Eric Balchunas

On Tuesday, options on BlackRock’s bitcoin ETF, IBIT, launched, seeing $1.9 billion worth of those options changing hands on the first day. The launch of these options could mark a turning point for crypto markets, with implications for liquidity, volatility, and institutional adoption.  Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, explains why these options are so significant, who they’re designed for, and how they could impact the broader ecosystem. Plus, he offers some cautionary advice to bitcoiners, gives insight into whether spot ether etf options are on their way, and discusses the odds of SOL ETFs launching. Show highlights: What bitcoin ETF options are and why they are relevant for traders and investors Whether options will reduce the volatility of BTC Why Eric offers caution after seeing bitcoin surging so much recently What Eric thinks about the possibility for Bitcoin ETF options to spark a “gamma squeeze”  What type of investors Eric thinks typically trade options Whether regulators treat Bitcoin differently and with prejudice  What he would like to see from a new SEC Why IBIT options will likely dominate the market, according to Eric Why Eric was surprised that options on futures ETFs was so low compared to the spot ETFs How the launch of options will affect Deribit, the main exchange for trading options Whether options for ether spot ETFs are coming as well His thoughts on the news that spot SOL ETFs may be moving to the next phase Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Polkadot Mantle’s FBTC Guest Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF Analyst at Bloomberg Previous appearances on Unchained: Why Spot Ether ETFs Are Now Likely to Be Approved on Thursday How, in 7 Weeks, Bitcoin ETFs Reached Inflows That Took Gold ETFs 3 Years Why Spot Bitcoin ETFs Are Likely to Finally Start Trading on Thursday Will a Spot Bitcoin ETF Finally Get Approved? Links Previous coverage of Unchained on bitcoin ETFs options: Why Bitcoin ETF Options Could Unlock Massive Amounts of Capital for Crypto Unchained: Bitcoin Hits New All Time High as IBIT’s First-Day Volume Nears $1.9 Billion  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:15 Why Bitcoin ETF options are a game-changer for traders 07:35 How options could impact Bitcoin’s volatility 11:38 Eric’s cautionary take after Bitcoin’s recent surge 13:13 Whether price rises will be due to gamma squeezes or a lack of resistance 16:04 Insights into the typical investors trading ETF options 16:58 Perceptions of bias against Bitcoin in traditional markets 18:53 What Eric hopes for under new SEC leadership 20:47 Why IBIT options might dominate the market 23:05 Comparison between futures and spot ETF options 25:20 What IBIT options mean for Deribit’s dominance 28:58 Are ether spot ETF options on the horizon? 29:25 What Eric thinks of the filings for SOL ETFs 32:37 News Recap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

The Ether spot ETF has officially started trading as of today July 23rd, 2024 marking a landmark day for Ethereum and crypto as a whole. We're going live today to discuss the magnitude of this moment and what it means for Ether the asset, and more broadly the entire crypto industry. This is a big deal and we're stoked to be sharing this moment live with the Bankless Nation. ------ 📣 SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2    ⁠  🦄UNISWAP | BROWSER EXTENSION https://bankless.cc/uniswap  ⚡️ FUEL | EARN FUEL POINTS https://bankless.cc/fuel  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle    ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum 🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT  https://bankless.cc/toku  ------ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro To Eric 02:53 $1B Daily Inflows 06:17 Mini ETH 08:13 What To Look For Next 12:25 #2 Launch Of All Time? 19:12 Pitching ETH To The World 24:08 ETH As A Tech Platform 27:43 Winners of BTC vs Winners of ETH ETFs 30:32 What To Watch ------ RESOURCES Eric Balchunas:  https://x.com/EricBalchunas  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

