Welcome to US Crypto News Morning Brief – your essential summary of the most important events in the crypto market for the coming day.
Find the coffee, as BitMine's daring Ethereum strategy is back in the spotlight, while market pressure increases and investors are nervous. Losses are mounting, the stock is falling, but influential buyers quietly enter the arena, setting the stage for a familiar showdown in crypto between conviction and caution.
Crypto news today: Losses are increasing at BitMine, but Tom Lee and Ark are betting more on Ethereum
BitMine's aggressive Ethereum treasury strategy is now being scrutinized again, as persistent unrealized losses weigh on investor sentiment and the stock price continues to fall.
Shares of BitMine (BMNR), often referred to as the world's largest Ethereum treasury company, have fallen sharply in recent trading days. The stock closed Wednesday at $ 29.32, down 6.59 % for the day and about 24 % in the last five-day period.
This reflects the uncertainty in the market surrounding both a broader market decline and BitMine's growing unrealized losses on its ETH holdings.
Yet, even as concerns grow around exposure to downside, some of crypto's most influential bulls are doubling down. This highlights an increasing divide around Ethereum's role in institutional treasury strategies.
Despite the downturn, BitMine chairman Tom Lee appears unaffected. On-chain data flagged by Arkham Intelligence shows that Lee continues to accumulate Ethereum on a large scale.
“Tom Lee just bought another $ 140 million ETH. Two new wallets just received $ 140.58 million ETH from FalconX. Their buying pattern matches BitMine's previous purchases. Tom Lee continues to buy the dip,” wrote Arkham.
This activity reinforces BitMine's long-term belief that Ethereum remains structurally undervalued and positioned to benefit from regulatory clarity, institutional adoption, and increased blockchain use. This is true even if short-term price developments tell a different story.
Cathie Woods Ark Invest also shows strong conviction. According to trading reports, Ark bought $ 10.56 million in BitMine shares on Wednesday through three of its exchange-traded funds.
This purchase followed up a previous purchase of $ 17 million earlier in the week, bringing Ark's latest accumulation to nearly $ 28 million.
Ark increases exposure to crypto stocks while treasury strategies split
Ark's buying wave extended beyond BitMine. The company also added $ 5.9 million in shares of Coinbase and $ 8.85 million in Bullish, betting on crypto stocks that have generally been on a downward trend. Coinbase fell 3.33 % on Wednesday to $ 244.19, while Bullish sank 1.89 % to $ 42.15.
These moves reflect Wood's broader macro view. Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood has repeatedly asserted that declining inflation and better liquidity conditions could lay the foundation for a new crypto rally.
BitMine's management shares this optimism. The company has continued to buy ether weekly through the downturn, and Lee has previously stated that regulatory and legislative changes in Washington, combined with increasing institutional interest, mean that “the best days for crypto” are still ahead of us.
Yet not everyone agrees with that view. Expert Samson Mow has taken the opposite route by taking a clean break from exposure to Ethereum.
“I have decided to sell all BitMine Ethereum holdings and switch to a Bitcoin-only treasury strategy,” wrote Mow.
Mow's decision shows an increasing philosophical divide within crypto treasuries: whether diversifying into Ethereum represents strategic foresight or unnecessary risk.
For BitMine, this debate is no longer theoretical, and as unrealized losses persist, it may be that Lee and Ark's conviction are not rewarded right away unless the market turns. Similarly, Ethereum's volatility continues to test the limits of institutional patience.
Today's chart
Here’s a summary of several American crypto news stories you should follow today:
Bitfinex Bitcoin whale long positions rise by 36 %: What does this mean?
Bitcoins 5 % “whiplash” was no coincidence — charts reveal the whole story.
Peter Brandt predicts a bearish trend for the XRP price even though Ripple is working on multi-chain expansion.
The 11th crypto forecast from Bitwise may not survive—James Seyffart warns.
Japan's government bond yield reaches 1.98 %: BOJ interest rate change affects gold, silver, and Bitcoin.
Crypto stocks pre-market overview
Company At closing time December 17 Overview before the market opens Strategy (MSTR) $ 160.38 $ 162.80 (+1.51 %) Coinbase (COIN) $ 244.19 $ 250.37 (+2.53 %) Galaxy Digital Holdings (GLXY) $ 22.81 $ 23.11 (+1.31 %) MARA Holdings (MARA) $ 9.93 $ 10.03 (+1.01 %) Riot Platforms (RIOT) $ 12.96 $ 13.07 (+0.85 %) Core Scientific (CORZ) $ 13.57 $ 14.00 (+3.17 %)
Opening of the crypto stock market: Google Finance
