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We’re discontinuing the Stablegains service

blog.stablegains.com

361–370 of 388 posts

Re: We’re discontinuing the Stablegains service

#361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> DeFi isn't a single market, it's millions of micro markets that are accessible through what amounts to a single API. Millions of micro markets that produce what, exactly? Last time I checked there has to be at least something on the other side of the calculation what a coin is worth. You think crypto coins magically make people work harder, better, faster, stronger? That's not how the constraints of the physical wo…

Millions of micro markets that produce what, exactly? You seem to be asking me to defend the merits of crypto, which is beyond the scope of this conversation. But generally speaking, most of the coins people actually buy are tied to protocols that are attempting to do things that interesting to at least some part of the population. But, the ability to prove the provenance and ownership of any asset, whether physical…

> But, the ability to prove the provenance and ownership of any asset, whether physical or digital, has value.

This only works for assets which themselves exist on the blockchain and for whom the blockchain is the only source of truth - such as cryptocurrencies.

Anything else that involves off-chain activity would require a bulletproof way of keeping the on-chain and off-chain state in sync which is typically a neutral, trusted party, at which point you may as well just let them operate a conventional database and forget the whole blockchain bullshit.

> In a world where so much has been made of fake news, imagine if you could know with absolute certainty that a given quote you read from someone in an article is authentic and given to the specific outlet you are reading it at, not taken from somewhere else, perhaps out of context. Imagine if Google integrated such information/quote verification into its search results, and could use it to prioritize sites with real quotes or information. SERPs wouldn’t be full of trash, and small sites that manage to scoop large ones could get instant #1 rankings. Authenticity verification has value.

I don't see how blockchain/cryptocurrencies help here? Cryptographic signing is all you need.

Re: We’re discontinuing the Stablegains service

#362

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For what it's worth, they are also a YC backed company Severely disappointing. I respect PG too much to believe he would knowingly condone this. The partner who did this didn't understand what they were investing in or should be decoupled with haste. At the very least, the Alaska RMB, U of M Endowment, Bloomberg's family office and SMC should be asking why their capital is backing what should have been clear as day…

What does Paul Graham have to do with any of this? He hasn't been operationally involved with YC for years, lots of them, so far as I know. Also: YC invests in companies that are 2-3 people and a vague idea; that's the whole concept. Why wouldn't YC end up backing a shady cryptocurrency company? I read all of your comments and guess we're on the same page about "crypto" and wish YC was staying the hell away from it -…

If you believe this company is an outright fraud (I don’t have an opinion) “shrug its crypto” is a horrendous defense for the funds backing it.

At a bare minimum they should be doing due diligence for their own investors to prevent losses if not the higher standard of being a good citizen and shutting down the fraud.

We would not think it’s ok for a fund backing pharma startups to give cash to Avon Barksdale…

Re: We’re discontinuing the Stablegains service

#363
post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

VC has always been about getting in really early and getting out early. This is their bread and butter.

The industry terms are: angel and seed investors -> venture capital (A,B,C round) -> private equity. Yeah, there are grey areas. First Google hit says: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/jobs... VC doesn’t want to get out early #386. What drives their decisions is far more complex than your pithy summary.

> VC doesn’t want to get out early #386. What drives their decisions is far more complex than your pithy summary.

Ah, yes, VC's decision making process is too great for us mere mortals to understand. Their motivation and calculus are beyond our ken. Woe to the uninformed laypeople who cannot fathom their singular desire for money and influence. The nuances of 'make more money' justify the great wealth which their discerning judgement deserves. As if a simple understanding of finance and deal making under advisement in most cases and a larger capacity for risk due to having excess wealth makes them any better than the rest of us humans.

Re: We’re discontinuing the Stablegains service

#364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't necessarily invalidate your point, but I would say astrophysics is a hard science, and yet a ton of it is based on observation and modeling of events we can't control or reproduce.

I don’t think astrophysics is a hard science anymore.

what about fundamental physics

Re: We’re discontinuing the Stablegains service

#365
post #100

What's funny about this is that I can recall discussions here and elsewhere from only a few months ago questioning the "guaranteed" super-high returns. I forget who said this but someone awhile ago said in finance said that if someone is promising you consistent above-market returns it's either a scam or there is unknown or undisclosed risk. And the Crypto Andys were all like "you just don't understand DeFi!" to whic…

What most people don't understand about finance is that there are fundamental rules that you really cannot break without consequences. Anyone who has studied quantitative finance knows that it is a HARD science. I worked with a Nobel prize winner in economics, and the math dominated. There was no politics, no opinions, no ethics involved. It really is a science. Most social media characterize finance as some ethical…

its the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, not a Nobel Prize.

