Bitcoin Reclaims Its Bear-Market Ceiling. Is the Rally Real?

Bitcoin closed above its 50-week average for the first time in 45 weeks. Ram calls it a short squeeze, Chris a regime change. Plus, Amazon locks out Meta's Muse agent. Sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit 1inch.com to swap tokenized securities, crypto and more. Simple. Secure. Self-custodial. Whatever asset you’re buying - swap it at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1inch.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Quick favor: We're deciding what Unchained does next; new shows, stream times, what's worth paying for. Our listener survey takes five minutes, it's anonymous, and I read the write-in answers myself. Everyone who takes it can enter a drawing for a free year of Unchained Premium or Bits + Bips Premium. Open through Sunday, October 18. — Laura 👉 Heads up! If you haven't yet, be sure to subscribe to Bits + Bips on its dedicated channels. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, X, Unchained and wherever you get your podcasts. 🔥 Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bits-bips/id1827931786⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  🔥 YouTube - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuKiSkbYrUOOEEiYQEVPniQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  🔥 Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6aSBMrOyi33aVDCULJ9mjN?si=NTLk-jl5QGeytA6-2kxMVQ&nd=1&dlsi=42f0b13dd53c4ba0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  🔥 X - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/bitsandbips⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  🔥 Unchained - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://unchainedcrypto.com/bitsandbips/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bitcoin just closed its first weekly candle above the 50-week moving average in 45 weeks, a line Galaxy Digital's Alex Thorn says marked the bottom in four of the five completed bear markets. The Coinbase premium stayed negative for 166 of the last 168 hours anyway. Ram Ahluwalia and Chris Perkins read that gap differently. Ram calls the move a short squeeze, and says that doesn't make it illegitimate. Chris argues crypto has entered a regime change now that regulators no longer treat every token with a cash flow as a security. Austin Campbell, Ram, and Chris also cover the Fed's first rate hike since July 2023 and why the 10-year barely moved. Chris flags the cost of servicing US debt, and Austin explains why, with $30 trillion outstanding, rate hikes stop being restrictive and "just spray more cash out." Then Meta's Muse agent, which Amazon has blocked as an unauthorized AI agent, kicks off a debate over whether AI splits into mass-market apps and institution-only tools. Plus, Austin predicts Congress won't touch the deficit until Social Security runs short in the 2030s, and Ram says superintelligence isn't coming, but an AGI that's "extraordinarily competent and highly effective" is good enough. Hosts ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Austin Campbell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Host of Bits + Bips, Founder of Zero Knowledge Group, and Adjunct Professor at NYU Stern ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ram Ahluwalia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Co-host of Bits + Bips and CEO of Lumida ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Perkins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Co-host of Bits + Bips and Head of Franklin Crypto Timestamps: 💧 00:59 1inch Aqua: Back multiple liquidity positions with one wallet balance and keep your tokens in your wallet until a swap fills at https://1inch.com/aqua 💰 01:49 Bitcoin reclaims its 50-week average: short squeeze or real regime change? 🌊 14:42 1inch Aqua: See how LPs back multiple positions with the same token balance and cover more market conditions at https://1inch.com/aqua 🛢️ 15:30 Oil, the Fed's first hike since 2023, and why markets read it as Fed independence 💵 26:37 Chris on why debt-servicing costs are quietly fueling the crypto thesis 🤖 36:32 Meta's Muse takes AI agents mainstream, and Amazon locks it out ⚙️ 45:21 Why shrinking compute costs are bringing AI agents to the masses 🔀 49:12 Austin's bifurcation bet: mass-market AI agents vs institutional ones 💻 50:16 Why cheap custom software puts SaaS firms at risk, and which ones survive