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).
Anthony Bartolacci, VP of financials of data Sensor Tower, joined Cheddar to talk about Robinhood's massive earnings miss. He attributed part of it to the platform's exposure to cryptocurrency and its lackluster performance in Q3 following volatility. Bartolacci also noted some headwinds from a drop in engagement on the platform due to people returning to work and having less time to day trade contributing to the miss.
Pharmaceutical company Merck has announced that it will share the formula of its COVID-19 pill with poor countries free of charge. The company still intends to charge wealthier nations leaving the end cost at more than $700 per five-day treatment course.
Dems race for a deal on President Biden's economic agenda ahead of his big foreign trip. What to make of the latest threat assessment in Afghanistan. Plus, the meme cryptocurrency of the moment that's now worth more than many Fortune 500 companies.
Rent the Runway is making its trading debut on the NASDAQ. The fashion company has struggled since the onset of the pandemic, not having turned a profit since 2019. Crunchbase reporter Sophia Kunthara explains how Rent the Runway has had to make necessary changes to its business model in order to keep itself afloat.
As negotiations drag on in Washington, DC over President Biden's social spending bills, Senate Democrats have introduced a new idea to fund Biden's plans: taxing the unrealized capital gains held by billionaires. Barron's reporter Sabrina Escobar joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she explains what's in the billionaire tax proposal, who it will impact, and why it's on the table.
GM exceeded earnings expectations, yet still felt the chip shortage squeeze. Baron's Senior Writer Al Root discussed GM's segue into the electric car car world despite its struggles.
Jay Jacobs, SVP and Head of Research & Strategy, at Global X ETFs, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why the Dow and S&P fell from their recent records during Wednesday's session. Jacobs also broke down the numbers in Ford's Q3 earnings as the results rolled in.
