Dollar Auction Show

Originally aired on Apr 5, 2023

Today on Passover Alex discusses how Bitcoin is like Passover…. Wait what?!?!?!?

Both involve a story of liberation: Passover celebrates the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, while Bitcoin represents a potential liberation of people from traditional financial systems that are controlled by governments and banks.

Both have a strong sense of tradition: Passover is celebrated each year with the same rituals and traditions, while Bitcoin has a strong community of supporters who are committed to the idea of a decentralized currency.

Then Alex talks about the current Energy fight and what The Chamber of Digital Commerce, Blockchain Association, Satoshi Action and the Texas Blockchain Council are doing to help us fight the good fight! Specifically:

1. Encouraging investment in renewable energy infrastructure: Bitcoin mining is a process that requires a significant amount of energy, and as the demand for Bitcoin increases, so does the demand for energy to power the mining process. If this energy can be sourced from renewable sources such as solar, wind, or hydro power, it could incentivize the development and expansion of renewable energy infrastructure.

2. Providing a new revenue stream for renewable energy producers: Bitcoin mining can be a lucrative business, and renewable energy producers could potentially use excess energy from their facilities to mine Bitcoin and generate additional revenue.

3. Reducing carbon emissions: Bitcoin mining currently consumes a significant amount of energy, much of which comes from non-renewable sources such as coal. However, if more Bitcoin mining were to be powered by renewable energy sources, it could potentially reduce carbon emissions associated with the mining process.

4. Creating new investment opportunities: As the demand for Bitcoin grows, there may be an opportunity for investors to invest in renewable energy projects that are specifically designed to power Bitcoin mining operations.

Originally aired on Mar 30, 2023

In this episode, Shimon follows up with the banking crisis and the new programs creating stimulus in the banking system. We then talk about some exciting recent advancements in artificial intelligence.

The Federal Reserve has opened up the market to unlimited liquidity for banks, resulting in a significant increase in deposits. The banks struggled to put the money to work due to low-interest rates, which made it difficult to generate yield. The Fed predicted that inflation was transitory and interest rates would remain low for a long time, but inflation started picking up due to increased money supply and the war in Ukraine. Inflation expectations could cause prices to rise dramatically if inflation is not tamed. The total money supply of U.S. dollars has constantly been increasing since 1981. A decrease in the growth rate causes the stock market to crash as interest rates increase, making it harder to fund projects. The recent liquidity injection into the banking system will impact Bitcoin and the stock market.

Premiered on Mar 22, 2023

Our special guest is Professor Lawrence Kotlikoff, an economics professor at Boston University and ranked by The Economist magazine as one of the world’s 25 most influential economists. Larry is also the President of Economic Security Planning, Inc. and the founder of Maximize My Social Security and MaxiFi.

We spoke about different investment strategies, ways for governments to grow their GDP to fund their unfunded liabilities, some interesting solutions to the healthcare costs crisis, ways in which technology can create prosperity, and more.

In part two of the series with Larry Kotlikoff, a Boston University professor and influential economist, the discussion focused on Social Security and Medicare reform. The United States is facing a debt crisis with a debt to GDP ratio of 94%, including off-the-books liabilities and obligations such as defense spending, infrastructure maintenance, and transfer payments to citizens. Social Security alone has a fiscal gap of $61 trillion, which is much higher than the official debt of $22 trillion. In order to address this problem, Kotlikoff suggests reorganizing and making the system more efficient, such as reducing healthcare spending from 18% of GDP to 11%, which would save 7% of GDP and solve the fiscal gap problem. Raising taxes and cutting spending are politically and economically unfeasible solutions.

To learn more about professor Kotlikoff, visit:

Kotlikoff.net

Larrykotlikoff.substack.com

Maximizemysocialsecurity.com

Maxifi.com

Originally aired on

Shimon and Alex talk to Lawrence Kotlikoff, Economics Professor at Boston University, about the recent Silicon Valley bank debacle, the response from the federal reserve, and what it means for the price of Bitcoin and stocks. Are we about to see a large amount of money printing, or will the federal reserve be able to sustain interest rates at high levels?

