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Bugger the economy, if you can move asteroids that large around, you have planet-destroying energy at your disposal. And more military power than any nation state - comply with our demands or accept this kind gift of a reentry-speed 10-ton block of gold through your ceiling...

>destroy the global economy

Yeah, that wouldn't happen. Though maybe it would bring down the cost of certain scientific equipment. Countries like India would probably suffer since they "invest" heavily in gold.

> destroy the global economy

destroy the *gold mining economy

Why would it destroy the economy?

Probably similar to how the Spanish conquistador's precious metals haul from the New World decimated the economy of Spain: massive supply/demand imbalance.

Except that we are not 400 years ago when money was gold.

A better analogy would be if they towed back an asteroid full of $100 bills.

"Now if they find an asteroid that is made out of Bitcoin, that will be economically significant." -Matt Levine

I assume the grandparent is making a (quite funny) joke about destroying the global economy by virtue of the delivery of the asteroid destroying the Earth.