Just when everyone thought that spot Ether ETFs were going to be denied on Thursday, news broke Monday that they are now likely to be approved, with Bloomberg analysts tripling their odds to a 75% chance of approval.  Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, and Matt Hougan, CIO at Bitwise Asset Management, say this reversal definitely has to do with politics, citing the fight of Staff Accounting Bulletin 121, a rule that was unfriendly to financial institutions wanting to engage with crypto.  Plus, they delve into the reasons why Michael Sonnenshein stepped down as CEO of Grayscale after 10 years (hint: it has to do with GBTC), what the 13F filings revealed about who’s been buying the spot bitcoin ETFs since the beginning of the year, and what Vanguard’s incoming CEO, Salim Ramji, who was instrumental to getting BlackRock to launch its Bitcoin ETF, could mean for crypto’s future at the asset management firm. Show highlights: Why Eric believes the ether ETFs will be approved Why Matt thinks the Bitcoin ETFs set off a "complete sea change in Washington around crypto" Whether the spot Ether ETFs will be approved with or without staking Who the authorized participants and other behind-the-scenes players in the ether ETFs will be When the ETH ETFs could start trading and why Eric believes they won't be as successful as Bitcoin ETFs What the 13F filings revealed about the spot Bitcoin ETFs buyers and why their identities are "stunning" Why Michael Sonnenshein stepped down as CEO of Grayscale Grayscale’s new mini ETF, BTC Whether Vanguard's new CEO appointment could mean a change in attitude by the asset management firm towards crypto What a buffered ETF is and why they could be significant Matt's prediction for the BTC price Their outlook on the future of ETFs and developments in the space Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Polkadot VaultCraft Guests: Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise Asset Management Previous appearances on Unchained:  How Small Bitcoin ETF Issuers Will Compete With the Likes of BlackRock Why a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Probably Launch No Later Than January 10 Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Previous appearances on Unchained: How, in 7 Weeks, Bitcoin ETFs Reached Inflows That Took Gold ETFs 3 Years Why Spot Bitcoin ETFs Are Likely to Finally Start Trading on Thursday Will a Spot Bitcoin ETF Finally Get Approved? Links Ether ETFs Unchained: Analysts Up Odds of Spot Ether ETF to 75% as Prometheum Launches Product That Treats ETH as a Security CoinDesk: Ether ETFs Filing Process Sees Abrupt Progress, Though Approval Not Guaranteed: Sources The Block: Fidelity files amended S-1 registration statement, removing staking rewards from prospective Ethereum ETF SAB 121 Bloomberg: As Bitcoin Rallies, Banks Are Pushing US Regulators to Change Crypto Guidance  Unchained: Senate Votes to Kill SAB 121 Custody Bill: How Crypto Became So Political 13F Filings Unchained: Large Institutions Betting Big on Bitcoin ETFs Revealed in SEC Filings Leadership changes CoinDesk: Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein Steps Down, to Be Replaced by TradFi Veteran WSJ: Meet Salim Ramji, Who Is Going to Oversee the Retirement Assets of Tens of Millions of Americans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

