One stock riding the bull wave of Wednesday's market was storied investment bank Morgan Stanley (MS +1.94%). The company benefited from a surge in investor optimism following the apparent ceasefire in the Iran war, and on top of that it announced its entry into an asset class that has been very popular since its rollout in 2024 Over Hump Day's trading session, Morgan Stanley stock rose by nearly 4%.
A Bit of news from the bank
That asset class is cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Although these aren't as hot as they were when they began trading in early 2024, they're still seeing inflows from folks looking to buy into digital coins and tokens. As in the broader crypto world, these are led by Bitcoin ETFs.
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Before market open on Wednesday, Morgan Stanley announced its investment management unit's Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust had begun trading. This is not only the company's first spot Bitcoin ETF, but also its first crypto ETF, period.
In the press release heralding the rollout, Morgan Stanley wrote that it "reflects a continued, firmwide focus by Morgan Stanley to develop digital asset solutions designed to meet evolving client demand."
NYSE: MS
Key Data Points
Already a competitive product
Given that spot Bitcoin ETFs have energetically changed hands through the stock market for more than two years now, Morgan Stanley is rather late to the party. Still, it has an edge: the company charges a mere 0.14% fee to manage the fund, which, according to Fintech Weekly, is the lowest among all spot Bitcoin ETFs currently on the market.
Meanwhile, the investment bank already has prestige and surely plenty of existing clients who are sufficiently crypto-curious to buy shares in the Trust. I envision a strong interest in this ETF, which should lead to more spot crypto ETFs being introduced by Morgan Stanley.
