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Good morning and welcome to the Hodl Report
Imagine misplacing your car keys—except your car is 8,000 BTC and it’s buried somewhere in a Welsh landfill. Yep, James Howell is back in the news with another plot twist in crypto’s longest-running treasure hunt. Meanwhile, we’re breaking down how the Barbell investing strategy might help you ride the next bull without blowing up your portfolio. Oh, and job numbers are falling, rate cuts are looming, and Jerome Powell is probably sweating through another FOMC group chat. Let’s dig in.
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Editors Corner
The Crypto Barbell Strategy
Most investors blow themselves up in crypto because they try to get too cute. They either go full degen — chasing every meme coin that trends on Twitter — or they go full boomer and sit solely in Bitcoin forever.
Here’s the thing: you don’t have to choose.
Enter the barbell strategy. It’s exactly what it sounds like: you put weight on both ends, nothing in the middle. In crypto terms, that means splitting your portfolio between boring, proven assets (Bitcoin and Ethereum) and high-risk, high-reward plays (memes, microcaps, early-stage tokens).
Why this works:
The safe end of the barbell keeps you alive through market nukes. You don’t get wiped out when the next Luna or FTX-style implosion hits.
The risky end of the barbell gives you exposure to 10x+ moonshots — the stuff that keeps crypto fun.
The middle (your random mid-cap altcoins with “strong teams” and “long roadmaps”) often just bleeds out slowly. They’re not safe, and they’re not moonshots. They’re dead weight.
The beauty of the barbell is you stop pretending you can predict everything. You admit that Bitcoin is the base layer of conviction, while also giving yourself a chance to hit the next big narrative before the herd.
So if your current portfolio looks like a sad buffet of half-baked mid-caps, maybe it’s time to rethink. Put some weight on both ends of the bar. Strong foundation, crazy upside, nothing in the mushy middle.
That’s how you survive a cycle and still have fun doing it.
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Today’s Report
How One Mistake Cost $500m and a Dozen Years of James Howell’s Life
Our Report
James Howells, a Welsh IT whiz, accidentally trashed a hard drive in 2013 that contained the private keys to approximately 8,000 Bitcoin. His “oops” moment now haunts him—and everyone following the crypto drama—as those coins are today worth hundreds of millions. His escalating treasure‑hunt tactics—from legal threats to AI‑powered excavation teams—ran headlong into Newport Council’s unyielding “No”s, culminating in a full court smackdown. Last we checked, Howells has finally conceded defeat after a dozen years of pleading, planning, and promising to split the spoils.
Key Points
Collateral damage: In 2013, Howells misplaced a hard drive with ~8,000 Bitcoin—mined early, now worth a staggering fortune.
Mining origin story: He started on a Dell laptop in 2009—heating up his device and his hopes simultaneously.
Battle plan: He proposed everything: profit-sharing, hedge fund backing, AI scanning, drones, robot dogs, even solar-powered mining stations atop the landfill.
Council’s refusal: Newport City Council repeatedly balked—citing cost, environmental chaos, legal licensing, and general improbability.
Legal knockout: A High Court judge ruled his claim had "no realistic prospect of success," essentially stripping him of any right to recover the drive.
Final defeat: After 12 years of chasing a digital mirage, Howells has officially called it quits.
Relevance
If you ever needed a cautionary crypto fairy tale, this is your poster child. The Howells saga isn’t just about lost Bitcoin—it’s a spectacular cautionary tale about the fragility of digital asset ownership and the unforgiving overlap between legal frameworks and decentralized fantasies.
Here’s what to chew on:
Asset security is non-negotiable. Crypto keys are like nuclear codes—one wrong move, and the game changes forever.
Legal gaps kill crypto. “Property” laws haven’t caught up with intangible assets, so when you toss something away, even if it contains millions in value, hope the landfill fairy protects you.
Technology doesn’t trump bureaucracy. Even with the fanciest AI and rescue robots, you still need a green light from elected officials—and they wield veto power like it’s their superpower.
The human element matters. A forgotten hard drive and a misidentified trash bag erased a fortune overnight—real-life entropy meets Murphy’s Law.
Howells is now pivoting—allegedly launching “Ceiniog Coin” to channel his digital fortune into a new blockchain venture. He may have lost the loot, but the story—and the lesson—remains.
