MicroStrategy Makes it to The MSCI World Stock Index

MicroStrategy ( MSTR ), recognized as the world's largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, has recently been included in the MSCI World Stock Index, which has significantly enhanced the liquidity of its stocks. The company's stock price has consistently outperformed Bitcoin's price over the past year and into early 2024. Notably, on May 14, the MSTR stock price surged by 4.15%, hovering just below the $1,300 mark. This development underscores the increasing convergence of cryptocurrency exposure within traditional investment portfolios, as billions of dollars are either monitored against or used as benchmarks against MSCI's global index.

Michael Saylor, the co-founder of MicroStrategy, is renowned for his strong support of Bitcoin. As of April 26, MicroStrategy ( MSTR ) possessed a significant holding of 214,400 Bitcoins. Over the last year, MicroStrategy's stock price has quadrupled, surpassing the increase in Bitcoin's price by an impressive 130%. However, the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. this year has posed a challenge to MicroStrategy's market dominance.

In March, Kerrisdale Capital Management LLC publicized its decision to short the stock, attributing it to the rapid growth of MicroStrategy outpacing the surge in the digital asset's price. Presently, MicroStrategy has received four analyst buy ratings, with an average 12-month price target of $1,678.75, which is almost 30% higher than the current stock level, as per data compiled by Bloomberg.

Index provider MSCI has included U.S. bitcoin investor MicroStrategy ( MSTR ) in its list of 42 additions to its widely tracked world index, while more firms from India have joined its emerging markets index following a quarterly review. These additions are closely monitored as billions of dollars invested in exchange-traded funds track MSCI indexes, and they are utilized as performance benchmarks for fund managers.

The three largest additions to the MSCI emerging markets index will be U.S. companies: software firm and bitcoin investor MicroStrategy, data storage company Pure Storage (NYSE:PSTG), and mechanical and electrical construction firm Emcor. These changes, effective at market close on May 31, typically drive a notable increase in turnover.