What Is Bitcoin Telling Us? | Michael Howell, Macro Analyst

Could Bitcoin be signaling the next liquidity recovery before the rest of the market sees it? Global liquidity expert Michael Howell returns to Bankless to revisit his 2027 outlook, explain why Bitcoin's $70K level matters, and examine whether the next market rebound could arrive sooner than expected. Ryan and David dig into rising Treasury yields, the Fed and Treasury's evolving relationship, Michael's "Treasury QE" thesis, and the four phases of the liquidity cycle. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔓NEAR | TRADE CONFIDENTIALLY, GET 20% BACK https://bankless.cc/near2026 🌍 RIPIO | LOCAL CURRENCIES, ONCHAIN https://bankless.cc/ripio 🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS https://thedefireport.io/bankless 👑BANKLESS CONTENT MCP https://www.bankless.com/premium --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Is Bitcoin Signaling an Early Liquidity Recovery? 07:35 The $70K Bitcoin Level That Could Change Everything 11:08 What's Really Driving Treasury Yields Higher? 19:55 Michael Howell vs. Ray Dalio on the Future of Bonds 28:48 Inflation, Economic Growth, and the Liquidity Squeeze 35:02 The Four Phases of the Liquidity Cycle and What to Own 41:07 Can the AI Boom Defy the Market Cycle? 51:08 Treasury QE and the Fed's New Liquidity Playbook 1:01:06 Why China's Liquidity Could Be Driving Gold 1:06:19 Bitcoin vs. Gold as Monetary Inflation Hedges 1:11:08 How Much Could Global Liquidity Grow? --- RESOURCES Michael Howell’s Substack https://capitalwars.substack.com/ Global Liquidity Index https://www.glindexes.com/ --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- Is AI turning the entire internet into a dark forest? Security experts Hari Mulackal and Odysseas Lamtzidis join David Hoffman to unpack Black October, why AI-powered hacking is becoming cheaper and more scalable, how defenders are falling behind, and what it means for your crypto and personal data. --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔓NEAR | TRADE CONFIDENTIALLY, GET 20% BACK https://bankless.cc/near2026 🌍 RIPIO | LOCAL CURRENCIES, ONCHAIN https://bankless.cc/ripio 🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS https://thedefireport.io/bankless 👑BANKLESS CONTENT MCP https://www.bankless.com/premium --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:08 Black October: Cybersecurity’s New Reality 1:01 Why Cyber Incidents Are Surging 4:06 AI Makes Hacking Cheap and Scalable 6:46 The Real-World Cost of Data Breaches 11:00 AI, Personal Data, and Targeted Scams 15:32 Is Mass Data Exposure Inevitable? 18:02 What the CVE Explosion Reveals 20:50 Can AI Defenders Keep Up? 23:22 Why Crypto May Be Better Prepared 27:34 Are Crypto Assets Still Safe? 31:41 A Silver Lining After the Cyber Turbulence 34:18 Practical Security Advice for Individuals 36:05 Redundancy, Self-Custody, and Limiting Risk 38:02 Simple Steps to Protect Your Wallet 40:39 What Crypto Custodians Should Do 41:29 Security Startups and How They Can Help --- RESOURCES Hari Mulackal https://www.linkedin.com/in/hari-mulackal Odysseas Lamtzidis https://www.linkedin.com/in/odysseaslamtzidis --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Uptober lasted four hours. Now comes Black October: rising war fears, AI-powered cyber threats, and a market on edge. Ryan and David debate whether crypto is next, JPMorgan’s bullish Bitcoin forecast, fusion-made gold, and a major stablecoin win. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔓NEAR | TRADE CONFIDENTIALLY, GET 20% BACK https://bankless.cc/near2026 🌎RIPIO | LOCAL CURRENCIES, ONCHAIN https://bankless.cc/ripio 🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS https://thedefireport.io/bankless 👑BANKLESS CONTENT MCP https://www.bankless.com/premium --- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 0:08 Black October, Uptober & Market Jitters https://www.coingecko.com/ https://apnews.com/article/mideast-yemen-saudi-israel-october-22-2026-dde5b98a8bf961224514994b02babce9 https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/2113252218568679571 https://x.com/coinbureau/status/2113215401983152439 5:38 Bitcoin's Early Bull Case https://thedefireport.io/research/cycle-awareness-update-3e75 9:26 JPMorgan's Bitcoin Forecast & Ethereum's Struggles https://am.jpmorgan.com/us/en/asset-management/adv/insights/portfolio-insights/ltcma/ https://x.com/saylor/status/2112587713060757820 https://x.com/Matt_Hougan/status/2112387154923983105 https://imgur.com/8j76G5h 20:23 Crypto Movers: Pearl, Lighter, Venice & Monero https://x.com/zoomerfied/status/2112970717591748767 