Coinbase shares drop 22% after SEC takes a view

[MongiIG]

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a so-called Wells notice on Coinbase which saw the stock down heavily after-hours last night on Wall Street.

 

 Jeremy Naylor | Analyst, London | Publication date: Thursday 23 March 2023 

This is a document indicating that the SEC is preparing to act against some parts of the business.

IGTV’s Jeremy Naylor explains that as the story develops, and more is heard, traders will be able to make a better judgment.

Coinbase shares plunge

The crypto exchange Coinbase fell more than 22% yesterday late in the session, all-sessions on the IG platform, it trades outside of hours, and it was this trading that represented a big drop in the share price.

Share price chart

Let's take a look at what happened because it explains the situation quite well.

We have subsequently this morning seen a little bit of a rebound, but that 22% drop came after the company was issued a so-called Wells notice by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Wells notice is often one of the final steps before the SEC formally issues charges against the business, generally laying out the framework for what happens next.

So we've got this drop that came through last night. We've subsequently seen a little bit of a rise on the session. CNBC said last night that based on discussions with the staff that potentially enforcement actions would relate to aspects of the company's spot market staking service, Coinbase Earn, Coinbase Prime and also the Coinbase Wallet business.

Now the SEC is on high alert in the crypto industry in the wake of the failure of FTX. The recent gains we've seen in Coinbase have really all been about what's been happening with Bitcoin. Bitcoin has risen a whopping 47 and three quarter percent from the lows we had back on the 10th of March, all the way up to the highs we saw on Wednesday, yesterday, mid-session before the pullback.

It's acting a little bit like a safe haven in the world of the markets. But Coinbase reflected this to some degree. But that knock yesterday was a really big pullback. But the investors are regrouping around the business and see this stock now up all-sessions, up 7% today. Where it'll open remains to be seen, but I suspect we could well see a little bit of a drop at the start later on today on Wall Street.