Re: We’re discontinuing the Stablegains service

#366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you can guarantee 20% returns? We're back where started.

look - there are companies out there - Renaissance for one - who do make very good returns consistently. The difference is that not all returns are infinite. in fact, most good investments are finite - the market eventually catches on and then prices equilibrate. saying that there are no guaranteed 20% returns does not mean that with hard work and good strategy there are not 20% returns to be made on some arbitrary a…

What the fuck are you talking about? The Renaissance medallion fund isn't open to the public and is no longer generating double digit returns as of 2020 or 2021. Much of their performance can be attributed to the fact that they just didn't pay their taxes. A $6.8 billion fine just doesn't cut it in the face how much money they were making. The Medallion fund saw $11 billion in net outflows due to low returns in 2021. Their funds that are open to the public regularly offer negative and low single digit returns annually. Please do tell us more about how efficient this market.

https://www.pionline.com/hedge-funds/renaissance-technologie...

Re: We’re discontinuing the Stablegains service

#367
post #100

What's funny about this is that I can recall discussions here and elsewhere from only a few months ago questioning the "guaranteed" super-high returns. I forget who said this but someone awhile ago said in finance said that if someone is promising you consistent above-market returns it's either a scam or there is unknown or undisclosed risk. And the Crypto Andys were all like "you just don't understand DeFi!" to whic…

And the Crypto Andys were all like "you just don't understand DeFi!" to which the retort is "No, you just don't understand finance". If you believe the statement "if someone is promising you consistent above-market returns it's either a scam or there is unknown or undisclosed risk" it might be true that you don't understand DeFi to some degree. DeFi isn't a single market, it's millions of micro markets that are acces…

I'm looking forward to your followup post where you lost all your money and can't figure out where you went wrong.

It always happens with people who think they are smarter than the "dumb money" they're taking advantage of. "Sure it's a scam, but I'm smart enough to not be the one getting scammed!"

Re: We’re discontinuing the Stablegains service

#368

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does Paul Graham have to do with any of this? He hasn't been operationally involved with YC for years, lots of them, so far as I know. Also: YC invests in companies that are 2-3 people and a vague idea; that's the whole concept. Why wouldn't YC end up backing a shady cryptocurrency company? I read all of your comments and guess we're on the same page about "crypto" and wish YC was staying the hell away from it -…

If you believe this company is an outright fraud (I don’t have an opinion) “shrug its crypto” is a horrendous defense for the funds backing it. At a bare minimum they should be doing due diligence for their own investors to prevent losses if not the higher standard of being a good citizen and shutting down the fraud. We would not think it’s ok for a fund backing pharma startups to give cash to Avon Barksdale…

I think I'm saying that YC by design funds companies at a point where it's too early to reliably determine whether they're an outright fraud. And YC can't shut down anything; they invest relatively little money and take zero control over their portfolio companies. The best they can do is performatively kick companies out of the program, so they can't access Bookface or whatever.

Re: We’re discontinuing the Stablegains service

#369

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does Paul Graham have to do with any of this? He hasn't been operationally involved with YC for years, lots of them, so far as I know. Also: YC invests in companies that are 2-3 people and a vague idea; that's the whole concept. Why wouldn't YC end up backing a shady cryptocurrency company? I read all of your comments and guess we're on the same page about "crypto" and wish YC was staying the hell away from it -…

If you believe this company is an outright fraud (I don’t have an opinion) “shrug its crypto” is a horrendous defense for the funds backing it. At a bare minimum they should be doing due diligence for their own investors to prevent losses if not the higher standard of being a good citizen and shutting down the fraud. We would not think it’s ok for a fund backing pharma startups to give cash to Avon Barksdale…

Let’s be honest, a VC fund would be backing Marlo, he’s got way more startup energy.

Re: We’re discontinuing the Stablegains service

#370

Least corrupt crypto company. Return is directly correlated to risk, so when a black box corporation is promising 15% returns and marketing itself as a “simple and safe” way for its users to benefit from “advances in financial technology.” It's probably not safe, but it is very simple.

>Return is directly correlated to risk This is at least a weak EMH assumption. It's not a law. In crypto sometimes the opposite is true for short to medium periods of time because uninformed people are afraid of 'too high' returns. Best money is made on market inefficiencies like that.

Return is directly correlated to risk.

Your comment makes you seem like a very easy mark for the scammers targeting you.

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