DDC, a Hong Kong food company, just bought 21 BTC ($2.28M), announced big plans (wants 5,000 BTC in three years), and the market nuked their stock (down 14.5% in a day). Compare that to MicroStrategy, which has gone full Bitcoin company with 580250 BTC and seen their shares run circles around the S&P500, and DigiAsia, a fintech out of Asia, which got an 80-130% stock pop on similar news.
Why? It seems that the market now sees through BTC as PR. If you’re a fintech or tech company, and you announce a credible, strategic BTC plan, market says “OK, this fits". If you’re a food company burning cash and using shareholders to get Bitcoin, market says nope. Markets just aren’t rewarding FOMO-driven, non-core moves. There’s now a credibility discount for companies outside tech/finance. Old-economy companies (food, cars, retail) are expected to have a real business, not just add Bitcoin and hope for magic. They get punished for that, for bad timing (like DDC buying near ATH), and for not integrating BTC with what they actually do.
Also, what’s up with the region bias? HK and China are trying to be crypto hubs, but if you’re listed in the US and have China ops, market still sees regulatory risk. Japanese companies like Metaplanet? Loved. US fintechs? Rewarded. Everyone else: “try again".
I honestly do not think the company's decision to buy Bitcoin is just about PR. Even if it is about PR, it is in the right direction because DDC will end up being profitable in the long run, and it will also encourage other industries to key into Bitcoin adoption. This is good and should not be criticised for any reason.Why? It seems that the market now sees through BTC as PR. If you’re a fintech or tech company, and you announce a credible, strategic BTC plan, market says “OK, this fits". If you’re a food company burning cash and using shareholders to get Bitcoin, market says nope. Markets just aren’t rewarding FOMO-driven, non-core moves. There’s now a credibility discount for companies outside tech/finance. Old-economy companies (food, cars, retail) are expected to have a real business, not just add Bitcoin and hope for magic. They get punished for that, for bad timing (like DDC buying near ATH), and for not integrating BTC with what they actually do.
Also, what’s up with the region bias? HK and China are trying to be crypto hubs, but if you’re listed in the US and have China ops, market still sees regulatory risk. Japanese companies like Metaplanet? Loved. US fintechs? Rewarded. Everyone else: “try again".
I have gone through the profile of DDC, and they are known to have acquired other food-related companies still within the food industry. They are also in a joint venture with Hewen Agricultural Technology. The food company is obviously in their expansion stage. I am not surprised about them acquiring Bitcoin also. Although their goal of acquiring 5,000 BTC in three years seems outrageous, let’s see how it goes.