According to a Sept. 18 press release, Overstock is working with regulatory authorities on making its digital asset-based dividend freely tradable by non-affiliates following distribution.
American e-commerce giant Overstock hopes to liberalize its planned digital dividend shares trading.
As such, the company will not have to put its dividend shares on the six-month holding period as required under Rule 144 enforced by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
Commenting on the development, interim CEO of Overstock Jonathan Johnson said:
“We have received a great deal of interest surrounding our Series A-1 dividend from shareholders, broker-dealers, regulators, and the general market. … It also introduces blockchain technology to enhance the investor experience. It is an important step on the journey to demonstrate that blockchain technology has enormous potential to transform society for the better.”
Postponing the record date
The record date for the dividend was initially set for Sept. 23, 2019, while the distribution date for the dividend was scheduled for Nov. 15, 2019. However in light of the latest developments, Overstock is postponing.
As previously reported, Overstock’s digital dividend will be payable at a ratio of 1:10, which means that one share of Series A-1 will be issued for every 10 shares of common stock. Also, the existing Series A-1 shares can now be traded on the Pro Securities alternative trading system, powered by technology owned by Overstock’s blockchain subsidiary tZERO.
Short sellers
A recent report by the New York Post (NYP) claims that Overstock’s former CEO, Patrick Byrne, designed the digital asset-based dividend in an effort to thwart short sellers. Per NYP, short sellers did not want to get stuck with blockchain-based dividends and began to unwind their short positions ahead of the previously planned dividend date, which drove up Overstock’s stock price.
tZERO security tokens trading
In August, tZERO announced plans to allow the public to trade its security tokens. At the time, Saum Noursalehi, CEO of tZERO, commented that the company was expecting as many as 50,000 new investors, who had already bought Overstock shares, to begin trading their digital security tokens.
Cryptocurrencies Show Signs of Maturing But Remain Too Risky
Bitcoin presented historically low volatility this year, argues the Dec. 2019 SFOX report released on Jan. 8. Coupled with a lower correlation with altcoins, there are emerging signs that the market could start to behave in a more predictable way. However, the cryptocurrency asset class remains disproportionately risky compared to the stock market.
In its final monthly report for 2019, the analytics firm SFOX analyzed the yearly performance of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Compared to traditional assets such as gold and stocks, Bitcoin held a remarkably low correlation index for the past six months. Its average 30-day correlation amounted to -0.037 for the SP 500 and 0.149 for gold. In addition, the correlation between Bitcoin and altcoins dropped from highs of 0.7 to as low as 0.4.
Furthermore, Bitcoin’s volatility fell during the later stages of the year. While still remaining well above the corresponding values for traditional assets, cryptocurrency markets registered a relatively low level of volatility compared to 2018. BTC closed 2019 at 32.05 percent historical volatility, which was in the bottom 10 percent of its volatility range in the previous year.
The combination of low volatility and low correlation “made BTC a compelling tool for portfolio management in 2019”, SFOX concluded. However, it also highlighted that the data set is not large enough to make meaningful predictions about the trend in 2020. Bitcoin options contracts, such as those recently launched by Bakkt, imply volatility of over 70 percent for the second half of this year.
Cryptoassets still disproportionately risky
BTC showed impressive year-over-year returns of 93.8 percent in 2019, compared to the SP 500’s 29 percent and gold’s 52.8 percent. But while the lower volatility may point to a gradual increase in market maturity, the risk is still outsized compared to the rewards.
The Sharpe ratio, a risk-reward measure that compares an asset’s returns with its volatility, was significantly higher for the SP 500. The ratio’s value for BTC amounted to 1.74 in 2019, while the leading stock market clocked in at 2.54. This means that traditional markets, despite their significantly lower returns, were statistically a more profitable investment than cryptocurrencies.
It is unknown whether these trends will persist in 2020. SFOX identified the upcoming Bitcoin halving and introduction of options contracts as potential positive drivers. Conversely, the recent Youtube content ban may be a sign of upcoming pressure from tech companies.
