Group 1 - Bitcoin-related stocks declined on Friday, with Coinbase (COIN.US) down over 2.7% [1] - Strategy (MSTR.US) fell more than 2.3%, while Circle (CRCL.US) dropped over 3% [1] - Iren Ltd (IREN.US) and Mara Holdings (MARA.US) both experienced declines exceeding 4% [1] Group 2 - Bitcoin's price fell below $87,000 in the short term [1]

Trading in MARA Holdings, Inc. (MARA) is quiet Wednesday. But the shares may be about to rally and head higher.This is why MARA is the Stock of the Day.If a stock is trending lower, it is because the market is out of equilibrium. There is more supply than demand.This means that there are more shares for sale than there are to be bought. This forces sellers to undercut each other and offer their shares at discounts if they want to draw buyers into the market. This puts the shares into a downtrend.When a stoc ...

Core Insights - Rosenblatt Securities has lowered price targets and financial estimates for several bitcoin mining companies due to a significant decline in mining profitability, emphasizing the increasing importance of AI and high-performance computing (HPC) revenue [1] Company-Specific Summaries - Cipher Mining's price target was reduced to $25 from $33, but it remains a "Top Pick" due to its ability to transition power capacity to higher-margin AI tenants [5] - TeraWulf's price target was cut to $20, with the company being favored for its diversification into AI and computing power [2][5] - Marathon Digital's price target was lowered to $15 from previous levels, with a significant reduction in its 2026 adjusted EBITDA estimate from $281 million to $99 million, highlighting its sensitivity to Bitcoin price changes [4] - Hive Digital's price target was reduced to $6.50 from $10, with its financial results heavily influenced by its mining expansion in Paraguay despite its HPC business growth [6] Industry Trends - The broader mining sector is facing challenges, with Bitcoin prices dropping approximately 30% since early October and Bitcoin's hashprice falling 26% to near all-time lows of $38/PH/day [3] - A shift in industry transparency is noted, as several companies, including Cipher Mining and Marathon Digital, have ceased publishing monthly mining production reports, while Hive Digital continues to provide operational updates [7] - Bitcoin's global hashrate has decreased by 7% since mid-October, although it remains up 34% year-to-date, with expectations that hashrate growth will moderate until Bitcoin prices recover [8]

Core Viewpoint - The recent decline in Bitcoin's price has led to a significant drop in MARA Holdings' stock, prompting investors to consider whether to invest in MARA instead of Bitcoin due to its current lower valuation [1][2]. Group 1: Bitcoin Market Overview - Bitcoin peaked at $124,774 on October 7, 2025, but has since fallen 31% to $86,413 as of December 16, 2025 [1]. - The market capitalization of Bitcoin is currently $1.7 trillion, with a trading volume of $50 billion [14]. Group 2: MARA Holdings Performance - MARA Holdings has seen a 53% decline in stock price since mid-October, with a current price of $9.93 and a market cap of $3.8 billion [2]. - The stock has a gross margin of -2663.89%, indicating significant financial challenges [2]. Group 3: Company Evolution and Strategy - MARA Holdings, originally known as Marathon Patent Group, transitioned to a cryptocurrency mining specialist in early 2021, investing $150 million in Bitcoin and mining equipment [3]. - The company has shifted its business model to include selling electric energy and data center space, capitalizing on the AI boom while still maintaining its Bitcoin mining operations [12][14]. Group 4: Mining Operations and Economic Factors - The correlation between MARA's stock and Bitcoin's price has weakened since spring 2024, with MARA's production of Bitcoin decreasing from 28.8 per day in March 2024 to 24.5 per day 18 months later [9]. - Despite a 37% increase in quarterly crypto-mining revenue due to rising Bitcoin prices, the cost of production surged by 82% [9][11]. Group 5: Competitive Landscape - MARA is entering a competitive market for AI computing, facing challenges from larger companies and other former Bitcoin mining specialists [15]. - The company is still primarily focused on Bitcoin-related activities, and its future success may depend on balancing its operations between AI and Bitcoin mining [14][17].

TIM: THE S&P 500 CLOSING IN ON A RECORD EARLIER THIS MONTH. BITCOIN STRUGGLED TO FIND FOOTING. MERRILL HOLDINGS KNOWS ALL TOO WELL, DOWN 36% THIS YEAR.WITH MORE WE HAD TO PARIS. GOOD TO HAVE YOU ON THE PROGRAM. THE DECLINE IN ASSET PRICE THIS YEAR, $126,000 WAS A MAJOR HIGH EARLIER THIS YEAR, A BIG MOMENT FOR THE CRYPTOCURRENCY.DOWN MORE THAN 30%, HOW MUCH LOWER DOES BITCOIN GO. FRED: BITCOIN AT THIS LEVEL IS FINDING SUPPORT AT THE HUNDRED 84,000 RANGE. JUST ABOUT WHERE THE BREAKEVEN POINT IS ON MOST ETF PU ...

