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A recent report discussed how Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) companies like BitMine and Strategy are sitting on billions of dollars of unrealized profits as Ethereum (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC) lose crucial support levels.
DATs To Face ‘Increasing Scrutiny’
On Thursday, crypto insights company 10x Research reported that the largest Ethereum Treasury company, BitMine Immersion Technologies, has a multi-billion-dollar paper loss after the ongoing market correction, which has sent ETH to multi-month lows.
“Bitmine is now down more than $1,000 per ETH, implying about $3.7 billion in unrealized losses before even accounting for the hefty NAV [net asset value] premium public-market investors paid on top,” the report highlighted.
10x Research believes that treasury companies will struggle to attract new retail investors amid the current market environment, where existing shareholders are sitting on billions of dollars in losses.
When NAV rises, “old” shareholders benefit; when it falls, the damage compounds, a dynamic DAT investors often underestimate. When the premium inevitably shrinks to zero, as it is doing now, investors find themselves trapped in the structure, unable to get out without significant damage, a true Hotel California scenario.
Unlike Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), Digital Asset Treasuries “layer on complex, opaque, and often hedge-fund-like fee structures that can quietly erode returns,” the report added, noting that many investors are unaware that DATs embedded costs “far exceed” the management fee charged by asset managers like BlackRock on its Bitcoin (BTC) and ETH ETFs.
Moreover, 10x Research argued that with the potential introduction of a staked Ethereum ETF by BlackRock, “the economics of DATs are likely to face increasing scrutiny” as retail investors reallocate to a low-cost source of yield.
BitMine Remains Confident On Ethereum
Despite DAT challenges and ETH’s price action, BitMine has continued to bet on the King of Altcoins. According to Lookonchain data, a new wallet suspected to be linked to the Ethereum-focused treasury company purchased 21,054 ETH, worth around $66.57 million at the time, on Tuesday night.
In its November Chairman’s Message, Thomas ‘Tom’ Lee, noted that the crypto market prices have not recovered from the October 10 liquidation event, and “the lingering weakness has the hallmarks of a market maker (or two) suffering from a crippled balance sheet.”
BitMine does not believe crypto prices have peaked for this cycle, he added, suggesting that “a crypto cycle top is likely 12-36 months away.” On the contrary, Lee told CNBC News on Monday that the market is “pretty close” to bottoming this week.
Crypto suffered from that liquidation event on October 10th, but because the fundamental story is intact and crypto discounts the future, that’s why it’s volatile, but it still looks pretty attractive here.
Notably, ETH has lost the $3,000 support for the first time since July, retesting the $2,800 area on Thursday morning. However, Lee has affirmed that “Ethereum is undervalued because number one, the story is gaining relative to Bitcoin this year. But two, we’re getting this sort of intrinsic floor because of the value that the assets locked onto the Ethereum blockchain.”
As of this writing, Ethereum is trading at $2,840, a 29% decline in the monthly timeframe.
