The Bitcoin Street Journal Daily Briefing
Date: May 19, 2025
Bitcoin is no longer a fringe rebellion—it’s the main attraction. In today’s whirlwind edition of The Bitcoin Street Journal, we cover Steak ’n Shake’s full U.S. Lightning Network rollout, sovereign Bitcoin stacks soaring, billion-dollar balance sheet bets, and Eric Trump’s take on the global BTC arms race. Let’s dive in.
🚀 ICYMI: Steak ’n Shake Goes Full Bitcoin with Lightning Payments at All U.S. Locations
In a surprise post captioned “All aboard!”, fast food icon Steak ’n Shake revealed a Bitcoin spaceship graphic, signaling its nationwide rollout of Bitcoin payments via the Lightning Network. Customers can now scan a QR code and pay in BTC instantly at all U.S. locations.
Valentina Gomez, a political candidate, even filmed herself purchasing a meal in BTC—proof that this isn’t just marketing fluff. It’s real adoption.
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📊 S\&P Global Ratings Calls Bitcoin “Geopolitically Neutral”
Andrew O’Neill of S\&P Global Ratings offered a striking admission this week: Bitcoin is “geopolitically neutral.” In a world full of weaponized fiat, that’s a massive endorsement.
Neutrality = demand. Global institutions want an asset that can’t be censored, frozen, or inflated away. And increasingly, they’re choosing Bitcoin.
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🧠 Teach Your Kids About Money—Before the State Does
As inflation eats away at fiat’s purchasing power, more parents are homeschooling financial literacy using Bitcoin as the base layer. “If they can print trillions of it for free,” says podcaster Guy Swann, “you’re just working for them.”
Bitcoin is the antidote to fiat serfdom.
Teaching kids about a fixed-supply digital currency that can’t be inflated builds generational resilience. Stack sats, not textbooks.
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💎 Fact Check: Only 0.27% of the Global Population Can Ever Own 1 Whole Bitcoin
Let this sink in: only 0.27% of humanity could ever become a wholecoiner—that’s 1 out of every ~370 people.
Lawrence Lepard put it best: “Being a wholecoiner is going to be an enormous deal in a few years.” And if you’re already there? You’re early. Still stacking? You’re smarter than 99.73% of the world.
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📈 GD Culture Group Plans \$300M Share Sale to Buy Bitcoin
Another Nasdaq-listed company joins the Bitcoin Treasury club. GD Culture Group announced plans to sell up to \$300 million in shares to acquire Bitcoin and crypto assets.
The playbook? “We’re doing what Saylor’s doing,” one exec said, referencing Microstrategy’s legendary BTC strategy.
Even Jim Chanos’ scoffs can’t stop the tidal wave.
Bitcoin treasury, GD Culture Bitcoin, Microstrategy BTC strategy
🇸🇻 El Salvador Sees \$357 Million in Unrealized Bitcoin Gains
President Bukele just dropped a bombshell: El Salvador’s BTC holdings now show a \$357 million unrealized profit, thanks to Bitcoin’s epic 2025 surge. The nation currently holds 6,180 BTC, up 8 from last week.
What the mainstream media once called “a reckless experiment” is now a textbook case study in sovereign-grade returns.
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🧢 Eric Trump: “It’s a Race to Stack Bitcoin”
Speaking at Consensus Toronto, Eric Trump said the quiet part out loud: “Sovereign wealth funds, the wealthiest families, the biggest companies—it’s a race to accumulate as much Bitcoin as possible.”
And in his words: “We’re going to beat them in that marathon.”
Sound money, generational wealth, and geopolitical clout—all in one orange asset.
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📉 Bitcoin Market Signals Flip Bullish Again
On-chain analysts are sounding the alarms—bullish ones. The Market Cap vs. Realized Cap Ratio has flipped bullish for the first time since 2020’s mid-cycle run.
If momentum holds, we may be staring down a rocket launch to new all-time highs.
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🔄 ETFs Keep Absorbing Bitcoin: \$260M Inflows Last Week
Spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in \$260 million in net inflows from May 12–16 alone. Ethereum ETFs saw another \$22 million, but Bitcoin clearly remains the alpha.
BTC’s market cap? Now north of \$2.1 trillion.
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📉 30-Year U.S. Treasury Yield Hits 5.02%
Meanwhile, in clownworld fiat land, the 30-year U.S. Treasury yield spiked to 5.02%, a high not seen since late 2023. Investors are waking up to risk—but the smart ones aren’t “fleeing to safety.” They’re fleeing to Bitcoin.
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🔥 Bloomberg Terminal Lists BTC as \$0.1M
In a quiet but symbolic shift, Bloomberg’s financial terminal now displays Bitcoin’s price in \$0.1M increments—that’s \$100,000 per unit.
Why? Because a six-figure floor is no longer a meme—it’s the next normal.
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🐋 Metaplanet Buys Another 1,004 BTC, Holdings Now Worth \$800M+
Japanese firm Metaplanet continues its accumulation spree, adding 1,004 Bitcoin worth \$104M. That brings their total holdings to 7,800 BTC, valued near \$800 million.
The average purchase price? \$103,873. Smart money stacks Bitcoin when it’s “expensive”—because they know what’s coming.
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📉 123.5K Traders Liquidated as Bitcoin Swung \$3K in a Day
A violent short squeeze wiped out 123,500 traders in 24 hours, racking up \$471 million in losses. Bitcoin surged to \$106K then dropped to \$103K, catching bulls and bears alike off guard.
Stay humble. Stack sats. Don’t trade with leverage. HODL.
Bitcoin liquidation, BTC price swings, crypto futures wipeout
⚠️ Polymarket Bets 3% Chance of \$1M Bitcoin in 2025
Prediction platform Polymarket says there’s a 3% chance of Bitcoin hitting \$1 million this year. But ask a pleb, and they’ll tell you: “I’ll take those odds.”
Remember: The market doesn’t price in conviction—it prices in disbelief.
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📢 BONUS SEGMENT: V4V Shoutouts and Global Bitcoin Adoption Highlights
- Value 4 Value Reminder: If you loved this Bitcoin news briefing, zap us sats via Lightning. Support truth-telling journalism that doesn’t answer to fiat overlords.
- Pleb Shoutout: To all the node runners, memers, miners, devs, and stackers—you are the signal.
- Adoption Highlight: Brazil, El Salvador, and now Singapore are all embracing Bitcoin on corporate or national levels. It’s no longer “if”—it’s who’s next?
🎯 Final Word: Bitcoin Is Inevitable—Are You Ready?
As Michael Saylor said: “What happens if [Bitcoin] stops going up?” The real question is: What happens when fiat stops pretending it’s money?
Whether you’re a wholecoiner, an ETF buyer, or just ordering a milkshake with sats—you’re already part of the future.
