Trump Media shares ride post-election, potential crypto acquisition wave 

This is a segment from the Forward Guidance newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.

Shares of Donald Trump’s social media company, Trump Media & Technology, continued to fluctuate Tuesday following a rally spurred by reports that the president-elect is furthering his crypto business interests.

The Financial Times reported Tuesday that Trump Media is in “advanced talks” to acquire crypto exchange Bakkt — a company founded and owned by New York Stock Exchange parent company Intercontinental Exchange (ICE).

The news pushed Bakkt shares 162% higher Monday and Trump Media (ticker DJT) posted a 17% gain. Bakkt sustained its rally into Tuesday (trading 7% higher midway through the session), while DJT lost more than 8%.

The social media company began trading on the Nasdaq last spring after a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. Currently hovering around $30, DTJ shares are up almost 150% from their September low, but are still trading about 40% off of their IPO price of $50.

Trump Media’s recent gains have not been linear, though. Shares rose 65% at the end of October, a rally attributed to increased optimism at the time that Trump would win the election. The share price since Trump’s victory however has been flat, posting a modest increase the day after the election before erasing gains.

The market is, presumably, confused about what a Trump win means for the social media company. Yesterday’s rise shows that investors are decently certain that acquiring Bakkt would be a good move. But the subsequent retreat shows shareholders aren’t exactly sure why.

We’ll be following the acquisition story and will be writing a lot more about what it means when the majority shareholder of a public company moves into the White House. Stay tuned.