Coinbase Shares Extend Losses as It Expands Into New Metal Futures

By Vismaya V

Coinbase's stock extended losses on Tuesday, even as the crypto exchange rolled out copper and platinum futures trading in its latest bid to diversify beyond digital assets that have hammered investor confidence.

The company announced Tuesday that traders can now access copper and platinum futures on its platform, joining previously available gold and silver contracts.

Coinbase shares fell 1.24% to as low as $208 in intraday trading, the stock's lowest point since May of last year, before clawing back some losses to close at $210. After-hours trading saw little gain, Google Finance data shows.

Its stock is down more than 10% since the year began and a further 46% from its July all-time high of $398.

The stock has dropped 9.9% over the past month, pointing to broader uncertainty in both crypto markets and investor appetite for high-beta risk assets.

The metals push arrives as crypto markets attempt to stabilize, with Bitcoin remaining relatively stable above $88,000, according to CoinGecko data.

A quarterly report from Coinbase Institutional and Glassnode released Tuesday suggests the market is entering a healthier phase, with "excess leverage having been flushed from the system in Q4," and that "the macro environment looks sound, and monetary policy should be supportive."

Steven Wu, COO of Clearpool, told Decrypt that Coinbase’s stock decline reflects “wider market conditions rather than a specific loss of confidence in execution,” noting it trades as a “high-beta risk asset” as investors rotate toward commodities and yield.

Expanding into metals futures is "less about hedging crypto volatility directly and more about gradually broadening Coinbase's role as a derivatives venue," Wu said, though he cautioned that metals are "unlikely to offset crypto market swings in any meaningful way in the near term."

Allen Ding, Head of Bitfire Research, echoed that sentiment, telling Decrypt that the addition of new metals futures is “tactical product diversification rather than a complete strategic hedge.”

"Deep liquidity for metals remains concentrated in legacy venues like the CME,” making the offerings “more of a complementary feature for user retention rather than a primary growth engine,” he said.

“Ultimately, these products diversify the suite but may not fully insulate the business from the inherent volatility of the crypto-native market,” Ding added.

Wu noted how regulatory uncertainty around the proposed CLARITY stablecoin framework could “materially impact USDC adoption and Coinbase’s earnings,” especially if yield distribution to users is restricted.

Coinbase’s withdrawal of support for the Senate’s market structure bill has helped stall the CLARITY Act’s markup in the Senate Banking Committee, underscoring unresolved industry concerns over provisions including stablecoin-reward restrictions and other rules that could affect innovation and business models.

Because stablecoin interest income is “high-margin and flows directly to the bottom line,” regulatory risk “weighs disproportionately on investor sentiment,” even as trading volume remains Coinbase’s primary revenue driver, he said.

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