Two Cryptocurrency Stocks Benefit from Bitcoin's All-Time Highs
Recent Performance of Bullish and MARA Holdings: Both Bullish and MARA Holdings have seen significant gains of over 30% in the past month, with Bullish launching a spot crypto exchange for U.S. institutional investors and MARA reporting a 4% increase in Bitcoin production.
Market Trends in Cryptocurrency: October has been favorable for cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin rising 7% this month, driven by factors such as the government shutdown, which has increased interest in alternative assets like crypto and gold.
Investment Considerations: When investing in Bitcoin-related companies, it's important to assess how integral Bitcoin is to their business model, including the amount held and the potential risks associated with price fluctuations.
Stock Advisor Recommendations: The Motley Fool's Stock Advisor has identified ten top stocks for investment, notably excluding Bullish, while highlighting the historical success of their recommendations compared to the S&P 500.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Analyst Views on MARA
About MARA
About the author

- Earnings Miss: MARA Holdings reported a Q4 GAAP EPS of -$4.52, missing Street consensus by $3.35, with revenue of $202.3 million down 5.6% year-over-year, falling short of expectations by $49.04 million, indicating ongoing pressure in its bitcoin mining operations.
- Significant Loss: The company posted a net loss of $1.7 billion, a stark contrast to a net income of $528.3 million in the same period last year, with the loss including a $1.5 billion impairment on the fair value of digital assets, reflecting a substantial decline in bitcoin holdings.
- Strategic Transformation: MARA is shifting its business model from a pure-play bitcoin miner to an energy and digital infrastructure company, entering a strategic agreement with Starwood Capital Group to convert select sites into next-generation digital infrastructure to meet enterprise and AI customer demands.
- Future Outlook: CEO Fred Thiel anticipates 2026 as a pivotal year, with infrastructure in place and the Starwood partnership advancing select assets towards hyperscale tenancy, aiming to support over 1 gigawatt of IT capacity initially, with a roadmap extending beyond 2.5 gigawatts over time.
- Strategic Partnership: Mara Holdings has partnered with Starwood Capital Group to transform its cryptocurrency mining facilities into high-performance computing centers, which is expected to significantly enhance the company's competitiveness in the AI computing sector.
- Positive Market Reaction: Mara's stock price surged as much as 16.4% during the trading day, ultimately closing up 5.8%, reflecting market optimism regarding the potential of this partnership, with a market cap reaching $3.2 billion.
- Clear Capacity Goals: The two companies aim to achieve 1 gigawatt of computing capacity in the near term, with a long-term target of over 2.5 gigawatts, intending to accelerate the deployment of AI infrastructure beyond traditional construction timelines.
- Financial Context: Despite reporting a net loss of $1.7 billion, or $4.52 per share, in its fourth-quarter report, this partnership is viewed as a diversification strategy in the context of declining Bitcoin prices, potentially paving the way for future growth.
- Strategic Partnership: Mara Holdings has formed a strategic alliance with Starwood Capital Group to convert its cryptocurrency mining facilities into high-performance computing centers aimed at supporting AI workloads, which is expected to accelerate the deployment of AI infrastructure.
- Market Reaction: Following the announcement of the partnership, Mara's stock price rose by 5.8%, peaking at a 16.4% increase during the day, indicating positive investor sentiment despite the company facing a net loss of $1.7 billion.
- Capacity Goals: The two companies are targeting 1 gigawatt of near-term computing capacity, with a long-term goal of exceeding 2.5 gigawatts, leveraging Mara's low-cost energy and Starwood's expertise in facility management to enhance market competitiveness.
- Financial Context: In its fourth-quarter report, Mara revealed a loss of $4.52 per share due to a sharp decline in Bitcoin prices; nevertheless, the partnership is viewed as a strategic move to adapt to market fluctuations and changing demand trends.
- Strategic Partnership: MARA Holdings has entered into a strategic agreement with Starwood Capital Group and its data center development platform, Starwood Digital Ventures, expecting to deliver approximately 1 gigawatt of near-term IT capacity with a pathway to over 2.5 gigawatts, showcasing the company's dual capabilities in Bitcoin mining and AI computing.
- Analyst Downgrades: H.C. Wainwright downgraded MARA Holdings from ‘Buy’ to ‘Neutral’ and slashed its FY26 sales forecast from $954.8 million to $851.1 million, primarily due to a downward revision in Bitcoin price outlook, reflecting concerns about the company's future growth prospects.
- Positive Market Reaction: Despite several Wall Street analysts downgrading MARA, the company's deal with Starwood buoyed retail trader sentiment, with shares rising 10% at the time of the announcement, indicating optimism about the strategic partnership.
- Investor Sentiment High: On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around MARA trended in the ‘extremely bullish’ territory, with users discussing the Starwood deal's potential to imply around $2 billion in annual revenue, reflecting strong confidence in the company's future developments.
- Netflix Share Surge: Netflix shares rose 10% after the streaming service declined to increase its bid for Warner, opting instead to match a new offer from Paramount, which enhances its competitive position and may attract more subscribers.
- Bank Stocks Decline: Several bank stocks fell amid concerns over potential losses linked to the collapse of UK mortgage provider Market Financial Solutions, with Barclays down about 4%, indicating market worries about financial stability.
- Duolingo Guidance Warning: Duolingo's shares dropped 14% after issuing weaker-than-expected guidance for Q1 and full-year 2026, projecting revenue of $288.5 million for Q1, below the $291.4 million consensus, highlighting risks of slowing growth.
- Block Layoffs Impact: Payment company Block announced it would lay off over 4,000 employees, yet shares soared 14% as its Q4 earnings exceeded analyst expectations, indicating a strategic restructuring to navigate market challenges.
- Financial Loss: MARA reported a net loss of $1.7 billion in Q4 2024, compared to a net income of $528.3 million a year earlier, primarily due to a $1.5 billion decline in the fair value of Bitcoin holdings, indicating the company's vulnerability amid market volatility.
- Revenue Changes: While full-year revenue grew 38% to $907.1 million, Q4 revenue fell 6% to $202.3 million, driven by a 14% drop in the average price of Bitcoin mined, highlighting challenges in profitability for the company.
- AI Infrastructure Strategy: The joint venture with Starwood aims to invest over 1 gigawatt in IT capacity, with MARA providing data center sites and Starwood managing design and operations, marking a significant shift from solely Bitcoin mining to a diversified business model.
- Stock Technical Analysis: MARA's stock has broken out from a multi-week base, currently trading 21% above the Supertrend, with a 38% rally from $7.00 to $9.66, reflecting strong buying pressure and positive market sentiment towards its strategic transformation.









