Shares in the China-based financial services conglomerate SOS Ltd jumped over 40% after pledging to buy $50 million worth of Bitcoin — the latest in a string of firms to buy up the rallying cryptocurrency.
The company, which operates a Bitcoin (BTC) mining facility in Wisconsin, said on Nov. 27 that its board of directors approved the $50 million purchase as part of its “long-term belief in Bitcoin’s role as a store of value and a strategic asset.”
It plans to use “investing, trading and arbitrage strategies” with its Bitcoin buys to “maximize returns and mitigate market volatility.”
“Bitcoin market performance is robust and supported by positive developments such as the launch of several Bitcoin-related ETF options and ongoing improvements in the US regulatory environment for digital assets,” SOS chairman and CEO Yandai Wang said in a statement.
Shares in SOS Ltd (SOS) closed up nearly 43% to $9.93 on Nov. 27 and continued to climb nearly 14.5% in after-hours trading to $11.36, according to Google Finance.
SOS shares are, however, down 86.5% this year — which prompted a noncompliance letter from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in August due to underperformance — and have essentially lost all value since hitting a peak of $84,900 in October 2017.
The dabbling crypto miner follows a string of firms now looking to catch a windfall from Bitcoin, which has soared around 40% over November from around $70,000 to now flirt with $100,000 — touching a high of $99,860 on Coinbase on Nov. 24.
On Nov. 25, the far-right YouTube alternative Rumble said it would buy $20 million worth of Bitcoin for its books, which sent its stock up nearly 13%.
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Like SOS, Rumble has been plagued by a falling stock price over the years as it’s struggled to ever reach profitability. SOS last posted a yearly net income gain in 2020.
Genius Group, an artificial intelligence-backed education provider similarly plagued by a freefall share price, also allotted to Bitcoin earlier this month with a $10 million purchase of 110 Bitcoin alongside future plans to have its reserves hold up to 90% Bitcoin.
SOS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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