Matt Hougan

Chief Investment Officer

Bitwise Asset ManagementBitwise

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. In this episode, Eric Balchunas, senior ETF Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, discussed the performance of Bitcoin ETFs since their launch two months ago.  Balchunas noted that the ETFs' performance exceeded his expectations, with a faster and more intense "second wind" than anticipated. He attributed this to a combination of asset managers buying in, retail interest, and the "ETF effect" where the knowledge of incoming flows encourages non-ETF investors to buy.  Balchunas also predicted that BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF would likely be the most successful of the nine new spot Bitcoin ETFs, while also doubting that any of the smaller issuers would bow out.  He also discussed the potential for spot Ether ETFs, but was less optimistic about their success compared to Bitcoin ETFs. Learn more: Bitcoin ETFs Explained: What Are They & How Do They Work? Show highlights: Why the Bitcoin ETF performance in the past couple of weeks exceeded Eric's expectations Whether Eric had ever seen the kind of hype around Bitcoin ETFs occur with other ETFs How there has been a lot of retail interest in these past few weeks Eric's insights into how bitcoin reached all-time highs again this week Whether a good portion of the ETF volumes is sustainable and what's driving those large volumes Whether it's safe to say that BlackRock is the winner among issuers Whether the smaller issuers in terms of volume and AUM will close their ETFs When options on Bitcoin ETFs will be approved Whether in-kind redemptions will be allowed in the near future and the role of politics in that Whether Grayscale will have to reduce its fees considering the huge outflows from GBTC Why Eric believes that spot ether ETFs won't have as much demand as the bitcoin ETFs did Reasons the SEC could use to reject spot ether ETFs Whether issuers will rebalance their portfolios at the end of quarters What Eric expects to see in terms of inflows by year’s end  Thank you to our sponsors! iTrustCapital Polkadot Uniswap Guest Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Previous appearances on Unchained: Why Spot Bitcoin ETFs Are Likely to Finally Start Trading on Thursday Will a Spot Bitcoin ETF Finally Get Approved? Links Recent coverage on Unchained of Bitcoin’s surge:  How the Bitcoins in Your ETF Get Sourced: The Real Story Should You Sell Bitcoin Now That It’s Nearing Its All-Time High? Miners Appear to Sell $69 Million Worth of Decade-Old Bitcoin Bitcoin Hits New All-Time High Above $69,000, Presaging More Potential Gains Previous coverage on the Unchained podcast of spot Bitcoin ETFs: Bitcoin’s Price Is Way Up. And $48 Trillion in Wealth Just Got Access Why Some Brokerage Firms Are Blocking Access to Spot Bitcoin ETFs Why the SEC May Want Cash Creation of Spot Bitcoin ETFs Why It Looks Like BlackRock Could Win America’s First Spot Bitcoin ETF The 4 Factors That Will Determine Which Spot Bitcoin ETFs Win Market Share How Much Money Will Flow Into Bitcoin ETFs? Here’s One Projection Eric’s tweet on $IBIT smashing $788m  Ethereum spot ETF: BitMEX Blog: Ethereum ETFs & Staking Eric’s tweet on ether ETFs  Unchained:  Why Spot Ether ETFs Likely Won’t Steal Bitcoin’s Thunder — Even if Staking Is Included Spot Ether ETFs Could Introduce New Concentration Risk in Ethereum: S&P Global Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

In today's episode Jason is joined by ETF celebrities Eric Balchunas, a senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, and Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer for Bitwise Asset Management. They start off by discussing the criticisms around underwhelming trading volumes and put the declines in GBTC into context. Discussion then leads to an inside scoop on how authorized participants source liquidity for the ETF and the real costs involved in running these funds. They also dive into how advisors are rethinking portfolio construction given crypto’s changing risk profile and the potential impacts on Bitcoin price. To close out they discuss the potential timing of an Ethereum ETF approval. Enjoy! - - Wormhole is a decentralized interoperability platform powering multi-chain applications and bridges. It provides developers with access to liquidity and users on over 30 leading blockchain networks, enabling use cases in DeFi, data queries, and governance. The platform is trusted by teams like Uniswap and Circle and, to date, the platform has facilitated the transfer of over 35 billion dollars through over 850 million cross-chain messages. Claim your unique Wormhole NFT at https://wormhole.com/empire1/ - - Send your crypto to your PayPal account, swap it for PYUSD, and use it to checkout at millions of stores. Pay how you want by getting started at: https://blckwrks.co/PYUSD - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use EMPIRE10 to get 10% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Follow Matt: https://twitter.com/Matt_Hougan Follow Eric: https://twitter.com/EricBalchunas Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Timestamps: (01:46) The ETF Guys & Free Milkshakes (04:05) BTC ETF Underwhelming? (12:13) The ETF Launch Process (18:49) Costs of an ETF Service (22:10) What does Buying an ETF Mean? (30:31) Wormhole Ad (31:57) Paypal Ad (32:55) Impact of ETF Flows on Bitcoin Price (36:56) Role of Bitcoin in Portfolios (47:15) Eth ETF Predictions - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

