Hi Reader,
👋 Welcome
You’ve probably heard me say this before:
“Crypto doesn’t live in a bubble — it lives in the real world.”
And every few months, something happens somewhere in the global financial system that reminds us just how connected everything actually is.
This week, that “something” happened in Japan.
Now, I know what you’re thinking:
“Yvonne… why on earth would a country known for cherry blossoms, spotless trains and excellent stationery have anything to do with my crypto wallet?”
Stay with me.
Because this is exactly the kind of moment that turns confusion into confidence — once someone explains it in plain English.
🧠Market Clarity — What Japan Just Did (and Why It Matters to You)
Japan’s 10-year government bond yield quietly climbed to its highest level since 2008.
That may sound like the dullest headline imaginable.
But behind that boring sentence is a huge signal:
Japan is finally allowing interest rates to rise.
Why does this matter?
Because Japan has spent decades keeping its interest rates pinned down near zero — on purpose.
Low rates meant:
- cheaper borrowing
- calmer global money flows
- a predictable, steady backdrop
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For years, Japan was the ultra-stable friend in the group — the one who kept their voice calm when everyone else was shouting.
But now?
They’ve loosened their grip.
And when a major economy changes direction, the entire global system shuffles.
Here’s the simple version:
- Higher Japanese yields → investors move money
- Money movement → volatility in stocks, housing, currencies
- Rising global borrowing costs → people reassess their portfolios
- Reassessing portfolios → more attention on long-term, high-upside assets
This is exactly where crypto often catches a tailwind.
Crypto is risk-on.
Bonds are risk-off.
When the risk-off world shifts, the risk-on world stretches its legs.
And you don’t need to be a bond expert to understand the big picture:
When the cost of money changes… everything changes.
Crypto included.
💭 Mindset Shift — If You Could Read the FT in 2 Minutes
Most people open the Financial Times, see a sea of headlines about bonds, yields, inflation, interest rates, liquidity, credit markets… and immediately think:
“Nope. Not for me.”
But here’s the part no one tells you:
You only need to understand three things for any financial headline to make sense.
Not the whole article.
Not the charts.
Not the jargon.
Just these three questions:
1️⃣ Is money becoming cheaper or more expensive?
If interest rates or bond yields are rising → borrowing is harder → markets tighten.
If they’re falling → borrowing loosens → growth assets breathe.
2️⃣ Is confidence up or down?
Confidence drives behaviour.
Markets move because humans move.
3️⃣ Does this affect the cost of living or the cost of money?
If yes → it affects you.
If not → you can skim and move on.
That’s it.
No overwhelm.
No decoding.
No PhD required.
Mindset lesson:
You don’t need to read everything — you just need to know which bits matter to your world.
And once you know what to look for, the financial news becomes less of a storm… and more of a weather report you actually understand.
🧰 Practical Tip — The “60-Second Headline Scan”
Here’s a simple habit I teach students who want to understand the wider financial world without drowning in jargon.
Any time you see a financial headline — from the FT, BBC, Sky, Bloomberg or even a dodgy clickbait tweet — run this three-line scan:
1️⃣ Is this about the cost of money?
If the headline mentions interest rates, bond yields, inflation, central banks or government borrowing —
that’s a signal the cost of money is rising or falling.
And when the cost of money changes, everything else eventually reacts.
2️⃣ Is this about confidence?
Headlines about elections, war, debt, banking stress, or tech layoffs are really headlines about how confident people feel.
Confidence is the engine of all markets — including crypto.
3️⃣ Is this short-term noise or long-term structure?
Short-term = “spike,” “dip,” “surge,” “panic,” “crash.”
Long-term = “policy shift,” “rate path,” “regulatory change,” “debt cycle.”
You can ignore 90% of short-term noise.
Focus on long-term structural changes — that’s where clarity lives.
🌱 Community Spotlight — Book Club, Academy & Workshops
🎓 Academy (Thursdays 7 pm)
This week:
A calm walkthrough of macro concepts for beginners — interest rates, inflation, money creation and why they matter.
No overwhelm.
Just clarity.
📚 Book Club (Thursdays 2 pm)
📚 Book Club — December: The Great Taking
This month we’ve started our three-week journey through The Great Taking, and Week 1 has already sparked some amazing conversations.
We looked at:
- the foundations of ownership
- how financial systems evolved into what they are today
- why people often feel uneasy about money without knowing why
- and how much becomes clearer once the fog lifts
If you’ve ever felt like “the system” is too complex or too hidden, this book is the gentlest doorway into real understanding — without the jargon and without the doom-scrolling.
Want to join us?
Join get your first month free.
You’ll catch up easily with the replay.
👉 https://www.cryptogran.co.uk/book-club
🧩 In-Person Workshops — January 2026
Whilst we have a fully comprehensive overview of the best way to get into crypto, we had the feedback that some of you just want to be in a room and be able to walk through the set up of the systems that enable you to buy, store and sell crypto.
We FULLY understand, which is why we have arranged 2 days in January for you to come along and get started...
📍 Underley — 9 January
📍 Kelsick Grammar — 20 January
Hot buffet lunch.
Calm learning.
A safe space to ask the questions you’ve never said aloud.
🎟️ Early Bird £147 (ends soon)
👉 https://www.cryptogran.co.uk/getting-started-workshop
✨ Summary — When the World Moves, You Don’t Have to Panic
Global markets felt a shift this week — and yes, even a quiet change in Japan ripples all the way to your crypto wallet.
But once you understand the basics of macro, those ripples stop feeling scary and start making sense.
You now know:
- why Japan’s rising bond yields matter
- how global interest rates shape confidence
- what to look out for when reading financial headlines
- how to understand the “mood” of the world without drowning in jargon
- and how a tiny bit of macro-awareness creates huge calm
You don’t need to become a bond expert.
You don’t need to track every country.
You just need to know which signals matter — and you’ve done that today.
Learn safely.
Think clearly.
Grow steadily.
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Warmly,
Yvonne & The CryptoGran Team
https://cryptogran.co.uk
Helping you crack the code on crypto, one step at a time 💻🧩
Because time is precious, pensions are shrinking, and freedom belongs to all of us.
This course is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Please always do your own research.
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