https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/2112966535744544859 https://www.21shares.com/en-eu/product/venc https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/monero 28:31 Black October: Cyberattacks, AI & Banking Risks https://x.com/takaichi_sanae/status/2112890642590564386 https://x.com/NSACyber/status/2112903220209098897 https://x.com/Mudit__Gupta/status/2112938784392163779 https://x.com/devmuzzammil/status/2113042127039164663 https://x.com/nic_carter/status/2113064786556592250 https://x.com/jachiam0/status/2112968705240109558 https://x.com/eastdakota/status/2113079352682570051 https://x.com/MadisonMills22/status/2113251043173683683 42:53 Fusion Gold: Bitcoin's Unexpected Advantage? https://x.com/MarathonFusion/status/2113001073019662481 https://x.com/MarathonFusion/status/2113001085912895846 https://x.com/nic_carter/status/2113054840595390792 50:23 Stablecoin Rewards, Solana Upgrade & Aero Merger https://x.com/EleanorTerrett/status/2112871300079161630 https://cointelegraph.com/news/american-bankers-association-occ-genius-rules-stablecoins https://x.com/solana/status/2112906742585512150 https://aero.xyz/articles/aero-launches-today --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Could American crypto traders finally get the same features available on offshore exchanges? CFTC Chair Mike Selig joins David Hoffman to unpack Reg CTX and Reg CAM, two proposed rules that could bring retail spot margin trading and a new federal framework for crypto exchanges to the US. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔓NEAR | TRADE CONFIDENTIALLY, GET 20% BACK https://bankless.cc/near2026 🌍 RIPIO | LOCAL CURRENCIES, ONCHAIN https://bankless.cc/ripio 🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS https://thedefireport.io/bankless 👑BANKLESS CONTENT MCP https://www.bankless.com/premium --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 CFTC Chair Mike Selig Returns 03:09 Why Financial Markets Need Federal Regulation 11:13 Who Actually Regulates Spot Bitcoin? 17:27 The CFTC, FinCEN, and State Regulators 22:29 The New Crypto Regulatory Trilogy 27:16 Reg CTX: Bringing Margin Trading Onshore 29:22 Reg CAM: A New Federal Exchange Framework 31:11 The Problem with 50 State Licenses 35:11 What Retail Crypto Leverage Could Look Like 39:24 Ending the SEC and CFTC Turf War 42:58 The Risks of Combining Financial Businesses 54:04 What Other Products Could This Unlock? 56:35 Where the CFTC Gets Its Authority 1:01:05 Can These Rules Survive Without the CLARITY Act? 1:05:05 Prediction Markets and the Supreme Court 1:08:11 How the Crypto Industry Can Respond --- RESOURCES CFTC Chair Mike Selig https://x.com/ChairmanSelig --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Uptober has turned into Redtober. Ryan and David unpack crypto’s selloff, why the early bull market may still be intact, and how inflation and AI debt fears are rattling markets. Plus, Ledger’s $102M supply-chain attack, Bank of America’s $5B scandal, and Richard Heart’s arrest. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔓NEAR | TRADE CONFIDENTIALLY, GET 20% BACK https://bankless.cc/near2026 🌎RIPIO | LOCAL CURRENCIES, ONCHAIN https://bankless.cc/ripio 🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS https://thedefireport.io/bankless 👑BANKLESS CONTENT MCP https://www.bankless.com/premium --- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 0:09 Redtober: Crypto Selloff & Early Bull https://imgur.com/Jx7GgQg https://thedefireport.io/research/early-bull-reset https://x.com/tulipking/status/2110373109861675080 https://polymarket.com/predictions/midterms 10:38 Hot Inflation & AI Market Risks https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2110711659115200824 https://imgur.com/dok7hZN https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/ai-vs-the-railroads 19:55 Ray Dalio's Debt Warning https://www.tradingview.com/news/benzinga:ef9c504ad094b:0-ray-dalio-warns-us-debt-crisis-could-deepen-as-2-1t-in-new-treasury-supply-hits-market-credit-market-players-call-that-a-death-spiral/ 26:23 Ledger's $102M Supply-Chain Attack https://x.com/Ledger_Support/status/2108551100613714002 https://x.com/MagicalTux/status/2108556423445835827 https://thehackernews.com/2026/10/ledger-finds-unauthorized-hardware.html https://news.bitcoin.com/security/cryptobilis-founder-reveals-company-was-sold-months-before-exploit/ 31:34 France's Crypto Wallet Reporting Proposal https://x.com/alistairmilne/status/2110051872363159959 34:52 Bank of America, CZ & Debanking https://x.com/cz_binance/status/2110309077175963947 https://x.com/nic_carter/thread/2110375740097138847 41:15 Richard Heart Arrested