Worth a read1 Dec 2024 22:38
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“Meanwhile a third driver is the presence of a giant Bitcoin buyer in the market. This jaw-dropping piece by Craig Coben, the former head of European capital markets at Bank of America, explains how MicroStrategy, a software company turned Bitcoin investor, has just announced plans to raise $42 billion in equity and convertible debt and bought $10.2 billion worth of Bitcoin. On top of that, this month, it raised $3bn via a new bond with a zero interest rate that converts into equity at a 55 per cent premium to the current share price.
In effect, people are lending MicroStrategy money at no cost to the company in the hope the shares rise above the conversion price. This is despite the fact they could buy shares from the market. If that all sounds like things are getting out hand, its shareholders are not yet showing much caution. The stock has risen more than 450 per cent this year, and its market cap has rocketed to $90bn.
The company’s playbook is simple. MicroStrategy sells shares and convertible bonds to buy bitcoin. The purchases help support bitcoin’s price, which lifts MicroStrategy’s stock price. Then MicroStrategy sells more shares and convertibles off the higher price to buy more bitcoin. Wash, rinse, repeat.”