Paradigm Shift(s)

“I like to be right. I try not to miss the big ideas, forget the little ones, and try to get them right. End of job description.” [Wiggin Sessions] March 05, 2022 Paradigm Shift(s) “I like to be right. I try not to miss the big ideas, forget the little ones, and try to get them right. End of job description.” — Jeremy Grantham [Addison Wiggin]Dear Reader, This week proved to be somewhat of a macroeconomic and geopolitical petri dish. Coming off the trucker’s strike and Emergency Act in Canada, we endured the second week of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. All while attempting to put the next generation of cryptocurrencies into context with our guest James Altucher, author of [The Big Book of Crypto](. There were moments, we confess, we thought we may lack the wherewithal to pull such disparate threads together in a tidy, entertaining package. Let’s take a look at how everything turned out: [Cryptos’ Chance to Prove]( Even normally neutral Switzerland has piled on to Russia, saying it may freeze Russian assets held in its Alpine vaults. We’ve seen those vaults. What a tiresome thing to consider armed conflict versus economic sanctions. Especially for individual investors. Last week our Jim Rickards outlined all the ways Vladimir Putin prepared his country for these kinds of reactions. Russia won’t founder easily because it’s full of raw materials that the world needs… and there are plenty of back channels available for anyone who wants to buy them. Top of mind, of course, are cryptocurrencies. Plenty of news outlets are sharing their opinions of the role cryptos will play in this international drama. I, of course, talked to James. [Pariah Heap]( On Tuesday morning, the gold price shot above $1,940. It’s a good time to keep your eye on your Hard Asset Alliance account. Maybe add a farthing or two. We tried to speculate with James this week about what open warfare in Eastern Europe would mean. But that’s not so easy to do in the early days. A lot of Russian stocks are getting dumped. Maybe not because of fundamentals, but because Vladamir Putin — and by extension his country — is a “pariah” right now. “Ouch!” our erstwhile writing partner Bill Bonner started out this morning. “Our small holdings of Russian stocks are down almost 60% so far this year. But you’re probably wondering: what are we doing investing in Russian stocks in the first place? Ah, dear reader… let us explain.” Bill then goes to tell a story about “horsesh$t” predictions. It’s worth a read. [What?! Regulating Cryptos Is… a Good Idea?]( Federal Chairman Jerome Powell brought up cryptos in his testimony before Congress this week. He says Russia’s actions underscore the need for more regulation of decentralized digital money. Lawmakers also asked him about plans to turn the dollar into a cryptocurrency — a possibility we call the Fedcoin. Powell said the Fed is still looking into it but hasn’t made any decisions yet. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported last week that the Boston Federal Reserve Bank has hired at least five former employees of Circle — a company that oversees a digital coin backed by U.S. dollars. We’ve expressed some concern about world central banks issuing their own cryptocurrencies. But as you’ll hear today, James thinks “it's actually an exciting thing.” For one thing, the government-backed cryptocurrencies will trade alongside other cryptos on the decentralized exchanges, giving them more legitimacy. “It'll make some of them very huge,” he says… [Another “Nuclear Blast in Cyberspace”?]( Russia is in the process of getting deplatformed. Microsoft, Meta, YouTube, TikTok, Apple and Google have all limited access to Russia Today, a state-sponsored TV news outlet accused of issuing Russian propaganda. Prior to the invasion, RT claims to have surpassed 10 billion views on YouTube. Now according to Protocol, the network is seeing a massive staff exodus, with a number of journalists quitting, including financial journalist and Bitcoin enthusiast Max Keiser. Ironically, a year ago the Russians were among the many voices lamenting the decision of U.S. internet platforms to block Donald Trump while he was still president of the United States. On Facebook, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova likened the Trump ban “to a nuclear blast in cyberspace." “If anything,” James says, ”what's happening in the Ukraine and the effects on the stock market is almost serving as a rate hike, so this might even alleviate concerns the Fed is going to hike rates too quickly.” [Less of a “Useful Idiot”]( “I’ll pass on this Session,” says a reader in response to James’ comment that what’s happening in Canada is outrageous. He continues, “I trust your next guest will be less of a useful idiot.” Excuse us as our head goes askew. At no point did James Altucher criticize the protestors. He called the Canadian government’s response “outrageous.” To quote him again, “it's almost inconceivable that Canada of all countries would essentially declare martial law against its own citizens.” We humbly suggest our commenter misread his comment. WIth that misunderstanding cleared up, we hope he will be willing to give our conversation with James a chance below. [Wiggin Sessions]( You can catch our full interview with James Altucher, [right here](. Eric V., now’s your chance! Follow your bliss, [Addison Wiggin] Addison Wiggin Founder, The Wiggin Sessions P.S. My Wiggin Session with James this week is only the beginning. He’s just released a new video himself, already causing a stir because he dropped a “bombshell” regarding his new research on cryptos. It’ll only take a few minutes to see [it here](. I’m confident it’ll be worth your time! The Only Monthly Newsletter Devoted to Uranium Equities As the editor of Uranium Insider Pro, Justin Huhn covers all the "macro factors" that impact uranium prices. He also maintains a list of 10 uranium equities that he believes offer the best risk/reward. In fact, since he started the list two years ago, the stocks he’s tracking have generated a +335.9% return – versus a 27.4% increase in the price of uranium in the same time. Learn more about Justin’s monthly updates and "time-sensitive" intra-month bulletins [here](. Ed. note: Got something to say? Send your feedback to The Wiggin Sessions, [here.](mailto:WigginSessions@5minforecast.com) Follow the Wiggin Sessions on Social Media! [Facebook Group]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( [LinkedIn]( [The Financial Reserve]The Wiggin Sessions is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. We do not rent or share your email address. By submitting your email address, you consent to Consilience, LLC. delivering daily email issues and advertisements. 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