Overstock.com’s CEO denied reports the company suffered any significant losses because of a glitch in cryptocurrency systems, and said that, despite the media coverage, he still believes Bitcoin holds a lot of potential for the company.
“Right now we’re doing a tZero ICO raising $300 million...People are telling me that’s a business they think has a 3 billion or 4 billion value,” Patrick Byrne told Cheddar Friday.
“I literally have people on Wall St. saying, if I pull off the tZero ICO, and then over two years we do what we think we can do, they say that’s a $40 billion enterprise. People have no idea, yet how much of the financial system we intend to augment.”
Reports emerged earlier this week that a bug created a big opportunity for arbitrage, allowing customers to purchase items with Bitcoin Cash, which trades at roughly $2,500, and return them in exchange for Bitcoin, priced at more than $13,000.
Byrne said the issue was caused by the overwhelming trade volume at payment partner Coinbase. He claims the mix-up, which lasted milliseconds, did not result in any material losses.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/overstock-ceo-responds-to-bitcoin-mix-up).
Plant-based hair extension company Rebundle recently raised $1.4 million in a pre-seed round led by M25. The company based in St. Louis says it is revolutionizing hair extensions with more comfort and less waste. Rebundle's braiding hair is made from a non-toxic, biodegradable plant, which the company says is better for the scalp and the environment. Rebundle Co-Founder and CEO Ciara Imani May and Co-Founder and CMO Danielle Washington joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Soildus Labs, a market compliance and surveillance technology provider for crypto firms, has spearheaded the launch of the Crypto Market Integrity Coalition, a pledge committing to a safe and sensibly-regulated crypto industry. Kathy Kraninger, VP of Regulatory Affairs at Solidus Labs, discusses on Cheddar News' Closing Bell the biggest problems in the digital asset space that this new initiative plans to solve.
Stocks closed mixed Monday as a broader tech sell-off continued, leading the Nasdaq to close down 0.58%. Investors are keeping an eye on earnings, and also looking ahead to Thursday's CPI data, which will give an idea of how hot inflation could still be running. Steve Sosnick, Chief Strategist at Interactive Brokers, joins Closing Bell to discuss today's close, the Federal Reserve's plans to raise interest rates and taper asset purchasing, his 2022 market outlook, and more.
The global chip shortage continues to weigh on the automotive industry. For example, Ford says it is suspending or cutting production at eight of its factories in North America through next week due to the shortage. Balu Balakrishnan, President and CEO of Power Integrations, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he elaborates on why the chip shortage has dragged into 2022.
Peloton has weathered a seemingly never-ending storm the past few months: PR blunders, sinking customer demand, and in recent weeks, reported cost-cutting and potential layoffs. Now, several companies are said to be in the mix as potential buyers: Amazon, Netflix, Disney, and Apple. How likely is it that one of these companies pursues a deal — and how likely is it that it will be Apple who buys Peloton? Dan Ives, Managing Director of Equity Research at Wedbush Securities, joins Closing Bell to discuss his thoughts about Apple pursuing a Peloton takeover,
Astra aborted the launch for NASA ELaNa 41 Mission out of Cape Canaveral on Monday due to what was described as a minor issue, but the company's stock fell nearly 14 percent following the news. Jim Cantrell, CEO and co-founder of Phantom Space, which builds and launches spacecraft of its own, joined Cheddar to discuss the scrubbed mission. “The last thing you want is for this to go wrong, you're better to err on the side of safety expectations,” Cantrell explained, noting that the mission delay was a normal event.
Dating app Bumble announced its first acquisition, expanding into Europe by picking up Fruitz, a French Platform. The Fruitz app allows its users to convey dating preferences through fruit metaphors.
