131: Stress Test

Hot inflation, hawkish Fed officials, and cracks in the AI trade are testing Bitcoin’s resolve, and long-time holders have seen this kind of chaos before. Episode Links 🎉 Boost from the Web ⚡ Strike - Ultra-low fees, high trading limits, and easy loans. 🇺🇸 Buy Sats on River - The best way to stack in the US 🇨🇦 The Bitcoin Well - An amazing automatic self-custody Bitcoin platform 💳 The Bitcoin Company - Spending your Bitcoin Via Lightning 💵 SALT Lending - Get access to your BTC Value w/out Selling Show Notes Bitcoin Falls After Hot October CPI Bitcoin Holds $73K as Stablecoin Supply Shrinks MSCI Rules on Whether to Remove Strategy From Its Indexes MARA Sells 13,597 BTC for $1.1 Billion Bitcoin ETF Outflows Hit $95 Million BlackRock IBIT Sees Record Bitcoin Custody Swaps LNbits Releases Urgent 1.7.0 Security Update After Attacks Drain Funds LNbits 1.7.0: security update and upgrade guidance Ethereum Falls Nearly Twice as Far as Bitcoin U.S. Credit Card Debt Reaches Record $1.3 Trillion Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Faces Board Investigation What We Know About Jensen Huang’s Affair and Espionage Allegations A Timeline of the Jensen Huang Spying Scandal Jensen Huang Spying Scandal Wall Street Cools on Nvidia Heatbit Bitair — Official Product Page Altair Technology — Bitair Hands-On Setup Guide Bitcoin Network Hashrate and Mining Metrics Heatbit — Lottery Mining FAQ Stephan Livera Podcast 787 — Interview with Heatbit founder Heatbit — Power Computing Service Agreement Altair Technology — Bitair Custom Pool Setup

From exchange breaches to AI fueled growth promises, everyone wants your trust, but you’re the one paying when it breaks. Episode Links 🎉 Boost from the Web ⚡ Strike - Ultra-low fees, high trading limits, and easy loans. 🇺🇸 Buy Sats on River - The best way to stack in the US 🇨🇦 The Bitcoin Well - An amazing automatic self-custody Bitcoin platform 💳 The Bitcoin Company - Spending your Bitcoin Via Lightning 💵 SALT Lending - Get access to your BTC Value w/out Selling Show Notes Bitcoin Holds Near $78K as Binance Reopens Withdrawals Binance Reopens Withdrawals as Hack Recovery Continues Binance Hack: What We Know North Korea Likely Behind $6.4 Billion Binance Hack Mercado Bitcoin Hit by $40 Million Hack Mercado Bitcoin Halts Withdrawals After Security Incident BTCPay Server Security Incident Affecting 2.4.1 and Earlier Strategy Buys 811 Bitcoin for $65.5 Million Citi Raises Bitcoin Target to $113K Is Bitcoin Heading for a Major Bottom After the November Elections? Luke Gromen on the U.S. Midterms and Beyond Heatbit on Making Bitcoin Mining More Accessible Heatbit BitAir Mainboard

As the AI boom collides with financial reality, Bitcoin faces a new wave of doomsday predictions, even as some of finance's biggest names quietly bet on its future. Episode Links 🎉 Boost from the Web ⚡ Strike - Ultra-low fees, high trading limits, and easy loans. 🇺🇸 Buy Sats on River - The best way to stack in the US 🇨🇦 The Bitcoin Well - An amazing automatic self-custody Bitcoin platform 💳 The Bitcoin Company - Spending your Bitcoin Via Lightning 💵 SALT Lending - Get access to your BTC Value w/out Selling Show Notes Bitcoin Holds Near $80.8K as Fed Keeps Rates at 3.75% Fed Holds Rates Steady as Bitcoin Eyes December Hike Risk Bitcoin Shows a Major Sign of Strength BlackRock Resumes Buying Bitcoin as Price Reclaims $81K Bitcoin ETF Inflows Reach $176 Million Bitwise Raises Bitcoin Target to $1.6 Million by 2036 VanEck Launches Wealth Builder ETF With 2% Bitcoin Target MARA Moves 4,860 Bitcoin in October Trenton Johnston Sentenced in $13 Million Bitcoin Impersonation Scam Austin Trip Day One: Bitcoin All Around Austin Trip Day Two: Paying With Bitcoin Gets Weird $2 Trillion Debt Wave Could Hit Markets and the Economy Fed Expected to Hold Interest Rates Steady Bank of Canada Raises Rate to 2.5% Amid Persistent Inflation U.S. Stocks Edge Higher Ahead of Fed Decision France Is Burning

