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Justin Sun’s TRON stock is dying

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Justin Sun’s TRON stock is dying

Justin Sun, the creator and face of TRON, went public with a company called TRON Inc. last year. Since then, its price has tumbled from a high of $12.80 to a recent close of $1.36 — a fall of nearly 90% in eight months.

But what exactly does TRON Inc. do and why is it fairing so poorly?

A toy company with a TRON treasury

TRON Inc. “specialize[s] in creating imaginative, high-quality toys and products that celebrate the world’s most beloved characters.”

These beloved characters include The Smurfs, Zoonicorns, and ICEE. However, TRON doesn’t control the intellectual property for these brands; instead it produces related merchandise, including, but not limited to, plushies, backpacks, and dinnerware.

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Read more: ‘Biggest NFT trading platform on TRON,’ AINFT, has $6 in volume

For some reason, it also purchased the rights to the film The Kid, starring Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt, and Vincent D’Onofrio (RottenTomatoes: 43%, IMDb: 5.9/10).

Importantly, however, that’s not everything. There’s also TRX.

The company calls the TRX token “an attractive digital asset which can create long-term value for… shareholders.”

It claims, “Our TRX token strategy generally involves from time to time… (i) issuing debt or equity securities or engaging in other capital raising transactions with the objective of using the proceeds to purchase TRK tokens, and (ii) acquiring TRX tokens with our liquid assets that exceed working capital requirements.”

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What TRON Inc. is engaging in is akin to the Strategy Bitcoin Treasury concept, but with fewer guardrails, a very small product line outside of the TRX token treasury, and a just as significant dependence on unrealized gains.

A family company failing miserably

While TRON Inc. is now basically a penny stock, barely sitting above the $1/share price, Sun has built up a strange board of directors.

This board includes his father Weike Sun, who’s being paid in private investment in public equity (PIPE) offerings and warrants, and a 27-year-old blockchain investor and Chinese national named Zi Yang, who also works for Tronscan (the barely functional explorer that’s supposed to allow TRX users to view wallet addresses and transactions on the blockchain).

The executive leadership and board of directors have collectively been able to accumulate millions of shares of TRON Inc. through these PIPE offerings and warrants (Weike Sun isn’t listed as an insider).

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Left to right: TRON Inc. CEO Douglas McKinnon, TRON founder Justin Sun, and Sun’s father Weike Sun on July 24, 2025.

No real path to profitability

Outside issuing debt to fund more TRX purchases, TRON Inc.’s 10-Q from September points to a company that’s completely unprofitable, with no path toward a way of making money.

Its merchandising business, when coupled with operating expenses and the cost of sales, is a net loser for the company, and without the unrealized gains from TRX tokens and the unrealized gains from staking TRX tokens, it bled over $5 million last year.

Without the unrealized gains from TRX and staking TRX, TRON Inc. bled over $5 million last year.

Read more: CHART: Strategy and TRON Inc. down bad compared to bitcoin this year

How TRON Inc. is able to profit from the unrealized gains of its crypto treasury is unclear. However, what’s more understandable is that it’s essentially become a vehicle for Justin Sun to purchase hundreds of millions of TRX tokens to prop up the price of his personal cryptocurrency.

Since Sun rang the opening bell on Nasdaq, TRON Inc. is down ~90%, but TRX is down only 9%, in stark contrast to bitcoin which is down more than 43% over the same period.

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Peter Schiff raises concerns over MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin funding strategy

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Goldbug Peter Schiff says the U.S. dollar is facing massive deleveraging as metals surge and crypto stalls

Peter Schiff, a well-known Bitcoin critic and gold advocate, has raised concerns about MicroStrategy’s ongoing Bitcoin acquisition strategy. 

Summary

  • Peter Schiff says MicroStrategy Bitcoin funding model may increase shareholder dilution through repeated share issuance.
  • Company shifts toward 11.5% yield preferred shares as earlier funding methods become less effective.
  • Debate continues as analysts disagree whether MicroStrategy faces risk or retains financial flexibility.

The company has continued to expand its holdings through a mix of debt and equity issuance.

Schiff stated that MicroStrategy’s approach is becoming harder to sustain under current market conditions. He said “the company is shifting toward more expensive capital” while referencing recent financing changes linked to preferred shares.

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He added that earlier funding methods, which included issuing shares at higher valuations, are becoming less effective in the present environment.

