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5 Numbers That Tell the Story of Markets Right Now

From the largest 50-day rally in history to the highest unemployment since the Great Depression, the story of markets in 5 key numbers.

Updated Sep 14, 2021, 8:47 a.m. Published Jun 3, 2020, 7:00 p.m.
AshDesign/noamgalai/Shutterstock.com
AshDesign/noamgalai/Shutterstock.com

From the largest 50-day rally in history to the highest unemployment since the Great Depression, the story of markets is in five key numbers.

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For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, iHeartRadio or RSS.

This episode is sponsored by Bitstamp and Ciphertrace.

Every day that protests continue and stocks go up, more people ask about the disconnect between the real economy and capital markets.

In this episode of The Breakdown, NLW peels back the story of today’s economy by looking at five numbers:

  • The growth of the S&P 500 since the March 23 low
  • Current unemployment stats and a Bloomberg Economics estimate of the number of jobs at risk
  • The performance of the S&P 500 in 1968, one of the most tumultuous years in American history
  • The total percentage of the world’s debt denominated in dollar terms
  • The number of flights between the U.S. and China by Chinese airlines going forward

See also: Where Bitcoin Fits in the New Monetary Order

For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, iHeartRadio or RSS.

Note: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinDesk, Inc. or its owners and affiliates.

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KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.

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Rate cut size next week comes into question (Bruce Mars/Unsplash)

It's about a lot more than "zooming out." Supply overhangs and investor "muscle memory" regarding gold help explain bitcoin's poor absolute and relative performance.

What to know:

  • Bitcoin has failed so far to act as an inflation hedge or safe-haven asset, lagging badly behind gold, which has surged amid high inflation, wars, and interest rate uncertainty.
  • Crypto advocates argue that bitcoin’s weakness reflects a temporary supply overhang, investor “muscle memory” favoring familiar precious metals and its correlation with risk assets, rather than a collapse in long-term demand.
  • Many bitcoin proponents still see BTC as a superior long-term store of value and “digital gold,” predicting that, once traditional hard assets are overbought, capital will rotate into bitcoin, allowing it to “catch up” to gold.