How economists see crypto

Authored by

Owen A. Lamont, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Research

Grandson: Gramps, I invented a new vehicle! I call it the rhombicycle.

Grandpa: Nice.

Grandson: Instead of having four wheels like a car, it has only two wheels!

Grandpa: That’s a motorcycle.

Grandson: No, the wheels are rhombus-shaped.

Grandpa: You invented a motorcycle with square wheels?

Grandson: Think of the possibilities when you leverage the complex mathematics of rhomboidal dynamics.

Grandpa: I don’t think –

Grandson: The rhombicycle is a revolution in transportation. Never before in history has humanity had a two-wheeled vehicle.

Grandpa: But what about –

Grandson: Sales are through the roof! The rhombicycle is a disruptive technology that’s democratizing transportation.

Grandpa:  People are riding around on motorcycles with square wheels?

Grandson: First of all, it’s not a motorcycle, it’s a rhombicycle. Second, their prices are skyrocketing, so most people just lock up their rhombicycles in the garage.

Grandpa: They’re buying them just to put them in the garage?

Grandson: Well, except for the people using them for crime. You see, any crimes you commit while rhombicycling are automatically legal!

Grandpa: That doesn’t sound –

Grandson: Rhombicycles are hope. Rhombicycles are love. Rhombicycles are destiny.

Grandpa: Are you on –

Grandson: Bye, gramps! I’ve got to get to my meeting with Blackrock.[1] The Rhombicycle ETF is going to be huge!


Endnotes

[1] References to this and other companies should not be interpreted as recommendations to buy or sell specific securities. Acadian and/or the author of this post may hold positions in one or more securities associated with these companies.

References

Alvarez, Fernando, David Argente, and Diana Van Patten. "Are cryptocurrencies currencies? Bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador." Science 382, no. 6677 (2023).

Budish, Eric. "Trust at scale: The economic limits of cryptocurrencies and blockchains." The Quarterly Journal of Economics 140, no. 1 (2025): 1-62.

Huberman, Gur, Jacob D. Leshno, and Ciamac Moallemi. "An economist’s perspective on the bitcoin payment system." In AEA Papers and Proceedings, vol. 109, pp. 93-96 (2019).

Tirole, Jean. “Cryptocurrencies: an economist's view,” February 2024.

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About the Author

Owen Lamont Acadian Asset Management

Owen A. Lamont, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Research
Owen joined the Acadian investment team in 2023. In addition to more than 20 years of experience in asset management as a researcher and portfolio manager, Owen has been a member of the faculty at Harvard University, Princeton University, The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and Yale School of Management. His professional and academic focus is behavioral finance, and he has published papers on short selling, stock returns, and investor behavior in leading academic journals, and he has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Owen earned a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. in economics and government from Oberlin College.