What happened
Shares of Coinbase Global (COIN 7.04%) were falling Wednesday after an analyst downgraded the stock and slashed his price target for the shares.
The cryptocurrency stock was trading 4.6% lower as of 1:01 p.m. ET.
So what
Atlantic Equities analyst Simon Clinch downgraded the cryptocurrency exchange operator's stock from overweight to neutral, and cut his price target for the shares from $95 to $54.
Image source: Getty Images.
Clinch sees broad concerns in the cryptocurrency market, and said that his hopes that crypto prices and trading volumes would stabilize have been "dashed" recently, according to TheFly.com.
He also told investors that he's concerned that the company will not be able to attract the talent it needs, which could hurt its competitiveness.
Now what
The cryptocurrency market is now in the midst of what is widely described as a "crypto winter" in which the prices of most digital tokens have plummeted. That, in turn, has sent the crypto exchange operator's stock down by 79% year to date.
Wednesday's downgrade from Atlantic Equities certainly isn't helping investors feel more optimistic about Coinbase stock or the broader crypto market.
One thing Coinbase investors may want to keep in mind is that the company's share price drop isn't happening in a vacuum. Investors across all sectors of the market have been selling shares lower as they digest the impacts of rising inflation, a steady stream of interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve that are intended to fight inflation, and fears of a potential recession.
That doesn't mean that Coinbase's shares will end up rebounding, but it is worth noting that the severe drop in crypto-related stocks is happening as part of a broader sell-off in the market.
