Crypto Whales Tesla, MicroStrategy Underwater as Bitcoin Crashes to 2020 Prices

Bitcoin's current price means that Tesla and MicroStrategy are both down on their investments. Stockholders have also taken note.

2 min read

May 12, 2022

Bitcoin whales like Tesla and MicroStrategy are all down on their investments today after the leading cryptocurrency plummeted again overnight, hitting a low of $26,350.

The last time the leading crypto was this cheap was in December 2020, according to CoinMarketCap.

Prices have since risen sum and Bitcoin is now trading at $28,387.

Despite the minor rise, this effectively wipes out all of the gains made by Tesla's Bitcoin bet.

In early 2021, his electric car company Tesla invested $1.5 billion in Bitcoin at an average purchase price of $31,620. Tesla then sold off 10% of its Bitcoin holdings to test liquidity, earning a tidy profit, or “positive impact,” of $101 million just over a month later, according to an SEC filing.

Musk didn’t sell any more Bitcoin throughout 2021’s wild bull run, despite prices hitting an all-time high of $68,789.63 on November 10, 2021.

Now, Bitcoin’s current price is roughly 10% lower than the price Tesla paid for it. The company has 42,000 Bitcoin left on its balance sheet, worth about $1.19 billion.

Michael Saylor's Microstrategy is also underwater today following the volatile price action.

Since August 2020, his cloud software company has bought 129,218 Bitcoin at an average price of $30,200 a coin. At that price, Microstrategy’s Bitcoin holdings are worth $3.9 billion.

Today’s Bitcoin crash means Saylor’s Bitcoins are currently worth $3.6 billion.

Tesla, Microstrategy stocks react

Contrary to the maximalist doctrine that Bitcoin is a store of value akin to “digital gold,” the currency has actually been trading more like a tech stock, according to a report published on April 18 by Arcane Research.

Today, MicroStrategy's stock is also plummeting. At today’s price of $148, MicroStrategy shares are currently down 11.5%.

Tesla stock dropped 4% overnight and currently trades for $734.

Elsewhere, crypto-adjacent companies like Coinbase, PayPal, and Robinhood have also dropped 23%, 3%, and less than 1%, respectively.

The views and opinions expressed by the author are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice.

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