Today’s Top News
HEADLINES
US SEC unveils agenda to revamp crypto policies, ease Wall Street rules — The SEC’s new regulatory roadmap proposes exemptions and safe harbors to better integrate crypto into mainstream financial systems. It’s a clear signal the agency is softening its stance on digital assets and embracing modernization. This move could reshape compliance burdens and investor access across the crypto space.
Bitcoin funds may soon be bigger than gold, even as yellow metal sets another round of records — Bitcoin ETFs are closing in on gold ETFs in terms of assets under management, with just a $20 billion gap remaining. Institutional demand is driving the surge, indicating that Bitcoin is becoming a legitimate store-of-value rival to gold. This could accelerate traditional finance’s shift into crypto.
Bitcoin trades flat at $110K. Analysts say recovery signs are supported by record-high hash rate strength — Despite flat prices, Bitcoin’s hash rate has hit all-time highs, suggesting robust network security and miner confidence. Analysts interpret this as a positive signal for long-term stability and price resilience. The disconnect between price and fundamentals may present a bullish divergence.
Eric Trump, Don Jr.'s stake in American Bitcoin soars to $1.5B in Nasdaq debut — American Bitcoin’s Nasdaq debut catapulted the Trump sons’ holdings to a $1.5 billion valuation following a volatile 110% intraday spike. The company’s SPAC route and political ties raise questions about regulatory favoritism and speculative excess. This development is drawing both investor interest and public scrutiny.
Bitcoin Price Falls. Why Gold May Drive the Next Crypto Move. — Bitcoin dipped to $111K as macro traders shift focus to gold’s rally amid expectations of rate cuts. Analysts believe Bitcoin could follow gold’s safe-haven trajectory rather than tech or equity trends. This narrative shift marks a potential rebranding of Bitcoin’s market role.
Market Trendline
PRICE ACTION
Crypto markets are coasting into September with all the momentum of a hungover Sunday. Bitcoin is flat around $110K, and while Ethereum saw a modest pop, the majors are showing little urgency. The real action? In the sideshows—where speculative capital is sniffing for the next story.
Market Overview
Bitcoin is up slightly, hovering around $110.6K, shrugging off macro tailwinds from renewed Fed cut optimism. Hash rate just hit an all-time high, signaling miner confidence—but traders aren’t biting. Historically, September is Bitcoin’s worst month, and price action is already reflecting that seasonal anxiety. Ethereum is faring marginally better, riding a slow climb toward $4.3K, but enthusiasm is muted.
Notable Movers
Bitcoin (BTC): Flat at $110.6K. Hash rate at record levels, but price remains range-bound. Correlation with gold is rising—BTC’s behaving more like an asset allocator’s hedge than a momentum play.
Ethereum (ETH): Up 0.9% in the last 24h, trading around $4.31K. Institutional flows remain the anchor, with ETH balances on exchanges dropping as whales continue to stack.
American Bitcoin Corp (ABTC): Trump-linked mining firm popped 110% on its Nasdaq debut before settling up ~17%. Now eyeing a $2.1B raise to expand BTC reserves and mining ops. Narrative-rich, liquidity-hungry.
Remittix (RTX): New L1 with DeFi remittance pitch and $23M in funding. Analysts tossing around 50x projections like it's 2021. On-chain activity is thin—but interest is rising.
Macro View
Markets are pricing in a near-certain September rate cut. Risk assets should be ripping, but crypto looks hesitant—more macro-aware, less reflexively bullish. Institutional buyers are still circling, but the days of headline-driven pumps are clearly behind us. September could be choppy unless something breaks the malaise.
Bottom Line
Majors are on cruise control. BTC and ETH look steady but uninspired. If you're chasing action, the story’s off the main stage: American Bitcoin is the latest IPO circus, and Remittix is the speculative darling of the week. Just don’t mistake noise for signal. The market’s awake—but not fully caffeinated.
Today’s Top Meme
MEME GOD
Crypto down bad? Turns out your financial guru was just a friend with internet access. 😂😂😂
#Crypto #marketcrash #BTC #meme
— #THE BLOCKOPEDIA (#@theblockopedia_)
7:30 AM • Aug 27, 2025
Today’s Top Tweet
TWITTER NEVER SLEEPS
There's so much drama/chatter about bitcoin's boring price action. Just grinding generally upward with higher highs and lows.
Since this has roughly been my base case (bullish but boring), I went and wrote a sci fi book during this time.
You can just kind of skip boring things.
— #Lyn Alden (#@LynAldenContact)
3:38 PM • Aug 29, 2025
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DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.