https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/10/15/hex-founder-richard-heart-arrested-in-istanbul-turkish-media-report https://x.com/BitcoinNewsCom/status/2110369479729299872 https://x.com/ercwl/status/2110385013900341709 https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/2110362834043273313 48:43 PaperTrade's 1,000x Leverage Game https://x.com/papertrade_xyz https://exchange.papertrade.xyz/dashboard https://www.theblock.co/news/defi/2026-10-11-trader-nets-1-28-million-on-new-1000x-exchange-papertrade-by-moving-hyperliquids-eth-prices-418239 53:28 Solana Upgrades & Starknet's Layer 1 Vote http://theblock.co/news/ecosystems/2026-10-15-starknet-opens-seven-day-vote-on-independent-layer-1-over-quantum-risks-418673 57:52 NEAR Foundation & Venice AI Growth https://x.com/TheBlockCo/status/2110717366447268011 https://x.com/sabrinaesaquino/status/2110126741142556857 https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/2110391671762325563 --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

In a world of powerful AI, how private is a public blockchain? Will McEvoy, CIO of Cypherpunk Technologies and principal at Winklevoss Capital, joins David to explore why Bitcoin holders may be rethinking transparency and why Zcash is attracting renewed attention. They break down Cypherpunk's ambitious plan to accumulate 5% of the Zcash supply, the surprising economics behind its mining business, and the larger opportunity in digital privacy. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔓NEAR | TRADE CONFIDENTIALLY, GET 20% BACK https://bankless.cc/near2026 🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS https://thedefireport.io/bankless 👑BANKLESS CONTENT MCP https://www.bankless.com/premium --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Why Zcash Is Back in the Spotlight 3:24 Why Did Zcash Take So Long to Break Out? 5:09 Who Is Buying Zcash? 8:03 Can AI Identify Bitcoin Whales? 12:33 Inside Cypherpunk Technologies 16:39 Cypherpunk's Treasury and Valuation 17:57 Why Zcash Mining Is So Profitable 27:38 The Gap Between Zcash's Price and Hashrate 31:21 Mining Zcash and Keeping It 33:01 Why Buy CYPH Instead of Zcash? 38:05 What Is Cypherpunk Technologies Actually Worth? 41:44 Zcash's Builders and the Orchard Bug 46:37 Will McAvoy's Investing Background 49:23 Could Zcash Reach $10,000? 51:22 Will Governments Accept Financial Privacy? --- RESOURCES Will McEvoy https://x.com/will__mcevoy --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Could AI break crypto before quantum does? Ryan and David unpack Justin Drake’s “bunker mode” warning, whether holders should move funds, Tom Lee’s decision to stop buying ETH, and the shutdown of two Ethereum L2s. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔓 NEAR | TRADE CONFIDENTIALLY, GET 20% BACK https://bankless.cc/near2026 🎯 THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS https://thedefireport.io/bankless 👑 BANKLESS CONTENT MCP https://www.bankless.com/premium --- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 1:51 Yields, Oil & Bitcoin https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/TVC-US10Y https://x.com/santiagoaufund/status/2107548024310464790 https://x.com/josephwang/status/2108100745086275897 https://farside.co.uk/btc/ https://www.theblock.co/news/business/2026-10-07-robinhood-adds-25-million-bitcoin-balance-sheet-417890 9:32 Tom Lee Stops Buying ETH https://x.com/coinbureau/status/2107763103756878003 https://x.com/lex_node/status/2107811138532774349 https://x.com/fundstrat/status/2108072716960149662 19:06 AI Threatens Crypto Security https://x.com/drakefjustin/status/2107837081313505768 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/science/openai-math-problems.html https://x.com/matthew_d_green/status/2107992246360649879 31:24 Cryptographers Push Back https://x.com/LindellYehuda/status/2107999859219587309 https://x.com/mert/status/2108058959852773442 https://x.com/vitalikbuterin/status/2107976296320106851 37:00 Ethereum L2 Shutdowns https://x.com/blast/status/2106032805280891073 https://x.com/AbstractChain/status/2107554632675340420 https://x.com/Starknet/status/2108113391525204034 41:25 Zcash ETF Momentum https://www.analyticsinsight.net/news/grayscales-zcash-etf-reaches-usd-1b-as-zec-price-gains-lift-assets https://www.theblock.co/news/markets/2026-10-06-winklevoss-files-spot-zcash-etf-wink-417826 44:57 FinCEN Withdraws Wallet Rules https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-announces-withdrawals-proposed-digital-asset-related-rules 50:22 Token2049 Takeaways --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

