Crypto and Life Updates

An update on my travels, and my next moves

I’ve finally arrived in Buenos Aires. When I decided to leave New Zealand, my initial plan was to come straight here and set up base. South America made sense because of the time zone (for trading US markets) and the low cost of living. Several things made Argentina attractive but who really put Buenos Aires on my radar was an Aussie bloke around who goes by Geologo Trader. He left Australia and moved here, and his Substack posts about the city and country really resonated with me. In fact, when I was deciding whether to stick out another year in Auckland or leave, it was this post my brother sent me that had a big influence on my decision.

The reason I didn’t come straight here was that when I left New Zealand in April, Argentina was heading into winter. So I figured, why not have a holiday in Asia first? I ended up booking a trip to Thailand with my brother, cousins, and a good mate. We had an amazing four weeks exploring Bangkok, Northern Thailand, and then the islands.

The view from a Villa we stayed at in Koh Phangan

When they headed back to New Zealand, another good mate from England joined me. We stayed in Chalong, Phuket, in an area known as Fitness Street. It’s a quieter part of Phuket, full of gyms and healthy food options. I found a great co-working space and was able to establish a good routine during the week, then explore other parts of Phuket on the weekends.

My accommodation in Chalong called The Blue Hotel

After two months in Thailand, I had to figure out the best way to get to South America. It turned out that flying through the Southern Hemisphere was much cheaper, so my route ended up being Bali, Melbourne, Chile, and finally Buenos Aires.

When I arrived in Bali at the start of July, I was immediately reminded of how much I love that place. Despite the crowds, construction, and road works, I think it’s actually getting better. People often say it’s sad to see how much it’s changed, with rice fields being replaced by buildings, and while that’s true from an aesthetic point of view, the new buildings are top-quality—cafes, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, fitness centers, and more.

I got into a great routine during the first five weeks. I was staying in Canggu, right next to a fitness center which had ice baths, saunas, an outdoor pool, and a relaxing area in the sun. Each day started with a healthy breakfast, followed by a light workout, an ice bath, and then 30 minutes thawing out in the sun. I’ve often found that if you can get your health right, everything else falls into place. It can be hard to do that when travelling but Bali is designed for it.

Chill zone at Body Factory Bali

The last three weeks were incredible, being a more typical Bali experience with road trips, beach clubs, and all the rest. Coincidentally, a lot of friends from New Zealand were there on holiday, so the timing couldn’t have been better. This was one of the many reasons I’ve decided to make Bali a base for at least six months of each year. Being closer to New Zealand means I’ll always have friends and family visiting.

Part of me wanted to stay in Asia, but I had envisioned being in Buenos Aires for so long that I wanted to visit this year. So, I flew to Melbourne where I have been the last week catching up with my uncle and my parents who flew over from New Zealand.

A relaxing week with family and a lot of wine topping off an incredible first eight months of the year. To add to the good fortune, my property in Auckland sold at full asking price with a quick settlement. The timing couldn’t have been better, especially with everything going on in the crypto market right now.

Crypto Market Update

After a strong start to the year, the crypto market has been steadily grinding lower since March. While a mid-year dip and consolidation was anticipated, I don’t think anyone expected it to drag on this long. Below is a chart of cryptos total market cap.

If I had sold my apartment sooner, I would have deployed the capital at higher prices, so I am very lucky with how things have played out. I’ve started scaling into positions now and plan to continue doing so over the next few weeks.

My conviction is as strong as ever. In fact, seeing how bearish and fearful the majority of the market is right now only makes me more bullish.

Despite the underperformance this year, the thesis remains solid. Remember, it’s all about global liquidity, and we’re at the very beginning of the next expansionary phase as central banks cut rates and increase the money supply.

The Bitcoin chart, along with many altcoins, looks like it has hit a local bottom to me. However, we could still see a slight dip, as September is typically the worst month for crypto, followed by October, which is usually one of the best.

In my next post, I’ll share my strategy and portfolio, along with the projects I plan to buy over the next couple of weeks. I’m 90% in crypto, but I’m also scaling into three stocks that seem like very asymmetric trades. It will be a basic overview to start, but I plan to provide more in-depth analysis of individual projects and sectors. I’ll also be posting quarterly portfolio performance updates.

As for my travel plans, I’ll be in Buenos Aires for the next month and then I’m heading to Paraguay. Most of my time will be spent in front of my computer at cafes and coworking spots. I’m glad to have some time away from distractions and get into some deep work and analysis. I’m still very much a student of trading, finance, and crypto, and I look forward to catching up on some study.