As markets weigh a spectacular collapse against a controlled unwind of the AI boom, Bitcoin is showing surprising strength and may emerge as the unexpected winner. Episode Links 🎉 Boost from the Web ⚡ Strike - Ultra-low fees, high trading limits, and easy loans. 🇺🇸 Buy Sats on River - The best way to stack in the US 🇨🇦 The Bitcoin Well - An amazing automatic self-custody Bitcoin platform 💳 The Bitcoin Company - Spending your Bitcoin Via Lightning 💵 SALT Lending - Get access to your BTC Value w/out Selling Show Notes Bitcoin Finds Support but Not a Breakout What Falling USDT Supply Means for Bitcoin’s Recovery Bitcoin Blasts Past $84K as Traders Eye $90K JPMorgan Publishes First Long-Term Bitcoin Price Forecast Saylor Sees Bitcoin Bull Run Lasting Four Years Bitcoin ETFs Post Best Day in Nearly a Month BlackRock IBIT Takes in $665.2 Million BlackRock Proposes ETF Designed to Cushion Bitcoin Losses FINMA Approves Switzerland’s First Direct Bitcoin ETF Standard Chartered Moves to Acquire Zodia Custody Fidelity Says Preferred Stock Funded 135,979 BTC Purchases Strive Debuts New Preferred Stock for Bitcoin Treasury Strategy Sui Hashi Unveils $500 Million Bitcoin Finance Plan Dormant 500 BTC Wallet Awakens After 10.7 Years SpaceX-Tesla Merger Could Create a Major Bitcoin Treasury Mt. Gox Pushes Bitcoin Repayment Deadline to October 2027 Liquid Network Announces Final Stages of Recovery Liquid Network Staged Recovery Update Bitkey Reflections: New and Old Samourai Wallet Co-Founder Sentenced to Five Years The Mixer Rule Is Dead, Long Live Outlawing Mixers Are Boomers Getting Rich at Young Americans’ Expense?

Energy inflation squeezes the Fed and bond market, while businesses quietly stack Bitcoin. And what the numbers reveal is surprising. Episode Links 🎉 Boost from the Web ⚡ Strike - Ultra-low fees, high trading limits, and easy loans. 🇺🇸 Buy Sats on River - The best way to stack in the US 🇨🇦 The Bitcoin Well - An amazing automatic self-custody Bitcoin platform 💳 The Bitcoin Company - Spending your Bitcoin Via Lightning 💵 SALT Lending - Get access to your BTC Value w/out Selling Show Notes Is Bitcoin’s Rally a Debasement Trade or a Short Squeeze? Bitcoin Price Falls After Hotter-Than-Expected CPI Standard Chartered Launches Bitcoin and Ethereum Trading in the UAE Sberbank Wins Approval to Trade Bitcoin Bitcoin Posts Best Third Quarter Since 2017 Bitcoin Hashrate Stabilizes After Sudden Plunge Metaplanet and Strategy Prioritize Share Buybacks Over Bitcoin Purchases Businesses Already Own 8% of All Bitcoin Fold Reserve 10-Year Treasury Yield Hits Highest Level Since 2002 CPI Needs a Strong Upside Surprise to Shake the Fed Gasoline Jumped 9.1% in September Scott Bessent Hires Judy Shelton as Treasury Adviser Who Is Planting Backdoors in Ledger Crypto Wallets? Ledger Reviews Reseller Policies After Spy-Chip Attack Ledger Confirms Spy-Chip Implant Behind Wallet Thefts