Matt Hougan

Chief Investment Officer

Bitwise Asset ManagementBitwise

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably heard that spot Bitcoin ETFs were finally approved by the SEC this week. That set the stage for 11 such offerings from the likes of BlackRock, Fidelity, and ARK 21Shares to begin trading on Thursday. On this episode of Unchained, Nate Geraci, president of the ETF Store; Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence; and James Seyffart, research analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence discussed the initial record trading volumes, the mechanics of how the funds work, the botched roll-out process, the pointed commentary from SEC commissioners, the potential for future Ethereum spot ETFs and predictions for total inflows. Plus, they explain why brokerage firms like Vanguard, Merrill and others were blocking customer access to the ETFs. Show highlights: The initial impact and trading volumes on the launch day of the ETFs How BlackRock’s ETF, IBIT, had a lot of volume in pre-market and what that means Why Eric was surprised that BlackRock proceeded with a waiver for its ETF, but realized that it was “genius marketing” Whether there’s a problem that ETFs don’t trade 24/7, unlike BTC itself Why James says the spot ETFs are not going to have significant premiums or discounts to NAV  What the percentage premium is and how it will play out with spot Bitcoin ETFs Whether the SEC will ever allow in-kind creation and redemption Why Nate and Eric believe that the SEC’s denials of spot Bitcoin ETFs for a decade was “completely suboptimal” for retail investors How the SEC commissioners pointedly disagreed with each other in their comments and dissents The politics of the approval process Whether Ethereum spot ETFs will be approved next Why some big platforms and brokerages are not offering the spot Bitcoin ETFs How RIAs will respond to the ETF and whether there’s going to be mainstream adoption by advisors Thank you to our sponsors! Arbitrum Foundation Popcorn Network iTrustCapital Guests James Seyffart, Research analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Previous appearances on Unchained: Why Spot Bitcoin ETFs Are Likely to Finally Start Trading on Thursday Why the SEC May Want Cash Creation of Spot Bitcoin ETFs Why It Looks Like BlackRock Could Win America’s First Spot Bitcoin ETF Why a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Probably Launch No Later Than January 10 Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Previous appearances on Unchained: Why Spot Bitcoin ETFs Are Likely to Finally Start Trading on Thursday Will a Spot Bitcoin ETF Finally Get Approved? Nate Geraci, President of The ETF Store Links Previous coverage of Unchained on spot Bitcoin ETFs: The 4 Factors That Will Determine Which Spot Bitcoin ETFs Win Market Share How Much Money Will Flow Into Bitcoin ETFs? Here’s One Projection The Chopping Block: Are We Back? The ‘Low IQ’ Response to the Potential Spot Bitcoin ETF Approval: Unchained:  Spot Bitcoin ETFs Finally Receive SEC Seal of Approval What Officials, ETF Issuers, and Others Are Saying About the SEC's Spot Bitcoin ETF Approvals Laura Shin’s op-ed on Unchained: Why Spot Bitcoin ETFs Are (But Mostly Aren't) a Big Deal for Crypto David Z. Morris’ op-ed on Unchained: The SEC’s Bumbling Bitcoin ETF Rollout Was Perfectly On-Brand Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nate Geraci

President

ETF Store

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

James Seyffart

ETF Analyst

Bloomberg Intelligence

The Bitcoin ETF was just approved. What happens next? How does this change everything? Which ETF can crypto expect next? When? Answers to these questions and so much more!  ----- 🏹 Airdrop Hunter is HERE, join your first HUNT today https://bankless.cc/JoinYourFirstHUNT  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE ⁠https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2    ⁠ 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🔗CELO | CEL2 COMING SOON https://bankless.cc/Celo  🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT SOLUTION https://bankless.cc/Toku ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 4:00 ETF Day 6:05 SEC Twitter Hack? 8:40 Commissioner Statements & Votes 12:30 BTC ETF Volume 19:50 Size of BTC ETF  22:00 Flip Gold? 22:25 Spot ETH ETF? 24:20 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Eric Balchunas https://twitter.com/EricBalchunas  BTC ETF Approved https://x.com/BanklessHQ/status/1744830610370421029  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

