Do you ever wonder whether the stock market is a massive pool of exit liquidity for baby boomers and corporate officers? A whole system of tax incentives, broker commissions, social pressure, and government coercion designed to funnel 5% of everybody’s income into the stock market and keep it there for decades. Why do people put money into stocks? They have no intrinsic value. The businesses may be worth something, but the stock price never reflects that. Robert Schiller won a Nobel Prize for...

Do you ever wonder whether the stock market is a massive pool of exit liquidity for baby boomers and corporate officers? A whole system of tax incentives, broker commissions, social pressure, and government coercion designed to funnel 5% of everybody’s income into the stock market and keep it there for decades. Why do people put money into stocks? They have no intrinsic value. The businesses may be worth something, but the stock price never reflects that. Robert Schiller won a Nobel Prize for...

You’re hearing a lot about altcoins from bitmojis, analysts, and commentators. None of them are experts, but they’ve picked up some insights along the way. Since the market’s going up, they seem legit. Read on for two truths you might not realize and one lie you might believe.Truth #1—altcoins are $200 billion worth of crapAltcoins are a $400 billion asset class. At least $200 billion worth of that market cap consists of altcoins that suck, do nothing, and will bleed value forever. Some of th...

You’re hearing a lot about altcoins from bitmojis, analysts, and commentators. None of them are experts, but they’ve picked up some insights along the way. Since the market’s going up, they seem legit. Read on for two truths you might not realize and one lie you might believe.Truth #1—altcoins are $200 billion worth of crapAltcoins are a $400 billion asset class. At least $200 billion worth of that market cap consists of altcoins that suck, do nothing, and will bleed value forever. Some of th...

Ah, bear markets. The time when the people who urged you to take risks at the market's peak tell you to play it safe at the market’s bottom. Some think Ethereum, BNB, XRP, and other big cryptos are safe. Says who? Ethereum’s creators, developers, and community think it’s so bad, they’re replacing it with a new version. With all the rumors and shadiness surrounding Binance and its smart chain, BNB seems a little dodgier than you might have thought last year. XRP does the same thing every ...

Ah, bear markets. The time when the people who urged you to take risks at the market's peak tell you to play it safe at the market’s bottom. Some think Ethereum, BNB, XRP, and other big cryptos are safe. Says who? Ethereum’s creators, developers, and community think it’s so bad, they’re replacing it with a new version. With all the rumors and shadiness surrounding Binance and its smart chain, BNB seems a little dodgier than you might have thought last year. XRP does the same thing every ...

Reposted from the January 2023 monthly issue of Crypto is Easy newsletter. If the newsletter should disappear, this NFT will remain. See below for source information for the cover picture.Money is always and everywhere a social phenomenonWhen researchers trained monkeys to redeem tokens for food, the monkeys didn’t just trade those tokens for vittles. They also sold them for sexual favors and stole them when the researchers weren’t looking. In one instance, a capuchin tried to pawn off a slic...

Reposted from the January 2023 monthly issue of Crypto is Easy newsletter. If the newsletter should disappear, this NFT will remain. See below for source information for the cover picture.Money is always and everywhere a social phenomenonWhen researchers trained monkeys to redeem tokens for food, the monkeys didn’t just trade those tokens for vittles. They also sold them for sexual favors and stole them when the researchers weren’t looking. In one instance, a capuchin tried to pawn off a slic...

US regulators just zapped Kraken for staking crypto for its US customers. Some say this is heavy-handed, nonsensical overreach by a cabal of well-coordinated anti-crypto zealots at the highest levels of government. Maybe, maybe not. So what? Anybody can stake crypto on their own. That’s the whole point.Death by any other name . . .Since May 2022, the biggest crypto lending platform, the biggest crypto trading firm, the biggest crypto broker, and the #2 crypto exchange have all collapsed. The ...

US regulators just zapped Kraken for staking crypto for its US customers. Some say this is heavy-handed, nonsensical overreach by a cabal of well-coordinated anti-crypto zealots at the highest levels of government. Maybe, maybe not. So what? Anybody can stake crypto on their own. That’s the whole point.Death by any other name . . .Since May 2022, the biggest crypto lending platform, the biggest crypto trading firm, the biggest crypto broker, and the #2 crypto exchange have all collapsed. The ...

Some of the biggest cryptocurrencies on earth are exchange tokens, a type of loyalty or reward program for a cryptocurrency exchange. For example, BNB, OKB, CRO, and KCS. Are they worth your money? These tokens offer perks like discounts on trading fees and access to exclusive promotions. Bonus? When demand goes up, you can sell your tokens for a profit. At the same time, exchanges control everything about those tokens. They can change the terms, supply, function, and benefits at will. Unlike...

Some of the biggest cryptocurrencies on earth are exchange tokens, a type of loyalty or reward program for a cryptocurrency exchange. For example, BNB, OKB, CRO, and KCS. Are they worth your money? These tokens offer perks like discounts on trading fees and access to exclusive promotions. Bonus? When demand goes up, you can sell your tokens for a profit. At the same time, exchanges control everything about those tokens. They can change the terms, supply, function, and benefits at will. Unlike...