They're finally admitting inflation is the plan for America's debt. Will the market recognize Bitcoin as the escape hatch before the damage is done? Episode Links 🎉 Boost from the Web 🇺🇸 Buy Sats on River - The best way to stack in the US 🇨🇦 The Bitcoin Well - An amazing automatic self-custody Bitcoin platform 💳 The Bitcoin Company - Spending your Bitcoin Via Lightning 🏦 Fold Card - Pay bills Stack Sats 💵 SALT Lending - Get access to your BTC Value w/out Selling ⚡ Strike - Ultra-low fees, high trading limits, and easy loans. Show Notes BlackRock Says AI Agents May Save in Bitcoin for Long-Term Value Preservation Jack Mallers Announces Stacks for Strike Savings Why Bitcoin Dropped $2,000 in 20 Minutes Charles Schwab Says U.S. Investors Want More Crypto Exposure Arch Lending Makes the Case for Bitcoin-Backed Loans U.S. Government Moves $103 Million in Seized Bitcoin and BNB Russia’s Sberbank Gets Approval to Custody Bitcoin Robinhood Adds $25 Million in Bitcoin to Its Treasury Ledger Adds Bitcoin-Backed Loans Through Morpho Simple Mining Acquires Iowa Bitcoin Mining Site Fed Officials See Another Rate Hike Coming Inflation Expectations Rise to Highest Level Since 2023 10-Year Treasury Yield Pulls Back After Strong Bond Auction Trump Says Inflation Could Pay Down the Debt Rapidly Higher Inflation Framed as a Way to Reduce U.S. Debt Burden U.S. Home Foreclosures Surge 42% Boomers Back Higher Taxes on Younger Workers to Preserve Social Security Benefits

Everyone in charge of money lost the plot this week. Bitcoin never had one to lose. 🎉 Boost from the Web 🇺🇸 Buy Sats on River - The best way to stack in the US 🇨🇦 The Bitcoin Well - An amazing automatic self-custody Bitcoin platform 💳 The Bitcoin Company - Spending your Bitcoin Via Lightning 🏦 Fold Card - Pay bills Stack Sats 💵 SALT Lending - Get access to your BTC Value w/out Selling ⚡ Strike - Ultra-low fees, high trading limits, and easy loans. Show Notes Bitcoin Core 32 Enters Final Testing Liquid Network Security Incident Assessment Block Adds Lightning Payments to x402 for AI Agents Sparrow Wallet 2.5.5 Released After Security Reviews BTCPay Server 2.4.4 Blocks New LND Takeover Route Bitcoin ETF Inflows Leave Institutional Demand Unclear Bitcoin Tests Long-Term Holder Supply Cluster Bitcoin Hovers Around $84,000 After Gold Tumbles Luke Gromen Fades Bitcoin While Staying Bullish on Debasement PCE Methodology Changes Could Lower Core Inflation PCE Revision Is Not a Disinflationary Signal Fed’s Williams Signals Openness to a Pause Why One Strategist Does Not Fully Buy the Debasement Trade When Wealth Becomes Money: Why Crypto Matters Tokenize Everything, but Can You Sell It? Trump Says He Does Not Know Whether Iran Will Give Up

