Cryptocurrency
Riot Stock Rebounds Strongly, Shrugging Off Short Seller’s Report

Riot shares experienced a recovery on June 5 following a report from short seller Kerrisdale Capital.
The paper, released just before the Nasdaq opened, accused Riot of mismanagement and predicted the firm’s impending collapse, stating that Bitcoin miners are selling “snake oil.”
Kerrisdale ‘Declares War’ on Bitcoin Miners
Kerrisdale’s June 5 report said that RIOT was more proficient in “playing energy arbitrage games and issuing stock” than generating value for shareholders through crypto mining. The firm emphasized this point in an accompanying post on X, declaring a “war against bitcoin miners,” who they likened to “snake oil salesmen,” accusing them of burning through investor capital and contributing to environmental degradation.
Today, we launch a war against bitcoin miners, an industry of snake oil salesmen that are incinerating both investor capital and the environment and should be banished from America much like the Chinese RTO frauds that we helped kick out a decade ago (1/10)
— Kerrisdale Capital (TradFi) (@KerrisdaleCap) June 5, 2024
Reacting to the report, RIOT shares initially plummeted by 9.6% before staging a recovery to close down by 0.21% at $9.65. As of the time of writing, Riot’s stock, traded on the Nasdaq under the ticker RIOT, has risen to $10.31 on Friday opening.
Kerrisdale’s report accuses Riot of operating on a business model that burns cash and relies heavily on diluting retail shareholders through continuous stock issuance. Since 2020, Riot’s outstanding shares have increased sixfold, a tactic Kerrisdale argues is unsustainable and damaging to shareholder value.
“If Riot were to stop issuing stock, it would be forced to start drawing down on its cash and Bitcoin holdings,” the report noted. Kerrisdale further pointed out that Riot is facing several challenges, including increased regulatory scrutiny in Texas, reduced revenues due to the Bitcoin halving, and stiff competition from more cost-efficient global miners.
Despite all it has spent on facilities & equipment, $RIOT‘s BTC production per share and BTC hodl per share have declined. The only way shareholders ever benefit is if bitcoin prices go up – which is a terrible way to invest in bitcoin given the availability of low-fee ETFs 7/10
— Kerrisdale Capital (TradFi) (@KerrisdaleCap) June 5, 2024
The report also questioned the value of investing in Bitcoin mining companies like Riot compared to directly owning BTC or investing in low-fee exchange-traded funds (ETFs). “Why own shares in a company like Riot, which has seen Bitcoin holdings per share and Bitcoin production per share steadily decline, versus simply owning Bitcoin itself?” Kerrisdale asked.
Valuation Collapse
The aggressive stance continued on X, where Kerrisdale detailed their strategy and shared two letters addressed to Texas state officials. They also labeled Bitcoin mining as a capital-intensive, competitive, and regulatory-challenged industry, arguing against investing in such companies as BTC proxies.
Kerrisdale highlighted RIOT’s struggle to compete globally in cost-effective mining, its poor financial performance, and reliance on incentives and tax credits under scrutiny. They concluded by warning of an impending valuation collapse for RIOT and peers amid increasing regulatory pressure and business model skepticism.
$RIOT’s inability to grow bitcoin+cash on a per share basis undermines the sole reason to own a miner vs bitcoin. As local, state & federal regulatory pressure increases & investors recognize the futility of these biz models, valuations will collapse for $RIOT & its peers 10/10
— Kerrisdale Capital (TradFi) (@KerrisdaleCap) June 5, 2024
This isn’t the first time Kerrisdale has targeted companies in the cryptocurrency space. Earlier, the firm bashed MicroStrategy, advocating for investments in spot Bitcoin ETFs over holding shares in BTC-holding firms like MSTR.
Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details).
LIMITED OFFER 2024 at BYDFi Exchange: Up to $2,888 welcome reward, use this link to register and open a 100 USDT-M position for free!
Cryptocurrency
All TRX Holders Turn Profitable as Tron Hits Major 2025 Milestone

While the crypto market recovered last week, the Tron ecosystem quietly recorded a significant milestone for the year.
As reported by Burakkesmeci, an analyst for the market intelligence platform CryptoQuant, all cohorts of investors holding TRX, the native asset of the Tron network, have seen their positions turn green.
TRX Holders Enter Profit Zone
Burakkesmeci disclosed that TRX investor sentiment turned bullish as the coin recorded 115% gains in a year. The journey to this milestone kicked off on May 5 when TRX rallied to $0.25, bringing all investor cohorts, from long- to short-term participants, into the green territory.
Investors who held TRX for one week, one month, three months (short-term), six months, and one year (medium/long-term) all became profitable. According to the analyst, this development is significant for market sentiment and network dynamics because it shows the level of user confidence in Tron’s future potential.
As of May 15, TRX investors holding the asset for one week were in 10% profit, while those holding for a month were 6% in the green. Three-month-old holders were in 11% profit, while six-month and one-year-old investors had recorded gains of 52% and 115%, respectively. Burakkesmeci insisted that short-term holders being in profit drives strong positive sentiment in the market.
“These investors are more likely to share their success stories, which can encourage new participants to invest in Tron, potentially creating a feedback loop of increasing demand and momentum,” he stated.
At the time of writing on May 16, TRX was worth $0.272 following a significant, but volatile price move over the last seven days.
Tron Attains Higher Reliability and Security
Besides Tron’s latest win in profitability, the network has become more reliable and secure, with block production consistently averaging 99.7% of the expected 28,800 blocks daily. Tron has come a long way from 2020 to 2021, when it witnessed more network volatility and disruptions in block output.
A recent report by CryptoQuant said Tron is now recording a steady upward trend in production efficiency.
“The absence of large swings in block production indicates a maturing network with robust governance and operational performance, reinforcing TRON’s credibility as a high-throughput blockchain platform,” CryptoQuant added.
Meanwhile, Tether (USDT) supply on Tron recently surpassed Ethereum for the first time in crypto history.
Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details).
LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin!
Cryptocurrency
These Altcoins Plunge Hard but Bitcoin (BTC) Maintains $103K (Market Watch)

