UNCHAINED: With Rate Cuts and Upcoming Elections, What’s the Best Play in Crypto?

Sep 25, 2024

Quinn Thompson, a macro investor from Lekker Capital, and Travis Kling from Ikigai Asset Management dive into the implications of the Fed's rate cut on crypto markets. They discuss Bitcoin's disappointing summer performance and how the 2024 elections could shift the landscape for cryptocurrencies. The duo explores potential risks in the unwinding of the Japan yen carry trade and why certain assets might fare better under a Trump administration. They also touch on enduring concerns for SOL and how macro trends interlink with crypto valuation.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Navigating Macro Trends in the Crypto Landscape

01:33 • 2min

Rate Cuts and Economic Implications

03:34 • 11min

Crypto Market Dynamics and Election Impacts

14:25 • 23min

Exploring Innovations in Crypto and DeFi Amid Market Changes

37:16 • 3min

The Evolving Landscape of Crypto Regulation and Market Dynamics

40:29 • 16min

Ethereum vs. The Crypto Landscape

56:29 • 26min

With the Fed cutting rates, what’s the next move for crypto? Two macro investors discuss Bitcoin's sluggish summer, how the 2024 elections could impact crypto markets, and much more.

The Fed just made its first rate cut in years, slashing 50 basis points off interest rates—but what does this mean for the crypto markets? With Bitcoin lagging behind traditional finance, and the looming U.S. elections, uncertainty is growing.

In this episode, Quinn Thompson of Lekker Capital and Travis Kling of Ikigai Asset Management break down the major factors influencing the markets: from Bitcoin’s sluggish summer and the unwinding of the Japan yen carry trade, to why the 2024 elections could be a pivotal moment for crypto. Are these the catalysts we’ve been waiting for, or should we brace for more turbulence ahead?

Also, they cover which assets could benefit the most under a Trump administration, and why they believe SOL could have a negative catalyst in the near future.

Show highlights:

Why the Fed cut the rates by 50 basis points and what the chances of a recession are in the U.S.
Why Bitcoin has underperformed the broader TradFi markets this summer
The risks of the unwinding of the Japan carry trade for crypto
How the election results might matter differently for different sectors of the industry
Whether rate cuts affect stablecoin yields in DeFi
How the approval of Bitcoin ETF options will affect the price of BTC
Whether Bitcoin miners will be affected by AI’s need for computing power
Ether’s lagging performance this year and what might be a huge catalyst for ETH
How SOL will manage through the huge unlock in early 2025
What Quinn and Travis think about investing in memecoins
How the rise of Base will impact Coinbase

Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

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Guests:

Quinn Thompson, CIO of Lekker Capital
Travis Kling, Founder and CIO of Ikigai Asset Management
Previous appearance on Unchained: With the Merge, Will Ethereum Take Over Bitcoin’s Title as Digital Gold

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