It’s set to be a historic week in crypto, with the SEC widely expected to finally approve a spot Bitcoin ETF, although it’s not a 100% certainty. Two Bloomberg analysts who have followed all the developments closely since the beginning, James Seyffart and Eric Balchunas, join Unchained to discuss the final filings, the likely schedule, and whether all the applications are likely be approved on the same day. Then they dive into the real action: the cutthroat wars that have already begun, why Grayscale might be keeping its fees on the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust so high, and who the likely winners in what has traditionally been a “winner take most” category will be.  Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights: What the recent 19b-4 and S-1 filings say about how close the ETFs are to approval Whether Hashdex's existing futures ETF impacts its treatment in the spot Bitcoin ETF process The likely timeline for trading to start post-ETF approval The possibility of simultaneous launches for all approved ETF issuers The SEC's concerns about ensuring a fair launch, informed by the BITO experience Eric’s surprise at JP Morgan's involvement as an Authorized Participant Why the SEC is approving the ETF despite Gensler’s stance against crypto What extreme cases Eric believes might cause the ETF not to be approved  How BlackRock's low fees set a challenging benchmark for competitors The potential for an issuer to offer even lower fees than current players How issuer margins are thin due to marketing fees, and the impact of waivers James’ theory about why Grayscale might be keeping the fee on GBTC so high Predictions about which issuer(s) will gain the bulk of assets under management The rumor about BlackRock introducing substantial liquidity on the ETF's first day Eric and James's expectations for ETF inflows and market dynamics Thank you to our sponsors! Arbitrum Foundation Popcorn Network Guest: James Seyffart, Research analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Previous appearances on Unchained: Why the SEC May Want Cash Creation of Spot Bitcoin ETFs Why It Looks Like BlackRock Could Win America’s First Spot Bitcoin ETF Why a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Probably Launch No Later Than January 10 Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Previous appearances on Unchained: Will a Spot Bitcoin ETF Finally Get Approved? Links Previous coverage of Unchained on spot Bitcoin ETFs: The 4 Factors That Will Determine Which Spot Bitcoin ETFs Win Market Share How Much Money Will Flow Into Bitcoin ETFs? Here’s One Projection The Chopping Block: Are We Back? The ‘Low IQ’ Response to the Potential Spot Bitcoin ETF Fees  Unchained: Fee Competition Heats Up Among BlackRock and Other Spot Bitcoin ETF Applicants Caitlin Long’s tweet warning about no fees Fidelity set their fee to .39% Invesco/Galaxy chose to waive fees Market participants: Unchained: Goldman Sachs Could Take Vital Role in BlackRock, Grayscale Spot Bitcoin ETFs: Report The Block: Nasdaq to meet with SEC today to discuss spot bitcoin ETFs: Source Reuters: BlackRock, VanEck among asset managers that submitted updated filings for spot bitcoin ETF CoinDesk: BlackRock, Valkyrie Name Authorized Participants Including JPMorgan for Bitcoin ETF Others: Better Markets’ letter: The SEC Must Follow the Law and Reject Spot Bitcoin ETPs Which Will Inflict Massive Investor Harm FXSTREET: BlackRock might be on track to create history with $2 billion inflows in spot Bitcoin ETF in a week Eleanor Terrett of Fox News’ tweet on Better Markets’ letter Scott Johnson of Van Buren Capital’s estimate Learn more:  Unchained:  Bitcoin ETFs Explained: What Are They & How Do They Work? Why The Spot Bitcoin ETF Is a Big Deal Deciding on Bitcoin: Should New Investors Jump In Now or Wait for an ETF? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Seyffart