Did you read last week's article, Two Truths and a Lie About Altcoins? Let’s do a little more of that.Truth #3—Experimental technology, all of itDid you hear about that awesome altcoin project with its partnerships, great technology, actual usage, and adoption? I’ve heard about a lot of those altcoins for years. One day, I’ll find one. Given the pace of innovation, discovery, and development, that moment will come sooner than most people think. Even Ethereum, arguably the most developed ...

Did you read last week's article, Two Truths and a Lie About Altcoins? Let’s do a little more of that.Truth #3—Experimental technology, all of itDid you hear about that awesome altcoin project with its partnerships, great technology, actual usage, and adoption? I’ve heard about a lot of those altcoins for years. One day, I’ll find one. Given the pace of innovation, discovery, and development, that moment will come sooner than most people think. Even Ethereum, arguably the most developed ...

You’ve probably heard somebody say “friends don’t let friends buy altcoins during bear markets.” Seems risky. Are those the same friends who told you to buy altcoins in March, April, October, and November 2021? Some analysts say altcoins have yet to collapse against bitcoin and our most recent pump is an echo bubble or bear-market rally, destined to fail. Bitcoin’s zooming, altcoins are failing, and they’re all about to roll over into oblivion. Altcoins, of course, will fall further once bitc...

You’ve probably heard somebody say “friends don’t let friends buy altcoins during bear markets.” Seems risky. Are those the same friends who told you to buy altcoins in March, April, October, and November 2021? Some analysts say altcoins have yet to collapse against bitcoin and our most recent pump is an echo bubble or bear-market rally, destined to fail. Bitcoin’s zooming, altcoins are failing, and they’re all about to roll over into oblivion. Altcoins, of course, will fall further once bitc...

Bitcoin’s price is up 35% in two months. Now, I’m hearing people talking about an “echo bubble,” a big crypto pump that peaks sooner and higher than everybody expects, then plummets the entire market to new lows. Are you hearing that, too? Seems a little odd to make such proclamations. Crypto is a series of bubbles, one after the next, big and small, over short and long timeframes, forever. Some bubbles last a few months. Some last a few years. Some last a few days or hours. In June’s issue, ...

Bitcoin’s price is up 35% in two months. Now, I’m hearing people talking about an “echo bubble,” a big crypto pump that peaks sooner and higher than everybody expects, then plummets the entire market to new lows. Are you hearing that, too? Seems a little odd to make such proclamations. Crypto is a series of bubbles, one after the next, big and small, over short and long timeframes, forever. Some bubbles last a few months. Some last a few years. Some last a few days or hours. In June’s issue, ...

Imagine you found an investment opportunity that could realistically hand you a 1,000% return over just a few years. That’s a rare and special thing. Also, it’s the reason you’re getting into crypto. You want to find that next big altcoin. Maybe it’s on my list of Altcoin Reports? https://cryptoiseasy.substack.com/p/altcoin-reports So, like all responsible investors, you make sure to turn that 1,000% opportunity into a 500% or 200% opportunity. Intentionally, with pride. How so? By taking pro...

Imagine you found an investment opportunity that could realistically hand you a 1,000% return over just a few years. That’s a rare and special thing. Also, it’s the reason you’re getting into crypto. You want to find that next big altcoin. Maybe it’s on my list of Altcoin Reports? https://cryptoiseasy.substack.com/p/altcoin-reports So, like all responsible investors, you make sure to turn that 1,000% opportunity into a 500% or 200% opportunity. Intentionally, with pride. How so? By taking pro...

In last month’s issue of Crypto is Easy, I talked about monkeys, recession data, crypto market trends, and the separation of money and the state. In today’s post, I’ll look at narratives and why reality matters more than facts, charts, and projections. First, let me address a thought you may have on your mind.Why u so dumb, Mark?Mark, in one of your weekly rundowns in January, you said that college is a Ponzi scheme and student loans are really bad investments. Are you an idiot? Are you talki...

In last month’s issue of Crypto is Easy, I talked about monkeys, recession data, crypto market trends, and the separation of money and the state. In today’s post, I’ll look at narratives and why reality matters more than facts, charts, and projections. First, let me address a thought you may have on your mind.Why u so dumb, Mark?Mark, in one of your weekly rundowns in January, you said that college is a Ponzi scheme and student loans are really bad investments. Are you an idiot? Are you talki...

The altcoin market is up 43% this year and some people are getting excited. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We have plenty of reasons to get excited about altcoins and none of them have anything to do with price. I talked about both good and bad in my newsletter, Crypto is Easy. It’s nice to see prices go up, but many altcoins will never reach their previous all-time high. Most will die.No Country For Old TokensFor example, look at the list of the top 100 altcoins. Most will not be there wh...

The altcoin market is up 43% this year and some people are getting excited. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We have plenty of reasons to get excited about altcoins and none of them have anything to do with price. I talked about both good and bad in my newsletter, Crypto is Easy. It’s nice to see prices go up, but many altcoins will never reach their previous all-time high. Most will die.No Country For Old TokensFor example, look at the list of the top 100 altcoins. Most will not be there wh...