Key Takeaways
- The price of Bitcoin has been suspiciously stable following the epic collapse of FTX less than 2 months ago
- The whales are defending the Bitcoin price at $16,000 waiting for interest to flood back into Bitcoin
- It’s hard to imagine a bigger hype train than 2021 which means Bitcoin may not make a new all-time high
Since 2008, we have been in an era of unprecedented money printing and interest rate suppression. Now the cost of all of that easy money is coming due.
Beyond allegations of mismanagement and outright fraud, the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange reveals a more fundamental problem — the power of speculative manias fueled by central-bank easy money.
Peter Schiff recently appeared on NTD Capital Report to talk about the collapse of FTX, saying ultimately it was the Federal Reserve’s fault. And it is a warning sign for the broader economy.
Three key takeaways:
- For weeks, the Bitcoin market has looked propped up by the whales, especially after the recent FTX disaster.
- Bitcoin hodlers should strongly consider moving into gold, silver, or at least Ether.
- Full disclosure, I have a complicated relationship with Crypto.
I reported last week that Comex delivery activity was looking very quiet in both gold and silver. The results for November are very weak. That being said, October and November are historically slow months, so the real test will come in December.
This analysis focuses on gold and silver physical delivery on the Comex. See the article What is the Comex for more detail.
Last year, China launched a digital yuan pilot program. The Chinese government-backed digital currency got a boost when the country’s biggest online retailer announced the first virtual platform to accept the Chinese digital currency. China isn’t the only government exploring the possibility of digital money. Sweden has developed a digital currency of its own. The European Central Bank is pushing for a digital euro. And Russian central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina recently told CNBC that digital currency is “the future of our financial system.”
So, how long before a digital dollar comes to the United States? Well, it’s already in the pipeline.
Recently, a piece of collage art entitled “Everydays: The First 5000 Days,” by an artist known as Beeple, sold at a Christie’s auction for $69 million. The Wall Street Journal noted that the price was higher than any that has ever been paid for works of Frida Kahlo, Paul Gaugin, or Salvador Dali. But, before the auction, few outside the digital art world had ever heard of Beeple, which may explain why the bidding started at just $100. But the sale does not suggest a sudden re-evaluation of his talents. Instead, it is a stunning statement about the medium of the art itself or, more precisely, the lack of it. In fact, “Everdays: The First 5000 Days” isn’t made out of anything you can touch. It is entirely virtual.
There has been a lot of talk lately about central banks implementing their own digital currencies.
Why?
Back in 2017, the IMF published a creepy paper offering governments suggestions on how to move toward a cashless society even in the face of strong public opposition. It hasn’t been in the news a whole lot lately, but the war on cash undoubtedly continues. In fact, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may be planning to embrace the idea as another weapon to wield against its people.
In August, the People’s Bank of China said it was close to launching a digital yuan. This could take the first step toward pushing China toward a cashless society.
A recent video ad produced by a digital currency asset company titled “Drop Gold” created some waves on social media last week. The ad encourages investors to drop gold from their portfolios and replace it with digital currencies such as Bitcoin. “In a digital world, gold shouldn’t weigh down your portfolio,” the ad proclaims.
But is Bitcoin really a replacement for gold? While the Drop Gold ad may seem clever and cute, cryptocurrencies aren’t a replacement for gold.
