2024, the Year of the Bitcoin Bull with Lyn Alden

“The United States is just set to structurally run these massive fiscal deficits…that’s called fiscal dominance, it’s where the central bank does not have full control…because the amount of public debt and the amount of public deficits are too big and forcing them to assist it.”— Lyn AldenLyn Alden is a macroeconomist and investment strategist. In this interview, we discuss the success of Lyn's book before delving into the complexities of the current economic landscape, including the correlation between global liquidity and asset prices, notably Bitcoin. The conversation covers the bond market, inflation measures, bank insolvency issues, and the impact of fiscal policies on the economy. Lyn also shares insights on Bitcoin's price cycles.- - - - Lyn Alden provides a comprehensive overview of the fiscal and monetary forces shaping 2023 in this podcast. She details how the Federal Reserve's tightening measures were counterbalanced by the Treasury's actions, leading to a stabilization in global liquidity measures. This balance is crucial for understanding asset price movements, with Bitcoin's sensitivity to liquidity dynamics serving as a prime example.We evaluated the Federal Reserve's performance, monetized fiscal deficits and the state of the bond market. Lyn acknowledged the central bank's challenges and the limitations of their tools in addressing fiscal deficits, a primary inflation driver. Despite relying on potentially outdated models and theories, the Fed has shown adaptability in adjusting policies to the economic climate. Albeit, the level of public debt and deficits may limit the central bank's control.Lyn posits that inflation, driven by unresolved fiscal issues and energy dynamics, could define the next decade. She discussed the historical context of high inflation and the role of gold and Bitcoin as hedges against currency crises, noting the increasing institutional interest in these alternative assets. We covered the outlook for Bitcoin in 2024, with Lyn underscoring the importance of viewing its price in logarithmic form, revealing a pattern of resilience and potential normalization among institutions. We also discussed the need for scaling solutions in Bitcoin to make interactions with the asset easier, cheaper, and more efficient. Lyn mentioned the possibility of soft forks and covenants, aiming to empower hubs in the Bitcoin network and improve the user experience.- - - - This episode’s sponsors:Iris Energy - Bitcoin Mining. Done Sustainably Bitcasino - The Future of Gaming is hereLedger - State of the art Bitcoin hardware walletWasabi Wallet - Privacy by defaultUnchained - Secure your bitcoin with confidenceBitcoin Atlantis - A Bitcoin conference in the AtlanticSwan Bitcoin - Invest in Bitcoin with Swan-----WBD755 - Show Notes-----If you enjoy The What Bitcoin Did Podcast you can help support the show by doing the following:Become a Patron and get access to shows early or help contributeMake a tip:Bitcoin: 3FiC6w7eb3dkcaNHMAnj39ANTAkv8Ufi2SQR Codes: BitcoinIf you do send a tip then please email me so that I can say thank youSubscribe on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | YouTube | Deezer | TuneIn | RSS FeedLeave a review on iTunesShare the show and episodes with your friends and familySubscribe to the newsletter on my websiteFollow me on Twitter Personal | Twitter Podcast | Instagram | Medium | YouTubeIf you are interested in sponsoring the show, you can read more about that here or please feel free to drop me an email to discuss options.