In this episode, Shimon discusses the concept of economic growth and how it is measured. He critiques traditional methods, such as GDP and Consumer Price Index, as flawed in their ability to accurately measure value. The discussion is prompted by a fascinating paper on artificial intelligence that demonstrates the ability to create highly realistic avatars. Shimon argues that value is determined by the sum of all benefits received, rather than relying on traditional economic measures.

Premiered on Mar 08, 2023

Kristen Ragusin and the host discuss the current state of the economy, focusing on macro topics such as interest rates and recession. They discuss the misleading nature of unemployment numbers due to COVID-related changes in the workforce. The host mentions a potential mini-recession, but inflation has recently re-accelerated, and there are concerns about commodity prices and geopolitical issues impacting strategic reserves. The validity of measuring economic data in a post-COVID world is also questioned.

Kristen Ragusin. Kristen is a professional wealth management consultant with twenty-five years of experience. Investing over $150 million, she helps clients navigate markets and achieve financial goals. She is a certified digital currency professional and earned her Master’s Degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Kristen holds certificates in FinTech from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in Money and Society from the University of Cumbria, London.

Premiered on Mar 01, 2023

Today, Alex and Shimon discuss the latest Bitcoin news, the decoupling of Bitcoin and the traditional markets, and the Celsius bankruptcy proceedings. Critically, the Celsius retail clawback rule and how that can affect. Our guest today is Kristen Ragusin. Kristen is a professional wealth management consultant with twenty-five years of experience. Investing over $150 million, she helps clients navigate markets and achieve financial goals. She is a certified digital currency professional and earned her Master’s Degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Kristen holds certificates in FinTech from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in Money and Society from the University of Cumbria, London.

The latest episode of the “Auction Show” covers various news in the crypto industry. The hosts start by discussing the flat price action of Bitcoin, which has decreased 5% in the past week and shows signs of short-term bearish divergence. However, Bitcoin has remained steady despite inflation rates increasing in the United States. The hosts also note that Bitcoin is decoupling from NASDAQ, solidifying its position as a commodity that performs better than the stock market. They also discuss the recent surge in natural gas prices, which will have an impact on Bitcoin since it operates as a synthetic commodity that sees its security increase when its demand and price increase rather than its supply. The featured interview in the episode is with Kristen Ragusin, who discusses the misunderstanding of money and how Bitcoin can help solve the issue. The hosts also touch on the Celsius bankruptcy and FTX’s guilty plea.

Premiered on Feb 22, 2023.

In this episode, Alex and Shimon discuss the ongoing bloodbath in the markets, triggered by higher-than-expected inflation numbers. They reference an article by Michael Burry, famous for his bets against the real estate market in 2008. Burry argues that rising energy prices will lead to inflation in everything, such as the soles of shoes or the petroleum used in products like Nikes. The market collapse in 2008 was due to mortgage-backed securities losing the bid with no one buying them; however, the Fed could cut rates drastically to help recover. Alex and Shimon discuss how the long-term market will eventually recover, but the long run may become longer. The duo proposes that inflation expectations drive inflation more than money printing, and the Fed needs to get inflation down for the short term.

Originally aired on Feb 22, 2023

Today Shimon and Alex discuss the latest news in the Crypto and Bitcoin markets, analyzing the latest regulatory challenges brought to crypto by U.S. Regulators. They also touch on national security and AI – examining how ChatGPT can enable a productivity gain. The featured guest of this episode is David Richter of Simple CFO and the Profit First for REI Podcast.

In this episode the hosts discuss the recent news and market analysis, including the SEC lawsuit against Kraken and the increasing regulations in the crypto industry. However, they believe that regulation may ultimately be good for the industry and provide more certainty for the market. They also mention the importance of registering with the SEC and following regulations, citing the recent lawsuits against other crypto assets. The hosts conclude by expressing optimism for the future of Bitcoin and the crypto market.