Bits + Bips: Why Rate Cuts Are Less Likely This Year, but Crypto's Outlook Is Positive - Ep. 839

U.S. credit got downgraded. Fed policy expectations are flipping. And Coinbase hit the S&P 500 (while also being extorted).

But what does all of this mean for crypto?

On this week’s Bits + Bips, James Seyffart, Alex Kruger, Ram Ahluwalia, and Noelle Acheson break down:

• Why the Moody’s downgrade doesn’t mean much for markets

• Whether Fed rate cuts are now further off than expected

• Why Alex says Coinbase is a “horrible product” despite S&P inclusion

• How stablecoins tie into U.S. geopolitical strategy

• Whether Circle should sell to Coinbase

• And what the altcoin ETF delay really tells us

Plus: unemployment, yield curve control, the “Consensus vibes,” and Ram’s wild anecdote about workers gaming unemployment benefits.

• Bitwise

• James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence

• Alex Kruger, Founder of Asgard

• Ram Ahluwalia, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida

• Noelle Acheson, Author of the “Crypto Is Macro Now” Newsletter 

Macro

• Reuters: Moody's downgrade intensifies investor worry about US fiscal path

• USNews: Trump Tells Walmart to 'Eat the Tariffs' Instead of Raising Prices

Coinbase

• Unchained: How the Attack on Coinbase Shows the Dangers of Centralized Exchanges

• Fortune: Circle pursues IPO—but talks with Coinbase and Ripple could mean a sale, sources say

• CNBC: Coinbase joining S&P 500, replacing Discover Financial

Stablecoin bill

• Unchained: Stablecoin Bill Passes Key Hurdle: Dems Join GOP to Deliver a Crypto Win

Timestamps:

👋 0:00 Intro

💳 2:18 A big reason why the U.S. credit downgrade matters for investors

📉 7:49 Contrarian take: why souring U.S. debt could also hurt crypto

🛡️ 15:30 Do tariffs work against the U.S. military and national security? 

🔁 20:14 Why the crew flipped on Fed rate cut expectations

📊 28:35 Is the U.S. about to introduce yield curve control?

🧾 35:04 Are the Mag7 stocks the new safe havens in a recession?

📈 38:54 What if the “Goldilocks” scenario is priced in, and it's wrong?

💼 44:26 Why hedge funds are secretly in a vulnerable position

🫱 49:15 What the “vibes” at Consensus 2025 revealed

💵🇨🇳 50:44 A secret threat that the stablecoin bill poses to China?

📈 57:43 What Coinbase’s S&P 500 inclusion means and why Robinhood is its biggest threat

🌀 1:07:17 Should Coinbase acquire Circle? Here’s what the panel thinks

⏳ 1:13:38 Why altcoin ETF approvals are delayed and wen staking in ETFs?

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