Bitcoin is headed for its fourth annual decline in its history, falling as much as 5.2% and is now about 7% lower for the year, with volumes low and investors bailing on Bitcoin ETFs. The bear market means Bitcoin has decoupled from stocks, with the S&P 500 closing at a record earlier this month and up 16% for the year, while Bitcoin has struggled to find a footing, indicating traders are staying on the sidelines, at least for now. MARA Chairman & CEO Fred Thiel, however, expects a great performance from B ...

Core Viewpoint - Bitcoin-related stocks experienced a strong rebound, with Bitcoin itself surpassing $87,000, reflecting a nearly 1% increase in a single day [1] Group 1: Stock Performance - Strategy (MSTR.US) rose over 3% [1] - Circle (CRCL.US) increased by more than 6% [1] - Coinbase (COIN.US) saw a 2% rise [1] - Robinhood (HOOD.US) gained over 3% [1] - MARA Holdings (MARA.US) went up by more than 2% [1] - RIOT Platforms (RIOT.US) experienced a 0.5% increase [1] Group 2: Bitcoin Price Movement - Bitcoin returned above $87,000, marking a daily increase of nearly 1% [1]

Market Overview - Bitcoin mining equities experienced a decline of approximately 10% following a significant drop in bitcoin prices, which fell from $89,474 to $87,024.78 within an hour [1] - The decline in bitcoin prices coincided with reports of forced closures of cryptocurrency mining operations in China [1] Regulatory Impact - The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has intensified its crackdown on bitcoin mining, resulting in the shutdown of 1-2 GW of mining operations in Xinjiang, equating to a loss of 100 EH/s in bitcoin mining hashrate, or 1/12th of the network's total computing capacity prior to the crackdown [2] Company Performance - CleanSpark (NASDAQ: CLSK) reported the largest decline among publicly traded bitcoin miners, with shares falling 13.83% to $12.09 [3] - TeraWulf (NASDAQ: WULF) also saw a significant decrease, with shares down 12.56% to $12.53 [3] - Cipher Mining (NASDAQ: CIFR) shares retreated 12.46% to $14.93, while IREN (NASDAQ: IREN) lost 9.59% to $36.28 [4] - Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: RIOT) dropped 6.99% to $14.23, and MARA (NASDAQ: MARA) fell 6.81% to $10.74 [4] - Galaxy Digital (GLXY) experienced a moderate decline of 5.05% to $25.40, while Core Scientific (NASDAQ: CORZ) showed resilience with a smaller decline of 4.78% to $15.74 [4]

Group 1 - Bitcoin concept stocks experienced a widespread decline as Bitcoin fell below the $90,000 mark, currently priced at $89,712.05 [1] - Iren Ltd (IREN.US) dropped over 6%, while Coinbase (COIN.US) fell more than 3.6% [1] - Strategy (MSTR.US) decreased by over 6%, Circle (CRCL.US) declined more than 2%, and Mara Holdings (MARA.US) saw a drop of over 5.6% [1]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the current landscape of heavily shorted stocks, highlighting the reasons traders engage in short selling and the potential for short squeezes as investment opportunities [2][3][4]. Summary by Sections Heavily Shorted Stocks - Stocks become heavily shorted when experienced traders and institutional investors believe the company is fundamentally overvalued, anticipating a price decline [2]. - Short sellers borrow shares, sell them at high prices, and aim to repurchase them at lower prices for profit, indicating a strong conviction about the company's risks [3]. Current Market Data - As of December 10, 2025, the top 10 most shorted stocks with market caps above $2 billion and free floats above 5 million are listed, ranked by short interest percentage [5]. - The most heavily shorted stock is Lucid Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: LCID) with a short interest of 52.70%, followed by Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAR) at 51.53% and Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) at 49.05% [6][7]. Market Characteristics - Heavily shorted stocks often reflect a battleground between negative fundamentals and speculative trading, where short squeezes can lead to significant, rapid gains but also come with high risk and volatility [8]. - Monitoring short interest can help identify potential short squeeze candidates, although timing such trades is challenging [8].