What occurred
This week was a slightly unstable one for the traders in cryptocurrency miners. And that is saying one thing.
U.S.-based Riot Blockchain (NASDAQ:RIOT) has carried out higher than its friends, posting weekly intraday highs of almost 40% this week, from final Friday’s shut. Rival Canaan (NASDAQ:CAN) additionally had a stable week, buying and selling 23% larger at its peak this week in comparison with final, with SOS Restricted (NYSE:SOS) coming in because the laggard, down roughly 30% on a week-over-week foundation.
These strikes replicate the sort of volatility that traders can count on within the crypto mining sector. Constructive positive aspects seen by Riot and Canaan seem like pushed by Bitcoin and Ethereum costs, which proceed to hover round their all-time highs.
Nevertheless, for SOS, this week was lower than stellar. The corporate’s 30% drop midweek pushed this inventory to its lowest degree in a 12 months. This transfer got here as the corporate introduced a non-public placement at a considerable low cost to its market value.

Picture supply: Getty Photos.
So what
Cryptocurrency costs proceed to stay purple scorching proper now. For Bitcoin and Ethereum miners, that is an excellent factor.
These crypto miners’ fundamentals are fully beholden to the spot costs of those two main proof-of-work cryptocurrencies. When the crypto market heats up, so too do the valuations of firms set out on mining these tokens.
Performing a reduced money stream or different conventional elementary modeling on such firms may be troublesome, because of the volatility inherent within the crypto market. Accordingly, the momentum-driven strikes in cryptocurrency costs are inclined to drive volatility within the valuations of crypto miners. With constructive momentum in crypto costs of late, Riot and Canaan have reaped the advantages of this setting.
For SOS, it seems an absence of institutional investor curiosity on this crypto mining inventory has some retail traders apprehensive. This week’s personal placement introduced at an 18% low cost despatched a really unfavourable sign to traders.
Now what
Proper now, it seems traders trying on the cryptocurrency mining area are more and more gravitating towards Riot and Canaan. As a method of taking part in the volatility in cryptocurrency costs, these crypto mining shares can present engaging leverage for traders in search of a publicly traded possibility within the crypto world.
Nevertheless, the volatility that SOS inventory noticed this previous week ought to be famous by traders. This stays a extremely speculative area, and one which’s not for the typical, risk-averse investor. These seeking to put some threat capital to work ought to keep in mind to take action in a prudent, diversified method, with correct place sizing.
This text represents the opinion of the author, who could disagree with the “official” suggestion place of a Motley Idiot premium advisory service. We’re motley! Questioning an investing thesis — even certainly one of our personal — helps us all suppose critically about investing and make selections that assist us grow to be smarter, happier, and richer.