ETF Analyst

Bloomberg Intelligence

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

Bloomberg IntelligenceBloomberg

Last week was unprecedented, to say the least. Several, yes that’s right, not 1, not 2, but several ETH Futures ETFs launched last week for the first time in the U.S.!  What does this mean for crypto? Volumes have been surprisingly low. Is it a surprise? Will volumes pick up? Regardless, of whether they do or don't, what do all of these ETH ETFs mean for crypto? Are Bitcoin ETFs next?  We brought on Eric Balchunas to help us answer the above and much more.  is an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence focused on exchange-traded funds. Eric is an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence focused on exchange-traded funds.  ----- 🏹 Airdrop Hunter is HERE, join your first HUNT today https://bankless.cc/JoinYourFirstHUNT  ------ 📣 a16z Startup School | Apply Before Oct. 20th https://bankless.cc/a16z-startup-school  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE ⁠https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2  ⁠ 🦊METAMASK PORTFOLIO | MANAGE YOUR WEB3 EVERYTHING ⁠https://bankless.cc/MetaMask  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  ⁠  🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT SOLUTION https://bankless.cc/Toku  🦄UNISWAP | ON-CHAIN MARKETPLACE ⁠https://bankless.cc/uniswap  🔗 CELO | CEL2 COMING SOON https://bankless.cc/Celo  ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 7:12 Why ETF Week Was Unprecedented  11:15 Magnitude of Many Launches  16:40 Futures Less Than Spot?  18:25 ETHE vs. Futures  23:43 Is ETH a Security? 28:28 Why Do We Care About ETH ETFs? 32:40 Spot Approval Interpretation  37:23 Scope of the Opportunity  46:50 Timing Predictions of Spot Approvals 51:00 Gensler Preventing Spot Approval?  55:30 Eric’s Twitter 57:00 Closing & Disclaimers  ----- RESOURCES Eric Balchunas https://twitter.com/EricBalchunas  ----- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

This week’s emphatic ruling in favor of Grayscale in its suit against the SEC to convert its massive bitcoin trust into an ETF generated plenty of hopium among the bitcoin faithful that a spot bitcoin ETF will get approved soon and open a flood of investment in bitcoin. What are the odds of that truly happening now, though, and if it did, how much additional money could wind up being invested in bitcoin as a result? Also, which companies’ applications would get approved first and how would the various products compete with one other? Bloomberg’s senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas separates the hype from the reality in answering these questions and more. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights: why Bloomberg increased the likelihood of a Bitcoin ETF being approved this year from 50% to 75% how the ruling exceeded the expectations of the legal analysts at Bloomberg why it's important that the ruling was a bipartisan decision whether, from a legal perspective, it's "weird" to deny a spot ETF but approve a futures one how a spot Bitcoin ETF would act as a bridge for Baby boomers to invest in crypto what the two most likely SEC responses to the ruling are what the likely timelines for an SEC spot Bitcoin ETF approval or disapproval would be whether Gary Gensler's agency will approve Ethereum futures ETFs in the U.S. why BlackRock's and Fidelity's ETFs are more likely to be approved first, according to Eric how the different ETFs would compete in the market why spot Bitcoin ETFs pose a serious threat to crypto exchanges' businesses Eric's estimate of how much additional money would pour into Bitcoin if a spot Bitcoin ETF is approved Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Arbitrum Foundation Thales DAO Toku Guest Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Links Previous coverage of Unchained on Grayscale and ETFs: Why Grayscale Is Suing the SEC Over Its Denial of a Bitcoin ETF Bitwise’s Latest Plans to Get a Bitcoin ETF Approved DCG’s Dilemma: Should It Sell Its GBTC Holdings to Repay Gemini? Gemini vs. DCG Is Heating Up. Could Gemini Force Genesis Into Bankruptcy? ‘The Last Big Whale’: Why the Crypto Contagion of 2022 Eventually Hit Genesis Unchained:  Grayscale Wins Lawsuit Against SEC Over Denial of Bid to Convert GBTC Into a Bitcoin ETF Bitcoin ETFs Explained: What Are They & How Do They Work? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

