Ethereum is Down, But Tom Lee and Ark Invest Makes New Moves

Welcome to the US Crypto News Morning Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.

Grab a coffee as BitMine’s bold Ethereum strategy is back in focus with market pressure building and investor nerves fraying. Losses are mounting, the stock is sliding, and yet influential buyers are quietly stepping in, setting up a familiar crypto standoff between conviction and caution.

Crypto News of the Day: Losses Mount at BitMine, Yet Tom Lee and Ark Double Down on Ethereum

BitMine’s aggressive Ethereum treasury strategy is coming under renewed scrutiny as prolonged unrealized losses weigh on investor sentiment and its stock continues to slide.

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Shares of BitMine (BMNR), widely described as the world’s largest Ethereum treasury company, have fallen sharply in recent sessions. The stock closed Wednesday at $29.32, down 6.59% on the day and roughly 24% over the past five days,

The reflects market unease around both broader market weakness and BitMine’s mounting unrealized losses on ETH holdings.

Yet even as concerns grow around downside exposure, some of crypto’s most influential bulls are doubling down. This highlights a widening divide over Ethereum’s role in institutional treasury strategies.

Despite the drawdown, BitMine Chairman Tom Lee appears unfazed. On-chain data flagged by Arkham Intelligence indicates that Lee has continued to accumulate Ethereum at scale.

“Tom Lee just bought another $140 million ETH. Two fresh wallets just received $140.58 million ETH from FalconX. Their acquisition behavior matches BitMine’s prior purchase patterns. Tom Lee continues to buy the dip,” wrote Arkham.

The activity reinforces BitMine’s long-standing thesis that Ethereum remains structurally undervalued and is positioned to benefit from regulatory clarity, institutional adoption, and the expansion of on-chain use cases. This holds despite near-term price action telling a different story.

Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest is also signaling conviction. According to trade filings, Ark purchased $10.56 million worth of BitMine shares on Wednesday across three of its exchange-traded funds.

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The buy followed an additional $17 million purchase earlier in the week, bringing Ark’s recent accumulation to nearly $28 million.

Ark Expands Crypto Equity Exposure as Treasury Strategies Split

Ark’s buying spree extended beyond BitMine. The firm also added $5.9 million in Coinbase shares and $8.85 million worth of Bullish, leaning into crypto equities that have broadly been trending lower. Coinbase fell 3.33% on Wednesday to $244.19, while Bullish slipped 1.89% to $42.15.

The moves reflect Wood’s broader macro-outlook. The Ark Invest CEO, Cathie Wood, has repeatedly argued that easing inflation and improving liquidity conditions could set the stage for a renewed crypto rally.

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BitMine’s leadership mirrors that optimism. The company has continued purchasing ether weekly during the downturn, with Lee previously stating that regulatory and legislative shifts in Washington, combined with rising institutional engagement, mean “the best days for crypto” are still ahead.

Nonetheless, not everyone shares that view. Analyst Samson Mow has taken the opposite approach, opting for a clean break from Ethereum exposure.

“I’ve decided to liquidate all BitMine Ethereum holdings and pivot to a Bitcoin-only treasury strategy,” wrote Mow.

Mow’s decision highlights a growing philosophical split within crypto treasuries: whether diversification into Ethereum represents strategic foresight or unnecessary risk.

For BitMine, that debate is no longer theoretical, and as unrealized losses persist, Lee and Ark’s conviction may not be rewarded soon, unless tides turn. In the same way, Ethereum’s volatility continues to test the limits of institutional patience.

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Here’s a summary of more US crypto news to follow today:

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