"*First they scare you, then they make money out of your fear*" @acesontop

I don't know how many of you remember the March 2020 episode when the world seemed like it was falling apart, and the doom and gloom media scared the hell out of billions of people around the world. The media's sole purpose is to manipulate the masses. It has no other meaning, in my opinion.

I accidentally listened to the radio for a few good seconds today until my gym mate changed the tune to some good vibe music. During these few seconds of unintentionally listening to the doom and gloom boys on the radio, I heard them saying that "everything seems to be messed up right now."

My country's economy is in deep trouble, and so is the European one. I bet America's is also on the brink of collapse. But are we really there? Is reality exactly as these people are trying to paint it for us? I don't know... But frankly, I don't see that in day-to-day life.

It's true that everything is more expensive, but somehow, people find the means to carry on with their lives, and there's no sign of a collapse yet. If you look back to 2020, we did not experience a collapse then either, despite the harsh doom and gloom around markets and the economy, which are in reality two different things.

The S&P 500 and Bitcoin both experienced quite a crash in March 2020, but we all know what followed afterward. Bitcoin has recently undergone a serious correction again, and if you combine the data that we are receiving from mainstream media regarding the economy, you might think that a severe market collapse is just around the corner.

But is that really the case? Isn't the mainstream media trying to scare us out of the market so that smart money buys cheap assets and then sells these assets back to the uninformed once we near the top (a future top?). It might happen...

What we as crypto enthusiasts should ask ourselves right now is: Is Bitcoin a good hedge against a recession? Well, Germany and the Netherlands are both already in a recession, and I would blame their poor policies for that. Turning their backs on Russian resources and undermining businesses with misguided climate change policies could certainly not lead them to economic expansion.

Now, let's return to Bitcoin! What could make Bitcoin perform during a recession? A capped supply of 21 million coins amid inflationary currencies could potentially resemble a hedge for investors seeking refuge from devaluing currencies.

After all, we're entering the digital era, and Bitcoin is positioned as the digital gold. But, Bitcoin is highly volatile, isn't it? Yes, it is, but so is the price of gas and diesel lately. Volatility and speculation are intrinsic to the game.

I'd also like to address all the issues I mentioned earlier concerning recession, Bitcoin, and everything in between. The way I see it, mainstream media is still calculating the odds when analyzing economies by relying solely on traditional data. I wonder if they account for emerging markets, new technological trends, virtual economies (not necessarily cryptocurrency-based), and so on.

While they see contraction, I see expansion. Do they know that @lazy-panda is making a few grand a month in interest on his HBD savings stake? No, they don't. Do they consider the significant earnings in the porn industry? Do they acknowledge the underground economies? No, they don't.

I also bet that the doom and gloom pundits don't factor in BlackRock's imminent entry into Bitcoin through their undoubtedly approved Bitcoin spot ETF. First, they scare you, then they profit from your fear. We're currently in the panic phase, and regrettably, plenty of retail investors will flood back into the markets near the top, as usual.

It's the same pattern every cycle. Despite temporary downturns, I believe the time to be truly concerned is late 2025 to 2026. Definitely not now, though...

Thanks for your attention, Adrian