Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Economist Peter Schiff slammed Strategy Inc.’s (NASDAQ:MSTR) Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) investment approach on Thursday, arguing that the company would have been better placed had it chosen any other asset. Schiff Sees Problems For Strategy In an X post, Schiff pointed out that despite spending over $48 billion on Bitcoin in the past five years, the company’s total paper profits are less than 17%. Schiff also ...

The Abu Dhabi Investment Council significantly expanded its exposure to Bitcoin during the third quarter, increasing its position in BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF shortly before a sharp correc... ...

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the bearish outlook for Strategy stock, particularly in the context of its performance relative to Bitcoin and the implementation of a bear call spread strategy to capitalize on potential declines in stock price [1][10]. Summary by Sections Stock Performance - Strategy stock has closed near its low for the day, remaining below its 21-day, 50-day, and 200-day moving averages, indicating a trend of heavy selling pressure [1]. - The relative strength line for Strategy has been declining since mid-July, suggesting ongoing weakness in the stock [1]. Options Strategy - A bear call spread is being considered for Strategy, which involves selling an out-of-the-money call and buying a further out-of-the-money call, with the expectation that the stock will struggle to rise above $315 by mid-December [2][4]. - The maximum profit from this strategy would be $70, with a maximum loss of $430, representing a potential return of 16.3% if the stock closes below $315 on December 19 [4][5]. Risk Management - The bear call spread is defined as a risk-defined strategy, allowing traders to know the worst-case scenario in advance [6]. - A stop loss could be set if Strategy trades above $305 or if the spread value increases from 70 cents to $1.40 [6]. Market Positioning - Investor's Business Daily rates Strategy stock with a Composite Rating of 37 out of 99, an Earnings Per Share Rating of 80, and a Relative Strength Rating of 12, indicating it ranks 48th in the Financial Services-Specialty industry group [7]. - The industry group itself ranks 36th out of 197 tracked by IBD, suggesting that winning stocks are typically found in the top 40 industry groups [7].

Core Insights - There is a growing trend among corporate treasuries to add bitcoin to their balance sheets due to increasing institutional acceptance and regulatory clarity [1] Company Overview - Fintech company Block has held bitcoin as part of its corporate assets since 2020, and is launching Square Bitcoin, a fully integrated bitcoin payments and wallet solution for businesses on November 10 [2] - Block's bitcoin journey began with customer demand, launching the ability for users to buy, hold, and sell bitcoin through Cash App in 2018, resulting in over 20 million active users trading more than $58 billion worth of bitcoin [4] Investment Strategy - Block made its first corporate bitcoin purchase of $50 million in 2020, which was less than 1% of total assets, primarily as a learning exercise [5] - In 2021, Block expanded its bitcoin holdings with an additional $170 million investment and adopted a dollar-cost averaging strategy in 2024, reinvesting 10% of monthly gross profit from bitcoin products [5] - As of Q2 2023, Block held 8,692 bitcoin on its balance sheet [6] Risk Management - Many finance leaders remain cautious about bitcoin's volatility compared to traditional assets, but Block positions bitcoin as a long-term investment guided by clear risk parameters [7] - Block emphasizes starting small with bitcoin investments to build understanding, and maintains a long-term view to instill confidence [8]

Core Insights - Michael Saylor, Executive Chairman of Strategy, highlighted challenges affecting the growth of the company and the Bitcoin treasury industry, particularly the perception of Bitcoin as capital by traditional credit rating systems [1][2][3] Group 1: Challenges Identified - The primary challenge is that Bitcoin is not recognized as capital by the traditional credit ratings industry, which Saylor describes as a "structural" problem [2][3] - Saylor emphasized the need for Bitcoin to be classified as collateral and assigned a collateral value under conventional banking, insurance, and credit rating rules [3][4] Group 2: Proposed Solutions - Saylor suggested that banking acceptance, custody, and credit for Bitcoin need to improve, advocating for major U.S. banks to engage in purchasing, selling, and custodying Bitcoin, as well as issuing credit against it [5] - He called for lobbying efforts directed at banks and insurance companies rather than relying on new laws to facilitate these changes [5] Group 3: Education and Awareness - Saylor stressed the importance of educating traditional fixed-income investors, retirees, and corporate treasurers about Bitcoin as a viable investment alternative [6] Group 4: Financial Performance - Strategy reported mixed third-quarter financial results, with earnings of $8.42 per share, missing the consensus estimate of $10.57, but exceeding revenue expectations at $128.69 million compared to the estimated $118.43 million [6] - The company disclosed holding 640,808 BTC, valued at over $70 billion, reinforcing its position as a leading cryptocurrency treasury company [7]

As Michael Saylor's MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) gears up to report earnings on Oct. 30, sentiment among traders has turned sharply bearish, both on Wall Street and in the crypto derivatives space. On prediction market Polymarket, bettors are assigning only an 18% chance that the company will beat its quarterly expectations. The skepticism mirrors growing unease about the company’s exposure to Bitcoin (BTC) as volatility in the crypto market fades. Polymarket chart showing traders assigning only an 18% c ...

Core Insights - BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, led the market with $3.5 billion in inflows, accounting for 10% of all net ETF inflows [1][4] - The total inflows into Bitcoin ETFs reached approximately $4.8 billion last week, with 43,100 Bitcoin acquired [3] - Year-to-date inflows into Bitcoin ETFs are nearly equal to last year's total, standing at $48.3 billion compared to $48.5 billion [3] Company Performance - BlackRock's IBIT, launched in January 2024, has quickly amassed nearly $100 billion in assets under management, making it the most profitable ETF in BlackRock's portfolio [4] - The inflow of $3.5 billion into IBIT surpasses the total crypto venture capital funding for Q1 2024 [8] Market Conditions - The current favorable conditions for Bitcoin investment are influenced by the Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts and the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, which has led investors to seek protection [5][6] - Bitcoin reached an all-time high of over $126,000, driven by BlackRock's strong demand and macroeconomic factors [6]

Core Insights - The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF (GBTC) is among the top three largest Bitcoin ETF investment products available for investors seeking exposure to Bitcoin [1] Group 1 - GBTC provides a significant opportunity for investors interested in the world's largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin [1]

Group 1 - The article discusses the investment position of the analyst in IBIT and BTC-USD, indicating a beneficial long position through various means such as stock ownership and options [1] - It emphasizes that the opinions expressed are personal and not influenced by any compensation from companies mentioned [1] - The article clarifies that there is no business relationship with any company whose stock is referenced, ensuring independence in the analysis [1] Group 2 - The article includes a disclaimer about past performance not guaranteeing future results, highlighting the inherent uncertainties in investment [2] - It notes that no specific investment recommendations are provided, indicating a neutral stance on suitability for individual investors [2] - The article mentions that the analysts are third-party authors, which may include both professional and individual investors without formal licensing [2]

Core Insights - Major price movements in Bitcoin, particularly declines, have historically been linked to significant sell-offs by Bitcoin whales, which are large holders of Bitcoin [1] Group 1 - The article highlights that Bitcoin's price volatility is often influenced by the actions of large investors, known as whales, who sell their holdings to impact market prices [1]