MicroStrategy has recently relied more on preferred share offerings with higher yield obligations. Schiff noted that the company is now issuing instruments with yields around 11.5 percent.

He said ”these obligations cannot be covered by software earnings alone” when describing the firm’s financial position. The company’s core software business has limited profit contribution compared to its Bitcoin exposure.

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Schiff stated that funding future purchases may require additional issuance of preferred shares, discounted equity, or Bitcoin sales. He argued this could increase pressure on shareholders through dilution over time.

Claims of structural risk and market reaction

Schiff described the company’s financing approach as vulnerable if market conditions weaken. He said the structure depends heavily on continued access to capital markets.

Canadian billionaire Frank Giustra also commented on the strategy, calling it ”a giant ponzi that will unravel when the next financial crisis hits” according to remarks cited in reports. He suggested that macroeconomic stress could expose weaknesses in the model.

The comments reflect ongoing debate over corporate treasury strategies that rely on digital assets as a primary reserve.

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Additionally, market research group BitMEX Research provided a different view on MicroStrategy’s approach. The firm stated that MicroStrategy is not under forced liquidation pressure and still has financial flexibility.

BitMEX Research said ”nobody is forcing MSTR to do this” and described the strategy as potentially beneficial under current conditions. It noted that the company can adjust financing terms, including coupon rates, instead of selling assets.

The discussion continues as MicroStrategy maintains one of the largest corporate Bitcoin holdings while using structured financial instruments to support its accumulation strategy.

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Bitcoin Halts Gains as US-Iran War, Hormuz Closure Make a Comeback

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Bitcoin Halts Gains as US-Iran War, Hormuz Closure Make a Comeback

Bitcoin foreshadows fresh market mayhem as it appears that the US-Iran war has returned, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz oil route.

Bitcoin (BTC) sought to protect $75,000 into Sunday’s weekly close as crypto surfed fresh uncertainty over the US-Iran war.

Key points:

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  • Bitcoin price action sinks from ten-week highs amid fears that the US-Iran war has returned in full force.

  • Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, bringing back the risk of an oil-price surge.

  • BTC price action faces ongoing resistance at a 21-week trend line into the weekly close.

Bitcoin abandons highs as US-Iran war fears return

Data from TradingView showed BTC price pressure reentering after a trip to ten-week highs of $78,400 on Friday.

BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Mixed signals from US and Iranian sources characterized the weekend, with an assumed ceasefire and mutual agreements between the two sides now seemingly undone.

Among the latest developments was the repeat closure of the Strait of Hormuz, putting the focus on oil futures on the day. News of a ceasefire had sent WTI crude below $80 per barrel for the first time since March 10.

“We expect an eventful Sunday ahead,” trading resource The Kobeissi Letter summarized in ongoing analysis on X.

CFDs on WTI crude oil one-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

As BTC/USD circled local highs, and sentiment with it, market participants stayed cautious. Trading resource Material Indicators noted that the entire market mood could flip on relatively little input, such as a social media post.

“Sentiment is overwhelmingly bullish at the moment, but that could change with one Tweet in the coming days. Know your invalidations,” it told X followers.

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Data from CoinGlass showed long positions coming under fire during the BTC price retracement, with total crypto liquidations at $260 million over the past 24 hours.

Crypto seven-day liquidation history (screenshot). Source: CoinGlass

BTC price capped by resistance trend line

Continuing, trader Daan Crypto Trades eyed a potential gap in CME Group’s Bitcoin futures market opening as a result of the weekend comedown.

Related: Bitcoin can grow ‘probably a lot bigger’ than $30T+ gold market — Analysis

As Cointelegraph reported, such gaps often act as short-term price magnets when the new week begins.

“It’s going to be interesting to see the futures open today and how $OIL will react to the recent headlines regarding the strait,” he added.

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BTC/USDT 15-minute chart. Source: Daan Crypto Trades/X

Looking at the weekly close, trader and analyst Rekt Capital placed importance on Bitcoin’s 21-week exponential moving average (EMA) near $78,900.

“Bitcoin is rejecting from the 21-week EMA (green),” he observed alongside the weekly chart. 

“It is this rejection that could force a post-breakout retest of the top of the Double Bottom (~$73k) next week, provided Bitcoin Weekly Closes just like this.”

BTC/USD one-week chart. Source: Rekt Capital/X