Posting this again re how Iran's currency was impacted by a bitcoin hack, and reliance on bitcoin to convert fiat reserves to hard currency. In fact this delineates how bitcoin is a derivative of fiat currency, and not an alternative to it.

https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/irans-crypto-economy-in-2025-declining-volumes-rising-tensions-and-shifting-trust

By the way, the failed/former United States faces another potential government shutdown as of January 30th. It's unlikely Trump will play games this time though, with US mid terms pending.

Of more interest will be May of this year when the Deviant-in-Chief will likely replace Powell (at the Fed) with Kevin Hassett. Hassett a lightweight sycophant + hack for MMT. Hassett will shill for QE5 and zero federal fund rates. Hopefully that will finally nail the US economic coffin closed and eventually sink the US monetary system just as it failed in 2008-2009.

Also many don;t realize that some Primary Dealers double as so-called bullion banks. Wells Fargo, Citi and BofA come to mind beside JP Morgan. As the LBMA loses its grip, and just as PM gaming helped torpedo Morgan Stanley at the time of the Lehman collapse, the CME might finally feel the heat which could take certain banks down along with its potential demise. I think that will depend too on US public debt interest being out of control.

https://silverprice.org/spot-silver.html

Meanwhile can you imagine another three years of Trump?