NEAR just got a new institutional gateway, but the ETF may only be the beginning of the story. Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley and Sovereign’s Sal Ternullo join David to unpack why investors are starting to view NEAR through the lens of AI, how NEAR Intents has already processed more than $32 billion in volume, what staking and token buybacks mean for the asset, and why a future filled with many AI models, chains, agents, and stablecoins could play directly into NEAR’s strengths. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔓NEAR | TRADE CONFIDENTIALLY, GET 20% BACK https://bankless.cc/near2026 🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS https://thedefireport.io/bankless 👑BANKLESS CONTENT MCP https://www.bankless.com/premium --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 NEAR’s New ETF 2:15 Bitwise and NEAR 8:49 Selling NEAR to Investors 12:18 Intents and Buybacks 20:23 Staking and ETF Demand 26:34 The AI Opportunity 33:11 Many Models, Many Chains 38:37 AI Privacy 42:48 Closing Thoughts --- RESOURCES Sal Ternullo https://x.com/sal_ternullo Hunter Horsley https://x.com/HHorsley --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Venice‘s Head of Strategy Jon, joins David for the September $VVV community call to unpack Venice reaching 250B daily tokens, the latest $VVV emissions cuts and $DIEM supply changes, accelerating burns, rising demand for private AI, Venice Minds, the upcoming data center rollout, and what comes next. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- [TIMESTAMPS] 0:00 Intro 0:21 September AI Update 2:12 Token Growth Surge 8:36 Emissions and Diem Supply 16:10 Burn Mechanics Explained 23:40 OpenAI Privacy Controversy 32:00 Data Retention Warnings 35:52 Anthropic's Retention Shift 39:24 Privacy Boosts Venice 43:03 Minds and Model Combinations 52:48 Staking and Burn Questions 55:47 Data Center and Near 59:37 Lumara Film Festival --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Bitcoin just broke its bearish market structure, but surging bond yields could still test the rally. Ryan and David unpack Uptober, Robinhood’s trading push, the Bitget hack, and prediction markets’ path to the Supreme Court. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔓 NEAR | TRADE CONFIDENTIALLY, GET 20% BACK https://bankless.cc/near2026 🎯 THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS https://thedefireport.io/bankless 👑 BANKLESS CONTENT MCP https://www.bankless.com/premium --- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 0:09 Bitcoin Breaks Bearish Structure https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/bitcoin https://x.com/hariskhantrader/status/2104621748591403035 6:35 Bond Yields, Liquidity & Macro Risk https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2105337195884052870 https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/us-inflation-rises-less-than-expected-august-consumer-spending-surges-2026-09-30/ https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2105355997892239838 https://x.com/EpsilonTheory/status/2105345560064745548 https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/TVC-MOVE/ https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2105279482957369587 22:06 Robinhood Goes All-In https://x.com/fintechfrank/status/2105082039733305734 https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/2105062331436966323 https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/2105063773165818119 https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/2105072369509257220 https://robinhood.com/us/en/agents/ 33:19 BitGet Hack & NEAR Permissionless Debate https://www.theblock.co/news/business/bitget-starts-phased-withdrawal-resumption https://x.com/AlexAuroraDev/status/2104554958754357482 https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/2104955420401955273 https://x.com/kylekrason/status/2104562944457740481 https://x.com/near_intents/status/2105642219357241796 44:23 Prediction Markets Head to Court https://www.legalreader.com/new-york-sues-polymarket-over-gambling-rules/ https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/us-appeals-court-rules-against-kalshi-says-states-can-regulate-prediction-2026-09-25/ https://www.coinbase.com/blog/coinbase-receives-cftc-approval-for-coinbase-clearing-llc 48:29 Ethereum’s Cryptographic World Computer https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/2104160561374343176 https://x.com/cryptographicas/status/2104212366271390055 https://x.com/barnabemonnot/status/2104260847975707013 56:14 AI Agents & Bank Runs https://x.com/JasonYanowitz/status/2104213040937812262 https://openai.com/index/introducing-dots/ --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures