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Fancy Chairs Can Explain Crypto

By Vin Narayanan on July 21, 2023

I spend several hours every day consuming crypto data and information. Only a fraction of that time is spent looking at prices though. I’m much more interested in bigger picture items like use cases, regulatory frameworks, inflation, monetary policy and other macro issues.  As I was reading up on Ripple’s partial victory over the SEC, I found a thread on Twitter that sums up my thoughts…
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Ripple Beats the SEC

By Vin Narayanan on July 14, 2023

The crypto industry needed a win. And it got one. A federal judge ruled Thursday that coins sold programmatically (typically on exchanges) or awarded as part of compensation packages were NOT unregistered securities. And that only coins sold directly to institutional investors constituted registered…

Don’t Buy the Bitcoin ETF Hype in 2023

By Vin Narayanan on July 7, 2023

I’m going to write a book about crypto in the next couple of years. And one of the book’s chapters will be devoted to bitcoin ETFs. Since 2018, crypto investors have been hoping that an SEC-approved bitcoin (spot) ETF would lead to a tidal wave of…
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Be Cautious in Unpredictable Crypto Markets

By Vin Narayanan on June 30, 2023

The crypto markets have entered a highly unpredictable phase. There are so many contradictory market forces in play that it’s hard to make any short-term market predictions. The SEC is going after Coinbase. Coinbase is fighting back. Blackrock (among others) applied for a bitcoin spot ETF (with bitcoin as the…
Imagine controlling a video game without a joystick, keyboard, or mouse… using only your mind. It sounds like a combination of telepathy and telekinesis… and like something only Professor X or Magneto could do. But it’s very possible. Dave…
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This week, I’m making a different kind of investment recommendation — one that I think you’ll really like. For the past couple of years, I’ve been looking into investing in small businesses.  Small businesses account for about 44% of U.S. GDP. That’s $10.3 trillion…

Crypto Insider: Overcoming Crypto Skepticism

By Early Investing on June 14, 2023

It’s a tale as old as time. As one generation grows older, the next generation becomes more independent. The younger generation creates or popularizes new forms of technology, art, and culture, while the older generation tends to reject them — usually because the older generation doesn’t understand them. …
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It’s been a rough week. The SEC sued Coinbase and Binance. And a lot of coins have been called out by name in those lawsuits. The SEC declared that Solana, Cardano, Cosmos, Polygon, COTI, Decentraland, Algorand, Filecoin, The Sandbox, Axie Infinity, Chiliz, Flow, Internet Computer Protocol, NEAR Protocol,…

The SEC Can’t Kill Crypto

By Vin Narayanan on June 9, 2023

We’re entering a new phase in the development of the crypto ecosystem. The era of crypto exchanges and crypto businesses operating without any regulatory oversight are coming to an end. The European Parliament voted 517-38 in April on a comprehensive package of new rules aimed at…
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Cityzenith Shuttered, but Investors Still Have Hope

By Vin Narayanan on June 8, 2023

Many First Stage Investor members have written in to ask us about Cityzenith closing its business. We recommended Cityzenith as an investment opportunity in September 2020. And like you, we’re disappointed that Cityzenith closed. We were hoping for big…
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Six Coins You Need to Sell

By Vin Narayanan on June 8, 2023

It’s been a week. On Monday, the SEC sued Binance, saying the crypto exchange had shown “blatant disregard of the federal securities laws.” And on Tuesday, the SEC sued Coinbase for acting “as an exchange, a broker, and a clearing agency, without registering as an exchange, broker, or…

Startup Insider: All About Small Business Investments

By Early Investing on June 7, 2023

Small business investments are a growing asset class. Unlike startups, small businesses — like restaurants, bakeries, and breweries — can offer investors income streams right away. Small business investors typically get paid through interest payments or revenue sharing. But, as with any investment, small…
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China has a complicated relationship with crypto. The Chinese government continues to promote the use and development of blockchain, but crypto trading is still banned in mainland China. Recently, the crypto community had some hope that China may change its tune on crypto. The Beijing Municipal…

Bitcoin Decouples From Stocks, Moves Closer to Gold

By Vin Narayanan on June 2, 2023

Crypto Market Musings It’s been a relatively calm week for crypto. Bitcoin is up 1.73% over the last seven days as of this writing. Ethereum is up 3.54% over the same period. Monero is down 1.93%. Crypto has largely decoupled from the Nasdaq and the S&P…
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Editor’s Note: This recommendation was co-authored by KingsCrowd Investment Research Manager Olivia Strobl. Mmmm, pizza. Much like Homer Simpson, I was born eating pizza. I’m also a vegetarian who dabbles in veganism.

Crypto Insider: Bitcoin Falls While AI Cryptos Rally

By Early Investing on May 31, 2023

Bitcoin dropped around 8% in May — its first monthly loss of 2023. There are a few factors that drove it down, including continuous inflation, high interest rates, and bitcoin decoupling from the Nasdaq.  But while bitcoin is falling, AI cryptos are soaring. According to CNBC,…