MSTR and MSTY Show Distinct Investment Outcomes Over 12 Months

2 min

From April 2024 to April 2025, investors in Strategy (MSTR) and YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF (MSTY) experienced different investment outcomes:

  • MSTR focuses on capital appreciation linked to bitcoin (BTC), holding 531,644 BTC as of April 15. The stock has increased over 2,500% since adopting a bitcoin treasury strategy in August 2020.
  • MSTR's current volatility is high, with an implied volatility of 87% and a 30-day historic volatility of 102%. It trades 43% below its all-time high from November 2024 and pays no dividend.
  • MSTY, launched in April 2024, employs a synthetic covered call strategy without directly holding MSTR shares, investing mainly in U.S. Treasury bills, cash, and short-term call options on MSTR.
  • From April 4, 2024, to April 9, 2025, a $1,000 investment in MSTR grew to $1,895 (+86% return); MSTY reached $1,591 (+59% return) after reinvesting $36.53 from monthly distributions.
  • MSTY declined 45% due to downside exposure to MSTR’s price movements and reduced net asset value from consistent high monthly distributions.
  • MSTY's volatility led to trading at premiums or discounts to net asset value (NAV), influenced by investor demand and MSTR's volatility.
  • A new bitcoin rally could improve option income and investor interest in MSTY.

Both products serve different purposes: MSTR offers high-risk growth potential tied to bitcoin, while MSTY aims for income through a derivatives-based strategy, appealing to investors willing to accept higher risk and volatility.