Writing

Bitcoin and National Security

“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything” ~ Mark Twain When it comes to financial journalism, there are two ways that most individual readers  consume the content they choose:  they can look for consensus and become susceptible to groupthink; or they can seek various opinions and become susceptible to decision paralysis.  Both of these realities exist in varying degrees, with the investment mandates or goals of these consumers typically dictating which

By John Schroder, ago

Bear Market Musings

Over the course of this bear market, I have encountered my share of crypto naysayers, and truth be told, some of the events of the past 24 months have certainly given them reasons to be skeptical.  That there are grifters in this space shouldn’t come as a surprise though, and as I continue to tell them:  drugs, hookers, and international arms deals continue to be facilitated in dollars, so perhaps the possibility of illegal activity

By John Schroder, ago

Gary, Gary, Gary

Not quite a year ago, I wrote an article trying to honestly assess a reality many in the crypto space would rather ignore.  That article, “What If Gary Gensler Is Right” was a somewhat academic exercise trying to acknowledge the idea that some cryptocurrencies just might be securities and that the SEC’s regulatory crackdown on the space might have some justification.  Much has changed, and much has occurred since that article originally appeared, but one

By John Schroder, ago

Pro Crypto and Pro Dollar

Admittedly, the crypto space has a bit of the Gadsen Flag running through its veins:  “don’t tread on me” could easily be the motto for the entire space, but to assume that motto sums up the entire space, and sums up how it should be regulated, or how it should be viewed by politicians is incredibly short sighted.  Over the past few years, as crypto has steadily crept into mainstream consciousness, it has been compared

By John Schroder, ago

What If Gary Gensler Is Right?

Every now and then, it’s probably a good idea to go back and check yourself in terms of what you have said, written, built, or perhaps even supported in the past.  In the context of digital assets and investing, I recently read through my four most recent posts.  Thankfully, I haven’t uttered anything I’m frightfully embarrassed about, but the very process of combing through recent writings seems to have a nagging thought as its source: 

By John Schroder, ago

Words Have Meanings…So Do Acronyms

Not long ago, I was at a lunch where nearly everyone present was new to each other.  The central figure in the party introduced me as, “this is John, he’s part of a really cool crypto VC firm.”  Of course I politely corrected him, letting everyone know that while my firm was in fact really cool, we were actually a crypto based hedge fund, not a crypto centric venture capital firm.  I don’t think anyone

By John Schroder, ago

Bitcoin Becomes a Stablecoin?

Even if you are only marginally interested in crypto, you are likely aware of the events of the past few weeks in which the stablecoin “UST” lost its peg, resulting in a “death spiral” for both UST and the LUNA token, which is the centerpiece of the Terra ecosystem.  For many in the crypto space, it has been tempting, convenient, or perhaps psychologically necessary to blame the demise of UST and LUNA on some outside

By John Schroder, ago

Joe Knows Crypto?

On March 9th, President Biden signed his “Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets.”  This order had been anticipated for several weeks, and while highly anticipated within the crypto community, the order itself is short on specifics, long on bureaucratic jargon, and therefore subject to speculation by almost anyone who takes the time to read it. To start, it must first be acknowledged that nowhere in the order can there be found any

By John Schroder, ago

Stablecoins in an Unstable World

For those new to the cryptocurrency market, stablecoins represent one of the more difficult aspects to understand.  The reality of this point is further cemented when one has come into crypto because of Bitcoin or some other specific project or protocol that potentially serves as a universal ledger or universal unit of account.  While the technology and enthusiasm behind Non-Fungible Tokens has understandably garnered much of the attention in the latter half of 2021, it

By John Schroder, ago

Six Reasons Why Bitcoin Is Superior To Monetary Gold

Gold and Bitcoin are fungible, durable, portable, divisible, & scarce. Both have limited acceptance today: there are few goods & services you can buy directly with gold or bitcoin. But Bitcoin has six advantages over gold: 1: Bitcoin is far more portable than gold. You can send it anywhere in the world instantly for a trivial fee. 2: Bitcoin transactions can be instantly and remotely verified. It’s impossible to fake a Bitcoin transaction.  Verifying receipt of gold bullion is

By David Veksler, ago

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