This is Zack Fuss, an investor at Irenic Capital, and today we’re breaking down Vanguard. Vanguard and its founder, Jack Bogle, have ushered in an era of low-cost investment, which has left its mark on the entire industry. Today, the business commands $7.5 trillion of assets under management and owns approximately 8.5% of any given public company in the US. To break down Vanguard, I’m joined by Eric Balchunas, a senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg and author of The Bogle Effect. We explore the firm’s unique ownership structure, which in large part enabled its success, look at the potential for regulation to slow Vanguard down, and assess the unique figure that founded the business, Jack Bogle. Please enjoy this breakdown of Vanguard.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.   -----   Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.   Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss | @ReustleMatt   Show Notes [00:02:24] - [First question] - The size and scale of Vanguard as it exists today  [00:05:45] - Some of the secular forces that has allowed Vanguard to capture so much of the market [00:09:04] - How Vanguard generates revenue and thoughts on its ownership structure [00:12:36] - What the fee structure would look like as an investor buying an ETF versus a fund [00:15:10] - The key differences of investing in a Vanguard ETF compared to a mutual fund  [00:18:20] - Market share of the key players and the industry landscape [00:21:24] - How big of a player ARK is in relation to how much media coverage they get [00:22:33] - Jack Bogle’s history, his thesis on mutual funds, and starting Vanguard  [00:28:07] - What it was like transitioning to new leadership given Jack’s fans and supporters  [00:32:10] - The thing that allows Vanguard to attract more funds despite their competitors  [00:35:58] - Complimentary services their competitors are offering that Vanguard is considering to capture more market share [00:42:59] - Potential regulatory risk that could pose a threat to Vanguard’s growth  [00:47:27] - How Vanguard has managed to avoid headlines unlike Blackrock [00:48:56] - The lessons for investors and builders when studying Vanguard’s story

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

In this episode of Empire, Jason & Casey are joined by Senior Bloomberg ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas & CEO of Valkyrie Funds Leah Wald. With the recent approval of the Valkyrie Bitcoin futures ETF, we invited Eric & Leah onto the show to discuss everything you need to know from how an ETF works, the benefits of an ETF for institutional investors, the SEC's Bitcoin ETF regulation framework & if the SEC will approve a spot Bitcoin ETF. -- Avalanche: Thank you to Avalanche for sponsoring Empire. Avalanche is one of the best and fastest growing smart-contract platforms in the industry. Learn more about them at https://www.avax.network/ -- ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out paraswap.io. ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices, and lowest slippage. Find out more about them at https://www.paraswap.io/

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

Leah Wald

CEO

Valkyrie Funds

Regulators in Canada approved two bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in recent days, marking the first approvals of their kind for North America. Since launch, the products have seen considerable inflows. With the demand for a bitcoin ETF now proven, many wonder what a Canadian approval could mean for a U.S. offering.  The Scoop spoke with Eric Balchunas, a senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, about what an approved bitcoin ETF means for the landscape. During this week's episode Balchunas broke down the winding road to approval and why Canada was always likely to be a first. Now that Canada has its BTC ETFs, he argued that an approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is just around the corner. "I think it's just a matter of the SEC coming around, and then once they come around mentally, I imagine it will happen pretty quickly," he said. "But again, I'm not in that bubble. I'm not a regulatory analyst. That's just my sense from talking to people." How Canada has historically been a proving ground for novel financial products. The differences and similarities in the Canadian and U.S. approval processes. Why Balchunas thinks 2021 will be the year of a U.S. BTC ETF approval. Why it's only a matter of time before a meme ETF launches. This episode is brought to you by Kraken Whether you’re an experienced crypto trader or just starting out, Kraken has the tools to help you achieve financial freedom. With 50+ cryptocurrencies to choose from, industry-leading security and a wide variety of features to suit any investing strategy, Kraken puts the power in your hands to buy, sell and trade digital assets. Visit Kraken.com to get started today.

