02/06/2026

Michael Green: The “Real” Poverty Line, Bitcoin’s Fatal Flaw & the Passive Investing Time Bomb

The market narrative you think you’re trading might be the one that breaks your portfolio.

In this episode of Futures Edge, Jim Iuorio and Bob Iaccino sit down with Michael Green (Chief Strategist & Portfolio Manager, Simplify Asset Management) for a wide-ranging conversation that connects the dots between Bitcoin’s structural problem, the controversy around the U.S. poverty line, gold/silver narrative trades, and the growing risk that passive investing distorts markets in ways traders aren’t prepared for.

Michael explains why “divisible” isn’t the same as “elastic” (and why that matters for Bitcoin long-term), why the official poverty line may be radically outdated, and how modern markets can fail when liquidity disappears exactly when you need it. Plus: what he’s watching for 2026—from tariffs and fiscal dynamics to Taiwan/semiconductors and the geopolitics reshaping global capital flows.


Timestamps:

00:00 Intro + sponsors

01:03 Michael in Annapolis + Naval Academy story

03:01 Bitcoin debate: divisible vs elastic money

09:18 “Just in case we’re wrong?” BTC vs ETH/SOL

11:53 The poverty line controversy: what people missed

18:05 Absolute vs relative poverty (and why it matters)

28:43 2026 outlook: tariffs, deficits, and volatility

33:51 Silver & gold: narrative trades and momentum dynamics

35:15 The Fed: rules vs discretion + unintended consequences

39:51 2008: “cash became non-cash” and the liquidity spiral

43:26 Passive investing: why the distortion matters

48:15 China/Taiwan risk + semiconductors

53:46 Gold as reserves diversification + de-dollarization incentives

58:40 What Simplify does + how their ETF strategies work



Follow along on social media: 

Twitter:    https://x.com/bob_iaccino

Twitter:   https://x.com/jimiuorio

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-iaccino/

LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-iuorio/

Newsletter:  http://theunfilteredinvestor.com/


This episode is sponsored by: 

Independence Ark: https://www.independenceark.com/

Code: F U 

AmerGold https://www.amergold.com/

Code; F U