Bitcoin (Bust Out the Big Guns. Literally.)

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What all of the big name investors have said about it. We really liked this befuddling bit from Marc Lasry of Avenue Capital, "I should have bought bitcoin when it was $300. I don’t understand it. It might make sense to try to participate in it, but I can’t give you any analysis as to why it makes sense or not. I think it’s real, as it coming into the mainstream." Ok, sure.

Meanwhile, once you start to understand the risks, this whole Bitcoin craze seems even...uh...crazier. Coinbase, for instance, may not be available to manage your transaction. A Board member is saying to proceed with caution (read: people are worried about lawsuits). Good luck with that volatility, then. And, security, apparently, is shockingly old school (must read - click "still too pricey" to view article). Maybe THIS really is the right way to protect your $BTC. W.T.F.

This seems like the most level-headed bit we've seen on BTC this week.

Private Equity Dogs = No Fortune 500 $KKR $BTU

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The Fortune 500 list came out and one of the companies that fell off of the list is KKR ($KKR), with causation linked to the firm's horrendous Samson Resources investment. Ouch. Peabody Energy ($BTU) was another notable fallen star. Elsewhere in private equity, Paul Singer of Elliott Management Corp. gives zero f*cks about what we all think. And, interestingly, Avenue Capital Group israising a second distressed energy fund (of $1b AUM). There is a boatload of dedicated money to distressed energy still waiting on the sidelines and so we find it interesting not that Avenue believes it can raise money in this space but that it can deploy it - at this juncture and in this competitive landscape - on opportunities that will provide a good rate of return. That's obviously not a bullish sign for the space. If they're right. Finally, stay tuned for a new report on the net job effect of PE from HBS researchers. In brief, the previously study - which subsumed data through 2005 - showed only a "modest net impact on employment." PE firms loved that sh*t because it made them look not-so-evil. What's happened a lot since 2005? A lot of PE. And a lot of dividend recaps. Popping popcorn and waiting for the new findings....