Last week, I asked you if you were feeling bullish or bearish on bitcoin. It’s not the first time I’ve asked the readership of Capital & Conflict such a question, but with the market evolving so fast it’s worth keeping our intel fresh.

The claim that cryptocurrencies are connected to fraud is a case of the pot calling the kettle black, says Sam: “The traditional system continues to have lost far, far more to scams and fraud than crypto ever has.” It reminds me of the stories about cash being used for illegal purposes. But more on the banking system’s culpabilities in a second…

In yesterday’s letter, reader J.B. reported on some difficulties he was having with buying more cryptocurrencies. His bank was making life difficult. Today, the tale turns epic.

But before we get to that, there’s a different question I’d like to ask you. This is the very question myself and Charlie Morris have been pondering for our latest issue of The Fleet Street Letter Monthly Alert, going out tomorrow, and I’d love to know what you think.

CHEDDAR, SOMERSET – Following our look at bitcoin last week, I thought I should show you this small roundtable recorded over at Fortune & Freedom on Friday – featuring Nigel Farage, Nickolai Hubble and our tech expert Sam Volkering.

As I said yesterday, from the amount of bearishness I’ve seen from market commentators in recent weeks, I’m feeling pretty bullish. But one must never fall prey to wishful thinking – and as I’m a BTC holder, I of course want the market to be strong.

CHEDDAR, SOMERSET – Over the past few weeks I’ve seen several veterans of the crypto space utter a similar refrain. Something to the tune of “We had a good run folks – I’ll see you in four years’ time.”

MARYFIELD, DUNDEE – A few months ago in The Ultimate Philanthrope a reader suggested that Satoshi Nakamoto, the mystery man behind the creation of bitcoin, might be a modern-day Thomas Guy. Guy, a bookseller in the 1700s, made a fortune…

NEW TOWN, EDINBURGH – “My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— It gives a lovely light!”  Edna St Vincent Millay Apparently that was Roald Dahl’s motto. I…

WINDERMERE, LAKE DISTRICT – A dear reader writes in to complain… we’re stuck in a rut he says, and we need out: All of you at Southbank are going on & on about just one thing … Bitcoin, yet not…

WINDERMERE, LAKE DISTRICT – “Is this a nightmare?” asks a dear reader… I’ve received some wild responses to my recent letters. Some read like a fever dream: Bitcoin is (in my opinion) an Illusion, caused by drinking too much alcohol…

WINDERMERE, LAKE DISTRICT – We have now entered the final phase of the most important market cycle there is, writes our colleague Akhil Patel. The land cycle has crossed its final hurdle, passed its last stopping post (the “mid-cycle slowdown”),…

WINDERMERE, LAKE DISTRICT – I’ve finally figured it out. After years of struggle… endless debates, fights, and bickering… from rootless speculation to ludicrous allegation, in a seemingly bottomless pit of conjecture… I know who Satoshi Nakamoto is. The pseudonymous creator…

WINDERMERE, LAKE DISTRICT – I gave this away as a gift recently. It’s a remarkable little piece of kit. No ordinary USB stick, this orange flash drive is a miniature treasure chest – with virtually no limit on capacity. You…

SOUTHWARK, LONDON – It’ll be a short note from me today. I’m adding the final touches to a project I’ve been working on behind the scenes for a while. I’ll be able to show you what’s been going on later…

SOUTHWARK, LONDON – Last Friday in Dou₿le Trou₿le I showed you a note from my colleague Charlie Morris, where he illustrated just how extraordinary the phenomenon of bitcoin continually doubling in value is. He’d written that note at the beginning…

SOUTHWARK, LONDON – The doors to a speculator’s paradise have been thrown wide open. Rolling golden fields stretch into the distance. And those that dare explore this land seeking riches, risk ruin in equal measure… Yes, dear reader: it’s alt-season….

SOUTHWARK, LONDON – There’s a chart I’d like to show you today. Just one. It’s the reason I don’t feel I can be bearish about bitcoin right now, despite all the hype… But first, some context. Remember The Big Suck…

God damn them all, I was told we’d cruise the seas for American gold, We’d fire no guns, Shed no tears… Now I’m a broken man on a Halifax pier, The last of Barrett’s Privateers… –  Barrett’s Privateers (unofficial anthem…

SOUTHWARK, LONDON – How many times do you reckon the price of bitcoin has doubled over the years? Bear in mind, bitcoin only began being traded for currency (and not for favours like pizza deliveries) in 2010. And where exactly…

SOUTHWARK, LONDON – I told you you’d need to act fast… That entire batch of ₿lockhead amber ale sold out in 12 hours. My hopes that there might be some extra left for me to buy in a fortnight have…

SOUTHWARK, LONDON – This can’t be normal, surely. Surely. Is it really time to buy bitcoin when there are adverts telling you to buy it on the London Underground? Conventional investing wisdom would suggest the opposite. Ads for speculative investment…

Available now – while stocks last! SOUTHWARK, LONDON – Well, here I am, back in the capital, for a little while at least. How long I’ll stay, I’m not sure just yet. I’m in town to do some work on…

Available 6 April at Cheddar Ales ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – One of the primary perks of being editor of this letter is being able to engage with the readership. As you can probably tell if you read Capital & Conflict often,…

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – I’m afraid it’ll be another short note from me today – I’ve been called away to conduct an interview with a certain globe-trotting market expert as part of a broader event we’re planning for you. This video…

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – Let’s have a little rummage through the postbox as we end for the week… I received many responses to Red Collapso last week. As bitcoin rises in value, the question of how governments will respond to it…

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – During the period running from Sunday to Tuesday, over a billion dollars were lost in an event which keeps recurring. It’s almost like clockwork. That’s the third time this year this has happened by my count, and…

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – Last week, I asked you if you think the bitcoin price has peaked, or if the bull market still has more juice in the tank (Power Games – 4 March). Is it all downhill from here, or…

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – I feel like I’ve opened a Pandora’s box. When I asked the readership for a suitable collective noun for gold sovereigns, I didn’t expect such a sustained response. Even after Tuesday’s note where I settled on “splendour”,…

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – I’m keenly aware that I’ve been bumbling on about bitcoin very frequently in this letter, monopolising our conversation and without giving you a moment to speak on the subject. I want to know your views. Even if…

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – Bitcoin finds itself at a critical juncture. To my eyes, it can only go one of two ways – we’re on the cusp of either a parabolic blow-off top, or a bear market back to the likes…

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – It’s somewhat fitting that as we approach “The Ides of March”, a deadline in the Roman calendar for the repayment of debts, that debt is beginning to matter for markets. A little while ago in Rumblings of…

Have you ever been overwhelmed by the choices in a restaurant’s wine menu – and just decided on the house wine? Or, when you buy the latest mobile phone, do you just accept the factory default settings and not even…

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – It’s going to be a long Lent this year. To make lockdown more interesting, I decided to give up food. I’ve long been enthralled by the story of Bavarian monks in the 1600s who stopped eating during…

In light of bitcoin passing the incredible milestone of $50k per BTC, it’s time to rally the troops and reassess our position. Where do we go from here? Is this the top of the latest crypto-boom, or are we only…

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – Another old schoolmate contacted me out of the blue the other day to ask me if he should buy bitcoin. And now even Peter Schiff, notorious for his hatred of bitcoin, is talking about $100k BTC prices:…