As a seasoned economist with over three decades of experience, I have witnessed the rise and fall of various investment trends. However, none has been as divisive and captivating as Bitcoin. Peter Schiff, a fellow veteran in the financial world, has consistently maintained his skepticism towards this digital asset, echoing his long-held preference for gold.


Known economist and vocal Bitcoin critic, Peter Schiff, expressed his opinions about the upcoming sale of 69,370 Bitcoins by the US government (valued at approximately $4.3 billion) on X on October 9th.

His post sparked lively responses from Bitcoin supporters and critics alike, reigniting debates over the virtual asset’s value.

Silk Road Bitcoin Up For Grabs

According to Schiff’s tweet, the Supreme Court ruling allows the US government to auction off the Bitcoins they confiscated from the shuttered Silk Road marketplace. These Bitcoins were previously held up due to legal disputes, but now the government plans to cash them out.

It appeared as if the co-founder of Echelon Wealth, renowned for his fondness for gold, made a tongue-in-cheek comment, proposing that the CEO of MicroStrategy, Michael Saylor, consider taking out a loan worth $4.3 billion to acquire Bitcoin instead.

Occasionally, it seems as though the government makes a wise decision, he jokingly remarked, which appeared to be a subtle critique of Saylor’s approach to investing heavily in Bitcoin.

Since 2020, Saylor has guided MicroStrategy towards purchasing billions worth of Bitcoin, an investment strategy that Schiff had previously deemed a high-stakes bet. On September 20, the company managed to raise over $1 billion and utilized some of these funds to buy 7,420 more Bitcoins. This acquisition increased MicroStrategy’s total Bitcoin holdings to approximately 252,220 coins, now valued at around $16 billion.

The radio personality’s latest comment attracted responses from both sides of the Bitcoin debate, with advocates for the cryptocurrency quick to challenge his remarks.

As a crypto investor, I recently came across an insightful observation by Henry Scavacini about Bitcoin’s fundamental characteristics. He emphasized six key properties: durability, portability, divisibility, fungibility, scarcity, and acceptability, while also mentioning the unique attribute of immutability that sets blockchain-based assets apart. This discussion led to a deeper examination of Bitcoin’s status as a robust form of currency, often referred to as “hard money.

Schiff Adamant on Gold

However, despite the wagon circling, Schiff remained firm in his stance, stating, “It’s missing the most important [property]. Actual real value.”

His dismissal of Bitcoin’s value led to more pushback, with users like Tommy Carver reminding him that the consensus of the market currently values Bitcoin at over $62,000. Another user added that value is subjective and determined by the usefulness of an asset to those who hold it.

This online exchange between the veteran stockbroker and Bitcoin supporters highlights the long-standing ideological divide between traditional gold bugs and Bitcoin maximalists.

Schiff frequently criticizes Bitcoin, contending that it doesn’t have the intrinsic worth associated with gold. Lately, he stated that excessive focus on Bitcoin is causing investors to overlook gold’s remarkable growth trajectory.

Furthermore, he asserted that the cryptocurrency served as a means to rectify blunders in monetary policy allegedly committed by the U.S. Federal Reserve. These errors, he suggested, might have been exposed if there was greater focus on the fluctuations in the gold market.

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2024-10-10 04:28