Bitcoin’s price slipped below $103,000 earlier today, but the bulls managed to defend that level, and the asset is back well above it now.
However, several altcoins have marked massive losses over the past day, led by another double-digit price plunge from PI.
BTC Stays Calm
Bitcoin started the business week on the right foot as its price shot up from under $104,000 to a multi-month peak of just shy of $106,000. This came as a direct consequence of the trade deal struck by the US and China.
However, the asset couldn’t maintain its run and dropped by roughly five grand in the following hours to a weekly low of under $101,000. Nevertheless, the bulls didn’t allow a breakdown beneath $100,000, and the cryptocurrency began its recovery that pushed it to $105,000 by Thursday.
Another rejection followed, and more volatility ensued on Friday, but overall, bitcoin has been able to remain in a relatively tight range between $102,500 and $104,000. The past 24 hours brought some more minor fluctuations around these levels, and BTC now stands close to the upper boundary.
Its market cap has remained above $2.050 trillion on CG while its dominance over the alts has risen by over 0.5% daily to 60.4%.
PI Keeps Dumping
Most larger-cap alts have turned red in the past 24 hours. ETH has slipped below $2,500 after a 3% daily decline. A similar nosedive is evident from DOGE, while SHIB and LINK have dropped by over 4%.
However, PI leads the pack in terms of the biggest daily losses. Pi Network’s native token has plummeted by 20% and sits below $0.7.
Other larger-cap alts in the red today include PEPE, UNI, ONDO, AAVE, NEAR, APT, and more.
The total crypto market cap has seen over $70 billion disappear in a day and is down to $3.4 trillion on CG.
Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details).
LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin!
Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.
Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView.
Cryptocurrency
FTX Creditors to Receive Over $5B Starting May 30

The FTX Recovery Trust has announced it will begin disbursing more than $5 billion to creditors from May 30.
This payment round marks the second distribution to eligible parties as the firm continues its efforts to reimburse those affected by its collapse.
Repayment Efforts
In a May 15 release, the company’s bankruptcy estate categorized creditors into five “convenience classes” with specified payout rates. Members of creditors Class 5A will receive a 72% distribution, while Class 5B will be paid 54%.
Classes 6A and 6B, comprised of small lenders and Alameda Research trading partners, are each set for 61% distributions. Finally, Class 7 Convenience Claims will receive 120%.
John J. Ray III described the upcoming payments as a major development, stating:
“These first non-convenience class distributions are an important milestone for FTX. The scope and magnitude of the FTX creditor base makes this an unprecedented distribution process.”
He added that the announcement demonstrated the strong results of the team’s recovery and coordination efforts and emphasized that their focus remained on maximizing returns for creditors and addressing unresolved claims.
Eligible creditors are expected to receive their funds through their selected distribution service provider, either Bitgo or Kraken, within one to three business days after May 30. However, customers who onboard with a Distribution Service Provider will forfeit the right to receive cash directly from the bankrupt exchange, with all funds sent through their chosen provider instead.
The FTX Recovery Trust also said that the repayment schedule for upcoming creditor classes will be announced in due course. If all claims are filed, total repayments could reach up to $16.5 billion.
Separately, the FTX bankruptcy estate initiated legal proceedings in April against NFT Stars Limited and Delysium. The lawsuits aim to recover digital assets allegedly withheld from the estate and are part of the company’s efforts to reclaim funds and maximize recoveries following its November 2022 collapse.
Criticism Over Valuation Method
FTX currently has about $11.4 billion allocated for creditor repayments. The first round of reimbursements began on February 18, 2025, directed at creditors with “convenience claims” under $50,000. Approximately $1.2 billion was paid out in that phase.
The second distribution phase will now target those with requests exceeding that amount. These include major investors and institutions that held millions in crypto on the platform.
Despite progress, the repayment model has faced criticism for calculating reimbursements based on crypto values at the time of the bankruptcy filing. This has led to some creditors receiving less than the current market value of their holdings.
Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details).
LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin!
- Forex3 years ago
Forex Today: the dollar is gaining strength amid gloomy sentiment at the start of the Fed’s week
- Forex2 years ago
Unbiased review of Pocket Option broker
- Forex3 years ago
How is the Australian dollar doing today?
- Forex3 years ago
Dollar to pound sterling exchange rate today: Pound plummeted to its lowest since 1985
- Cryptocurrency3 years ago
What happened in the crypto market – current events today
- World3 years ago
Why are modern video games an art form?
- Commodities3 years ago
Copper continues to fall in price on expectations of lower demand in China
- Economy3 years ago
Crude oil tankers double in price due to EU anti-Russian sanctions