Arthur Hayes Explains Why Venezuela Chaos Could Pump Bitcoin

Arthur Hayes, a famous cryptocurrency investor, executive, and influencer, has a simple question for investors trying to navigate today’s chaotic geopolitical landscape: Does America’s intervention in Venezuela make Bitcoin (BTC) go up or down?

In his opinion piece on January 6, stripping away moral arguments, political outrage, and ideological narratives, Hayes frames the situation through a lens of liquidity. And in that framework, Venezuela’s oil, U.S. elections, and Bitcoin’s long-term trajectory suddenly become tightly intertwined. As Hayes puts it:

“The question is, does the American colonization of Venezuela make Bitcoin/crypto number go up or down?”

Why Oil Prices Matter More Than Politics

Hayes argues that U.S. policymakers are primarily driven by winning elections. While cultural issues dominate social media, the median voter ultimately responds to economic conditions, especially inflation and gasoline prices.

Gasoline, in particular, plays an outsized role in American politics. A sharp rise in fuel costs directly hits voters’ wallets, making it one of the fastest ways to derail reelection prospects. Hayes highlights a historical pattern where rising gas prices ahead of elections often coincide with political power shifting hands. In his words:

“Above all else… the only issue that the median voter cares about is the economy.”

And more specifically:

“The key metric for Americans is the price of gasoline, as there is scant usable, affordable public transportation available for most folks.”

In this context, Venezuela’s oil reserves become strategically critical. The logic is straightforward: if additional oil supply can suppress energy prices while credit expansion fuels nominal GDP growth, policymakers get the best of both worlds, which means economic growth without politically fatal inflation.

Liquidity Is The Real Bitcoin Catalyst

For Bitcoin, Hayes believes oil prices matter only indirectly. What truly drives BTC is credit creation. 

If policymakers succeed in expanding nominal GDP while keeping energy prices flat or falling, the result is aggressive money printing without immediate inflation backlash. That environment historically benefits scarce financial assets, with Bitcoin positioned as the purest expression of monetary debasement protection. 

Hayes is explicit about this dynamic:

“A rise in nominal GDP boosts financial asset prices.”

And when it comes to Bitcoin specifically:

“Bitcoin is the purest monetary abstraction there is.”

Hayes emphasizes that Bitcoin’s proof-of-work (PoW) model makes it largely indifferent to absolute energy prices. Instead, Bitcoin reacts to whether rising energy costs force governments to tighten credit. As long as policymakers can print freely, Bitcoin thrives.

The Market’s Feedback Loop

Another key point in Hayes’s thesis is market reflexivity. Policymakers don’t act in isolation, but respond to market signals in real time. Rising equity prices, stable bond yields, and subdued oil prices encourage further stimulus. Spiking yield, oil, or volatility force sudden policy reversals.

Hayes frames this relationship bluntly:

“[…] Markets are reflexive. We know Trump adjusts policy based on the price of stonks, US treasuries, and oil prices.”

He points to volatility indicators and bond yields as early warning signals. When yields climb toward destabilizing levels, authorities historically intervene, often reversing tightening measures and reigniting liquidity flows. These moments, he argues, tend to mark major inflection points for Bitcoin and risk assets.

Why Bitcoin Benefits From Political Incentives

From Hayes’s perspective, policymakers will prioritize growth over restraint. Deficit spending, debt issuance, and central bank balance-sheet expansion remain politically attractive tools, especially in election cycles.

As dollar liquidity expands, Bitcoin’s price responds accordingly. Hayes frames Bitcoin not as a speculative asset, but as a direct mirror of monetary expansion, rising alongside increases in global dollar supply. Or as he puts it more succinctly, quoting investment strategist Lyn Alden:

“Nothing stops this train.”

In this environment, attempts to suppress volatility or manage inflation only reinforce the long-term trend: more money chasing fewer scarce assets.

The Bottom Line

Hayes’s conclusion is that investors don’t need to predict geopolitical outcomes, moral judgments, or engineering feasibility in Venezuelan oil fields, as charts will tell the story. If oil prices remain contained while credit expands, Bitcoin benefits. 

If markets force policymakers to reverse course, Bitcoin volatility increases, but the long-term trajectory stays tied to liquidity growth. Hayes sums up the approach without ideology or sentiment, stressing:

“Don’t worry about that; just read the charts and adjust.”

In other words, the strategy is mechanical as opposed to ideological.

Meanwhile, the crypto market’s representative asset was at press time trading at $91,835.01, down 1.84% on the day, up 3.60% across the week, and declining 0.39% over the past month.

Bitcoin price today

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