Uncategorized

A $41B Investment Firm Wants to Stick With Just Bitcoin ETFs as Safer Bet

Published

1 неделя ago

25 марта, 2025

admin

Earlier this year, Calamos made its crypto debut with the launch of not one but three funds designed to protect investors from the volatility in bitcoin’s (BTC) price.

But the global investment management firm, which handles $41.3 billion in assets, is far from launching any other products beyond bitcoin, — even Ethereum (ETH), said its head of ETFs Matt Kaufman in an interview with CoinDesk.

Since their inception, Calamos’ protected BTC funds have attracted over $100 million from investors, which primarily include financial advisors.

For most firms looking to make an entrance into the crypto market, launching a bitcoin product is just the first step in a long journey that quickly extends to ethereum-based products. BlackRock, for example, applied to launch its spot bitcoin ETF (IBIT) in June 2023 and five months later, did the same for Ethereum (ETH).

“Ethereum doesn’t really meet our criteria for being able to effectively hedge that exposure,” he said. “It’s not a liquid asset, there’s no options on Ethereum ETPs so if those check boxes start to get built, we’ll explore it but right now it’s not on our radar.”

The Calamos Bitcoin Structured Alt Protection ETF (CBOJ), Calamos Bitcoin 90 Series Structured Alt Protection ETF (CBXJ) and Calamos Bitcoin 80 Series Structured Alt Protection ETF (CBTJ) offer investors 80-100% downside protection with an upside cap rate of 10-55%.

This is achieved by using a combination of Treasuries and options on the CBOE Bitcoin US ETF Index. While Cboe Exchange has filed to list options tied to Ether ETFs, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in January delayed its deadline to approve or deny the product. The Commission will have to stick to the final deadline in May, however.

Another asset class that Calamos won’t likely ever touch is meme coins, Kaufman said. “We’re a risk manager, so we build things we know will work,” he said. “From that perspective, I don’t have any opinion on meme coins but it’s not something I would ever do.”

Kaufman believes that the recent surge in applications for meme coin ETFs highlights the fact that investors have to do their due diligence. “We live in America, you have to know what you own. Freedom gives you choice and with choice comes responsibility,” he said.

Uncategorized

Stablecoin Giant Circle Files for IPO

Published

1 час ago

1 апреля, 2025

admin

Circle, the U.S.-based stablecoin issuer, is going public.

The firm filed an S-1 form with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday. If approved, the company’s stock will be trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol «CRCL.»

The company said its reserve income from managing its stablecoin-related reserves was $1.7 billion at the end of 2024, representing 99.1% of its total revenue.

Circle is behind USDC, the second largest stablecoin by market capitalization, with $60 billion in supply. The firm’s IPO has been one of the most anticipated in crypto.

It’s not the only crypto-adjacent company looking to go public. Artificial Intelligence (AI) firm CoreWeave (CRWV), which benefits from a strong business relationship with bitcoin mining firm Core Scientific (CORZ), started trading on the public market on March 28.

Uncategorized

GameStop Has $1.5B of Bitcoin Buying Power After Closing Convertible Note Sale

Published

2 часа ago

1 апреля, 2025

admin

Bitcoin (BTC) purchases from video game retailer GameStop (GME) could be imminent or may have already begun after the company closed on its offering of $1.3 billion of five-year convertible notes.

The $200 million greenshoe option was fully exercised by the initial purchaser, bringing the total amount of the sale to $1.5 billion. Net proceeds to the company after fees were $1.48 billion, according to a filing Monday after the close of U.S. trading.

Alongside its fourth quarter earnings report last week, GameStop — led by its CEO Ryan Cohen — announced full board approval of an update to the company investment policy to add bitcoin to the GME balance sheet.

GME shares rose 1.35% during the regular session on Monday and are up another 0.8% in after hours action. Bitcoin remains modestly higher over the past 24 hours at $84,900.

Uncategorized

OpenAI’s $40B Raise Calms Market Jitters, Sends CoreWeave and AI Tokens Higher

Published

2 часа ago

1 апреля, 2025

admin

CoreWeave (CRWV) shares rose more than 38% on their third day of trading debut after raising nearly $1.5 billion from its IPO following OpenAi’s announcement of a record-breaking $40 billion funding round on Monday.

The artificial intelligence (AI) startup went public on the Nasdaq exchange on Friday afternoon. The stock dropped below its IPO price to $39 and ended the day flat at $40 before dropping another 10% on Monday, its first full day of trading. CoreWeave’s IPO came at a time of strong anxiety and uncertainty in global markets, diminishing investor appetite and risk tolerance.

However, investor sentiment towards AI-related stocks seemed to have changed on Tuesday after AI powerhouse OpenAI announced on Monday that it had closed a $40 billion funding round, valuing the company at $300 billion. The move appears to have assured investors that there continues to be a strong appetite for AI companies, even in the current rough market.

This positive outlook has also spread to digital assets, as AI-related tokens were boosted on Tuesday. AI tokens, including Near Protocol (NEAR), Internet Computer (ICP), Bittensor (TAO) and Render (RENDER), were all up over 3% on Tuesday, with RENDER leading the group, trading 7.4% higher. The broader digital assets market, CoinDesk20 Index, also rose 3%.

Meanwhile, the shares of Core Scientific (CORZ), the bitcoin miner and data center with a large partnership with CoreWeave, have also risen more than 9% on Tuesday.