money to Commit to Our Communities.” - Nexo is a secure crypto exchange and crypto lending platform. Buy 40+ hot coins with your bank card in seconds and swap between exclusive pairs for cashback. Earn up to 17% interest on your idle crypto assets and borrow against them...

Venture giant Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) recently published its inaugural "State of Crypto" report. In this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at five key takeaways from the research as well as UST-luna investor postmortems.  - Nexo is a secure crypto exchange and crypto lending platform. Buy 40+ hot coins with your bank card in seconds and swap between exclusive pairs for cashback. Earn up...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    On today's episode, NLW is joined by Travis Kling, co-founder and chief investment officer at Ikigai Asset Management. They discuss Ikigai's just-announced $30 million Web 3 fund, and what got Travis and his team excited to start investing in the Web 3 space. They also discuss the current state of traditional and crypto markets and catalyst...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    Tether has released its Q1 reserve attestations. On today’s episode, NLW covers what many in the industry are seeing as positive shifts. He also looks at some recent regulatory news, including the SEC and CFTC increasing enforcement actions.  - Nexo is a secure crypto exchange and crypto lending platform. Buy 40+ hot coins with your bank ca...

  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW covers a number of signals suggesting institutional buyers are leaving the crypto space. At the same time, he looks at new corporate engagement and Web 3 infrastructure being built that could help drive the next round of user adoption.  - Nexo is a secure crypto exchange and crypto lending platform. Buy 40+ h...

  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.    On today’s episode of “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at new bitcoin mining data from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance. Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly, depending on whom you ask), China is back at the No. 2 spot in global hashrate, despite there ostensibly being a full bitcoin mining ban. NLW also looks at the finance conference t...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.  The Luna Foundation Guard (LFG) was created to build a bitcoin collateral backstop for the UST stablecoin. As UST began to lose its peg, the LFG’s BTC started to move. Firms like Elliptic were able to trace it only so far, but then no farther. It wasn’t until Monday morning the LFG officially commented, but some are still hungry for more info...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.  On today’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW features:   0-100 on Stablecoin Design by Spencer Noon On algorithmic stablecoins & the UST collapse by Jake Chervinsky  - Nexo is a secure crypto exchange and crypto lending platform. Buy 40+ hot coins with your bank card in seconds and swap between exclusive pairs for cashback. Earn up to 17% interest on...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.  On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at LUNA’s hyperinflationary death, as well as where market participants are placing their bets for more bear market challenges.  - Nexo is a secure crypto exchange and crypto lending platform. Buy 40+ hot coins with your bank card in seconds and swap between exclusive pairs for cashback. Earn u...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.  Jeremy Allaire is the CEO of Circle, a leader of the USDC consortium. In today’s episode, he and NLW review the state of the stablecoin discussion among U.S. regulators before the implosion of UST and LUNA, and how the events of the last week have changed the discourse.  - Nexo is a secure crypto exchange and crypto lending platform. Buy 40+...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.  For the first time in eight months, the year-over-year rate of inflation did not increase in April. In March, headline inflation hit 8.5% while last month that number came down slightly to 8.3%. Still, inflation was above economists' expectations, and it seems no one is ready to say for sure we’re headed back down to a more reasonable level....

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.  For those interested, here is the famous phrase referenced in the title: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apr%C3%A8s_moi,_le_d%C3%A9luge Today, NLW follows up Tuesday’s primer on the UST-LUNA story with a look at the dramatic events of this morning. UST’s peg has continued to fall, with LUNA following. At their lowest points, UST was trading at...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, NEAR and FTX US.  Yesterday was one for the history books. NLW discusses the shifting macro setup as markets start to move from concern around inflation to concern around recession. The bulk of the episode is spent on the Luna-UST de-pegging event that has rocked the crypto industry over the last few days and that even made it to a discussion on Capital Hill w...