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

My guest this week is Eric Balchunas, the senior ETF analyst for Bloomberg and the author of the Institutional ETF toolbox. This episode is intended for those in the asset or wealth management industry who have considered using ETFs in their portfolios, or for the individual investor who likes to stay up to date on trends in the market for asset management products. We cover all aspects of ETFs in some detail, and luckily in ways that have little overlap with a few other recent ETF-centric episodes on two of my favorite podcasts: the Meb Faber Show and Capital Allocators with Ted Seides with Matt Hougan and Tom Lydon respectively. We open with Eric’s favorite ETF tickers, discuss the pros and cons of ETFs versus other investment vehicles, and explore the largest areas of opportunities for new ETFs coming to market in the years to come. ETFs have become the vehicle of choice for many investors, so it was about time we covered them in depth in this forum. As you’ll hear, Eric is the right person to teach the world about ETFs, thanks to deep domain knowledge and unflagging enthusiasm. Please enjoy my conversation with Eric Balchunas on the past, present, and future of ETFs. For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag Books Referenced Quantitative Momentum: A Practitioner's Guide to Building a Momentum-Based Stock Selection System Links Referenced Chart – There Are Now More Indexes Than Stocks Show Notes 2:32 - (First Question) – Eric’s favorite ETF tickers 4:07 – How Eric got started into his career and how it led him into the ETF world 8:04 – An overview of the ETF landscape 10:10 – Active managed ETFs             12:17 – Chart – There Are Now More Indexes Than Stocks 13:32 – Key variables he thinks about when assessing a new ETF 15:18 – Evaluating shiny object ETFs 17:30 – The appeal of ETFs 20:18 – Future regulatory concern of the tax treatments of ETFs 22:10 – The liquidity advantage of ETFs and why that can actually be bad for investors 24:19 – What would Eric do to build the perfect ETF 26:03 – What are the future trends for new ETF’s launched 29:40 – Categories that work well in the ALT world of ETFs 31:32 – Most effective marketing strategy for ETFs 35:50 – Quantitative Momentum: A Practitioner's Guide to Building a Momentum-Based Stock Selection System 36:28 – How will the winning asset managers have done differently in this space 41:56 – How the next downturn could impact ETFs 46:17 – Do ETF’s create pricing distortions 50:33 – What trend is Eric most interested in right now 53:21 – Alpha through Beta 55:51 – Kindest thing anyone has done for Eric Learn More For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.  Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub Follow Patrick on twitter at @patrick_oshag

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

By now, almost everyone in financial markets is familiar with ETFs (exchange-traded funds), and how they allow investors to move quickly in and out of a basket of stocks with a few clicks. But perhaps people don't realize quite how revolutionary they are, and how much of an impact they've had on the financial system. On this week's episode we talk to Eric Balchunas, an ETFs analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence and Joel Weber, the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg Markets magazine about how extraordinary ETFs are, how far they've come, and how they're about to evolve and get even more gigantic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence

Joel Weber

Editor-in-Chief

Bloomberg Markets

In 1987, investors watched in horror as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 22 percent in an event that became known as "Black Monday." Months later, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission published an 840-page report into the incident; in it was buried a seed that would eventually sprout into the $3 trillion market for exchange-traded funds. Eric Balchunas, ETF analyst for Bloomberg, has the story of the stock exchange executives who seized upon an idea to create what is now one of the world's most pervasive financial products - and the investors who passed them up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eric Balchunas

Senior ETF Analyst

BloombergBloomberg Intelligence