Bitcoin ripped when the old narratives said it shouldn’t. How we got here and what it means for the four-year cycle. Episode Links 🎉 Boost from the Web 🇺🇸 Buy Sats on River - The best way to stack in the US 🇨🇦 The Bitcoin Well - An amazing automatic self-custody Bitcoin platform 💳 The Bitcoin Company - Spending your Bitcoin Via Lightning 🏦 Fold Card - Pay bills Stack Sats 💵 SALT Lending - Get access to your BTC Value w/out Selling ⚡ Strike - Ultra-low fees, high trading limits, and easy loans. Show Notes Hegseth Confirms Bitcoin as a Strategic Asset White House Crypto Report: Key Takeaways Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Executive Order Bitcoin Absorbs Fed Hike and CLARITY Failure White House Shifts Bitcoin Rule Push to Regulators Bitcoin ETFs Take Nearly $1 Billion in a Day Bitcoin Flashes Signal Linked to Past Bull Markets Strategy Resumes Bitcoin Buying as Strive Gains More BTC per Share Tesla’s Bitcoin Holdings Near $1 Billion Dormant 600 BTC Wallet From 2012 Wakes Up Calamos Says Bitcoin Is Becoming a Portfolio Allocation Coinbase’s Post-Quantum Bitcoin Custody Playbook Post-Quantum Security for the Bitcoin Lightning Network Quantum-Proof Bitcoin Lightning Network White-Hat Hackers Move Coldcard Exploit Bitcoin Into Recovery Trust BlackRock Sees AI Agents Driving Crypto Demand Grayscale Converts Bitcoin Miners ETF Into AI Compute Fund Iran Inflation Surges Amid Economic Pressure

The Fed is raising rates into an energy supply shock, just as the AI trade starts sabotaging itself from within. 🎉 Boost from the Web 🇺🇸 Buy Sats on River - The best way to stack in the US 🇨🇦 The Bitcoin Well - An amazing automatic self-custody Bitcoin platform 💳 The Bitcoin Company - Spending your Bitcoin Via Lightning 🏦 Fold Card - Pay bills Stack Sats 💵 SALT Lending - Get access to your BTC Value w/out Selling ⚡ Strike - Ultra-low fees, high trading limits, and easy loans. Show Notes Fed rate decision September 2026: Rates rise to 3.75%-4% Here are five key takeaways from Wednesday's Fed rate hike CLARITY Act Fails Senate Cloture Vote CLARITY Act Falls Short in the Senate Digital Asset Market Clarity Act Text Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Bill Heads to House Committee American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 House Financial Services Committee on Digital Asset Legislation Bitcoin ETFs Record $450 Million Outflow Bessent Bond Plan Details Emerge Bessent Dismisses Treasury Buyback Concerns What Treasury’s Buyback Surprise Says About the Bond Market 10-Year Treasury Yield Tops 5% What a 5% 10-Year Treasury Yield Means S&P 500 Could Fall 30% as AI Bubble Enters Late Stages Altman Says AI Could Create the Greatest Business Boom Bitcoin Policy Institute Head of Research Testifies Before Congress on Foreign Influence Campaign Targeting American AI

The legacy system is breaking down as Bitcoin infrastructure builds up. From bond-market stress to Liquid’s 4,000 BTC crisis, the weakest links are showing. Episode Links 🎉 Boost from the Web 🇺🇸 Buy Sats on River - The best way to stack in the US 🇨🇦 The Bitcoin Well - An amazing automatic self-custody Bitcoin platform 💳 The Bitcoin Company - Spending your Bitcoin Via Lightning 🏦 Fold Card - Pay bills Stack Sats 💵 SALT Lending - Get access to your BTC Value w/out Selling ⚡ Strike - Ultra-low fees, high trading limits, and easy loans. Show Notes Liquid Network Exploit Drains 4,000 BTC From Federation Reserves Liquid Network Hit by $320 Million Exploit Liquid Rangeproof Bug: Nobody Broke the Math Liquid Network Incident Technical Report Elements Fixes Rangeproof Cache Validation Bug Liquid Incident Working Theory Block Applies to Establish Builders Bank Block Seeks Bank Charter to Custody Bitcoin Bitcoin’s Overlooked Promise: Freedom Dan Morehead Says Bitcoin Will Massively Outperform Gold Failed Bond-Market Move Lights a Fire Under Bitcoin Dan Morehead Calls Bessent’s Bond Buyback a Mistake The 60/40 Portfolio and a Changing Monetary System Bond-Market Stress Spooks Investors Global Investors Sound the Alarm on Debt What Would a Fiscal Crisis Look Like? Warsh and Bessent Clash Over the Fed and Bond Market