TradeStation President John Bartleman: Cryptocurrency "Here to Stay"
Cryptocurrency has investors in a frenzy, with some swearing by it, and others warning of instability and bubbles. In the pro-crypto camp is John Bartleman, president at digital brokerage firm TradeStation, who believes that digital currency is the future.
“I think this is here to stay, I think we are in the early days, somewhat like the internet in the early 80s, early 90s” he said.
Bitcoin is the top cryptocurrency now, shooting up the charts and, in a matter of weeks, jumping from $8,000 to over $11,000. Some analysts say there’s no reason for the hike, and swear the bubble is about to burst.
JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon, one of the most notable naysayers, says the Bitcoin currency is a fraudulent system, too often used for illicit purposes. Similarly, the CBOE recently announced it will launch Bitcoin futures trading as of December 10th, offering free trading through the month of December. The exchange says the move will provide “transparency, efficient price discovery, deep liquidity, and centralized clearing,” to investors.
Bartleman does agree that there is a lot of fraud as of now, and that the digital currency can see a correction, but he contends that “there’s real value in [crypto].”
“In the next five years, I think we will find ourselves in a place where retail customers will be interactive, trading in different type of crypto companies,” Bartleman said.
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
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You'll just have to wait for interest rates (and prices) to go down. Plus, this deal's a steel, the big carmaker wedding is off, and bribery is back, baby!
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
William Falcon, CEO and Founder of Lightning AI, discusses the ongoing feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, and how everyday people can use AI in their lives.
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