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CNBC to auction Mark Haines' 2009 market bottom call NFT for charity

The media giant has created an NFT of its late host.

Donovan Erskine

May 24, 2021 1:45 PM

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If you’ve been an avid user of social media or have been following internet culture, then surely you’re aware of the phenomenon surrounding Non-Fungible Tokens, commonly referred to as NFTs. These digital assets can be purchased using cryptocurrency and have been a big hit amongst crypto fans. Now, one of the biggest names in media is getting in on it as CNBC has announced that it will be auctioning off an NFT of Mark Haines, a former host for the network that passed away back in 2011. All proceeds will go to charity.

CNBC announced the Mark Haines NFT in an article posted on May 24, 2021. This date marks ten years since Haines passed away in 2011. One of Haine’s most memorable moments as a host for CNBC was a market call he made during the recession on March 10, 2009. It’s this moment that’s being turned into an NFT and auctioned. “I think we’re at a bottom, I
really do,” Haines said during the stock market call, accurately predicting a major shift in the market.

Proceeds from the NFT will be donated to Autism Speaks, which was an organization that Haines championed, as well as the Council for Economic Education. CNBC will also be taking 50 gifs from the market call and selling them for $1,000 USD each.

Mark Haines was one of the founding members of CNBC, as he’d been with the network since it began in 1989. He passed away due to heart failure on May 24, 2011. NFTs have become increasingly popular this year. Just days ago, it was announced that the original “Charlie bit my finger” video would be removed from YouTube and sold as an NFT.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_