Coinbase Global Inc. experienced a significant surge of over 24% in its shares on Thursday, following a judge’s ruling on a case related to cryptocurrency tokens. This ruling has sparked debates on Wall Street regarding the potential impact on Coinbase’s ongoing regulatory challenges.
Currently, the cryptocurrency exchange is engaged in a battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which has filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging that it operates as an unregistered national securities exchange. The SEC specifically takes issue with certain tokens sold by Coinbase, perceiving them as securities.
However, a federal judge provided Ripple Labs’ crypto token with a partial victory in another case, stating that it did not qualify as a security when sold to the public on crypto exchanges. This ruling brought cheers from investors in Coinbase’s stock.
Oppenheimer analyst Owen Lau commented on the implications of the Ripple ruling, stating that it could lead to an earlier resolution of Coinbase’s case than anticipated. Lau expressed this view in a note to clients while maintaining his perform rating on the stock. Lau also highlighted that during a pre-motion conference between Coinbase and the SEC, the judge asked insightful questions, demonstrating some skepticism towards the SEC’s complaint. These factors may have contributed to the rally in Coinbase shares.
On the other hand, Mark Palmer, an analyst at Berenberg Capital Markets, expressed skepticism regarding Coinbase’s ability to prevail in its case. Palmer believes that Thursday’s surge in stock price is unwarranted, particularly considering a footnote in the Ripple ruling.
As the battle between Coinbase and the SEC continues, market participants closely monitor the legal developments and their potential impact on the cryptocurrency industry.
Read: Crypto Bulls Rejoice as XRP Receives Non-Security Classification
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Coinbase’s Stock Soars Amid SEC Lawsuit
Coinbase, the popular cryptocurrency exchange, experienced a significant surge in its stock following a recent court ruling in its ongoing legal battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Investors interpreted Judge Torres’ ruling as a setback for the SEC’s claim that many tokens traded on Coinbase’s exchange are unregistered securities. However, a closer examination of the ruling reveals that the judge did not explicitly reject this argument.
Of particular interest was a footnote in the decision which clarified that the ruling did not address secondary-market sales of the specific token in question. This distinction is crucial since Coinbase primarily facilitates secondary-market transactions, while the lawsuit involves primary market transactions in which Ripple sold XRP. As a result, some analysts, like Palmer, maintained a sell rating on Coinbase’s shares, stressing the limited scope of the ruling.
Barclays analyst Benjamin Budish, who had recently adopted a bearish outlook on Coinbase’s stock, offered a more nuanced perspective on the judgment. He emphasized the importance of marketing and context in determining whether a token qualifies as a security. Budish believes that the ruling sets a precedent where certain tokens may indeed be deemed not securities, which can be viewed as an incremental positive for Coinbase.
Furthermore, Budish speculated that based on this legal precedence, the judge presiding over Coinbase’s lawsuit might consider secondary-market trading of tokens to fall outside the realm of securities transactions due to the absence of common enterprise investment.
Coinbase’s stock rally on Thursday contributed to a remarkable 200% increase in share value for the company this year. In contrast, the S&P 500 has only seen a modest gain of 17%.
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