5 chapters across the catalog
A cooling failure at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) data center caused a significant outage, halting trading in stock index futures for several hours. While treasuries and commodities continued to trade normally, the incident highlighted the risks of centralized financial infrastructure. The hosts contrast this centralization with the resilience of decentralized systems like podcasting.
HSBC, Currency Rigging Arrest, Clinton Foundation Links
Mark Johnson, a senior manager at HSBC, was arrested at JFK airport for his role in a conspiracy to rig currency benchmarks. The hosts discuss the history of HSBC, noting that FBI Director James Comey was once a board member. They speculate on potential links between HSBC money laundering and the Clinton Foundation, questioning if this arrest is part of a larger investigation.
Currency Speculation and the Return of the Drachma
Financial experts debate the impact of Greece potentially returning to the drachma, with Larry Summers warning of currency hoarding. A host shares a tip from an ex-banker predicting the Euro will spike to 1.18 despite the current instability.
Currency Manipulation, Iraqi Dinars and Bitcoin Volatility
A tip regarding an Iraqi Dinar scam is re-evaluated in light of Bitcoin's price fluctuations following the Silk Road shutdown. Bitcoin dropped from $140 to $109 before rebounding to $130, suggesting a coordinated currency manipulation scheme. The hosts suspect that "back channel" messages about currency were actually coded warnings regarding the impending darknet market seizure.
Million Dollar Bitcoin, Security Law Violations
Max Keiser predicts that Bitcoin could eventually reach a price of $1 million per coin if it captures a portion of the global Forex market. The hosts characterize this as a "scam" and suggest that such public price promises would be illegal if Bitcoin were regulated as a traditional security.
