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).
Air travel is soon expected to ramp up in a big way, with the holiday season approaching as fuel prices rise. The higher costs are starting to impact airlines' revenue and could lead to higher ticket prices for travelers. Hopper economist Adit Damodaran joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Alternative asset, sports cards-focused platform Alt recently raised $75 million in a Series B round. Alt's platform lets users research, trade, and securely store sports cards and other high-value assets. Right now, the company has more than $70 million worth of cards in its vault. The company is also hoping to get into other assets, including NFTs. Alt CEO Leore Avidar joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Stocks closed mostly lower to end the week as investors eye a potential fifth COVID-19 wave, and maintain concerns about inflation. The Nasdaq closed at a record high as tech stocks maintained their strength. Mitch Roschelle, Founder of Macro Trends Advisors, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss today's close, inflation, big tech pulling stocks higher, and more.
Bitcoin ticked higher Friday but still hit a one-month low amid a broader crypto slump. Investors are eyeing the potential liquidation of payments from collapsed exchange Mt. Gox, alongside the recent debut of three Bitcoin-linked futures ETFs as the SEC continues to avoid approving spot product ETFs. Steve Larsen, Co-Founder of PlannerDAO, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the broader crypto slump, why Mt. Gox is a concern, and more.
Wedbush Securities has raised its price target for Tesla stock to $1,400, among the highest on Wall Street. Analysts are pointing to an incoming green tidal wave as the main reason for their optimism, with President Biden's infrastructure bill expected to kick off a new era for electric vehicles in the U.S. Dan Ives, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why he's so bullish on Tesla even as competition from companies like Rivian heats up.
Streaming platform Roku announced plans to develop more than 50 original shows in a bid to become a destination for free content amid growing competition in the space. Shelly Kramer, co-founder and lead analyst at Futurum Research, spoke to Cheddar about the new offering "The transition here from hardware to adding a software component by way of original content, I think is smart," she said. "And it's all about the Benjamins." Kramer also noted that she doesn't necessarily think Roku is entering the content game too late.
Ameeth Sankaran, CEO of the emmy-winning media company Religion of Sports, joined Cheddar to talk about the "Man in the Arena: Tom Brady" docuseries that premiered on ESPN+ earlier this week. Sankaran noted Brady and former NFL star Michael Strahan as co-founders and discussed the origin of the company and its goal to tell stories about sports figures beyond their roles on the court or field.
The behind-the-scenes story of HBO's history is chronicled in the new book 'Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers.' The book tells the true story of how HBO came to dominate the television industry as we know it. The man behind the book has interviewed over 700 key sources to uncover a bottomless trove of secrets, surprises, and never before heard stories. James Andrew Miller joins Cheddar News to share more.
Apple officially announced its self-service repair program allowing customers to buy individual tools and parts to fix their own devices. It comes as Apple continues to face pressure from 'right-to-repair' advocates. Ian Sherr, Editor at Large, CNET, joined Cheddar to discuss the significance of the move.
