Bitcoin is again making headlines with the unreal upwards movement it recorded on the price charts recently, setting fresh all-time highs. The crypto currency has gained nearly 400% since March this year and over 200% since the beginning of this pandemic struck year. Investor’s interest in bitcoin has been gaining steam in 2020 and it’s not just small investors, institutions too have joined in cheering it. Seeing these developments, Chris Wood, global head (equity strategy) at Jefferies, has decided to introduce Bitcoin in its long-only global portfolio.
In his weekly newsletter, Greed & Fear, Chris Wood said that Bitcoin will be introduced in the long only global portfolio for US dollar-denominated pension funds. Chris Wood had made a case for owning Bitcoin back in June of 2019. The investment space for Bitcoin will be made by reducing the weight of physical gold bullion by 5 percentage points. “If there is a big drawdown in bitcoin from the current level, after yesterday’s historic breakout above the US$20,000 level, the intention will be to add to this position,” Chris Wood said last week.
Bitcoin institutionalisation
His views on owning the crypto currency have been strengthened by the ‘institutionalisation of Bitcoin’ and with custodian arrangements being made available. Retail investors can now buy into Bitcoin via quoted vehicles, unlike before when the risk of Bitcoin accounts being hacked was real. Wood also highlighted the case of Nasdaq-listed MicroStrategy, a business intelligence software company, that has invested in the Bitcoin equivalent of$425 million ($250m in August and$175m in September), amounting to almost 100% of its own treasury funds, to hold on its balance sheet.
MicroStrategy, in its filings to the SEC said that the aim is to make Bitcoin “the primary treasury reserve asset on an ongoing basis”, along with cash and short-term investments. “This marks a watershed moment in GREED & fear’s view since the auditors approved MicroStrategy putting Bitcoin on its balance sheet as did the SEC,” Chris Wood noted. He further highlighted that MicroStrategy’s market capitalization has risen 131% since announcing its investment in Bitcoin and the value of its Bitcoin holding has almost doubled to $917 million.
Gold not out
Although Chris Wood is trimming Gold’s weight, he said that this does not mean that he is going to give up on gold. “… the yellow metal should rally again if the Fed stays dovish in the face of the dramatic cyclical recovery that is coming on the other side of the pandemic, in line with GREED & fear’s base case,” he said.
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