What happened
Today, China-based cryptocurrency miners saw a lot of attention. Unfortunately for investors in Ebang International Holdings (EBON 3.88%), the momentum has been to the downside. Shares of Ebang were down 11.2% today, on some sector-specific news.
Most investors are already aware of the high-profile news surrounding China's crackdown on cryptocurrency mining. This news has permeated the sector for some time, and has led to lower valuations across the board. Ebang, along with its competitors, is trying to shift operations out of China.
However, some recent news regarding rival Chinese cryptocurrency miner SOS Limited (SOS 4.07%) appears to be sending Chinese cryptocurrency mining stocks lower. SOS today announced a private placement to accredited investors at quite a significant discount.
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So what
The private placement of SOS shares was carried out at a discount of 17% to the company's closing price yesterday. Accordingly, investors appear to be factoring in significantly reduced demand for Chinese cryptocurrency miners among serious investors in this space.
The ability of Chinese cryptocurrency miners to attract outside capital has been a cause of concern for some time. Ebang's stock price remains well off its 52-week highs, trading approximately 85% below its peak. Accordingly, tapping equity markets for growth capital appears to be more difficult right now. For a company that's looking to shift where it does its mining, this isn't a good thing.
Now what
Investors in the cryptocurrency mining space appear to be targeting U.S. or Europe-based miners right now. Geopolitical risks are being reflected in the stock prices of any miner calling China a home base.
Accordingly, both Ebang and SOS appear to be under tremendous pressure right now. Investors considering either one should be aware of the risk being factored in by the markets, and invest accordingly.
