Expanding beyond its traditional focus on equities and fixed income, the club has now embraced Bitcoin as part of its investment strategy.
The Stanford Blyth Fund, an investment club run by students at the university, made a strategic move to acquire Bitcoin (BTC) at a price of $45,000 in February, following a compelling presentation by one of the students.
Kole Lee, who is studying computer science and plays a leadership role in the Stanford Blockchain Club, shared via Twitter that the Blyth Fund has now dedicated around 7% of its investment portfolio to Bitcoin as a result of this acquisition.
Stanford’s Student-Led Fund Ventures into BTC
Founded in 1978 in tribute to the distinguished banker Charles Blyth by an unnamed benefactor, the Blyth Fund is entrusted with a significant portion of Stanford University’s endowment, traditionally investing in stocks and bonds.
This initiative serves both educational and philanthropic purposes, offering students real-world investment experience while allocating 25% of its earnings to support the university’s financial aid programs.
In his presentation to the fund in February, Lee emphasized the dynamics of cryptocurrency market cycles, the significance of exchange-traded fund (ETF) inflows, and Bitcoin’s potential as a safeguard against economic instability and conflict. He advocated for investment in the iShares Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) managed by BlackRock, the globe’s foremost asset management firm, leading to the decision to purchase BTC and allocate 7% of the fund’s portfolio to this leading cryptocurrency.
Notably, IBIT stands out as the premier and most successful among ten spot Bitcoin ETFs, boasting over $11 billion in management assets and a remarkable daily inflow of $420 million as of March 4.
Increased Acceptance of BTC
The decision by the Blyth Fund to include BTC in its portfolio underscores the growing acceptance and integration of this emerging asset class. The introduction of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. market has propelled Bitcoin’s adoption to new heights, attracting significant investment from the traditional financial sector.
This surge in ETF trading volumes and capital inflows has contributed to Bitcoin’s price ascent to levels not seen since the peak of the previous bull market in November 2021.
Bitcoin reached a high of over $68,000 on Tuesday morning and set a new all-time high later that same day before undergoing a significant pullback. According to CoinMarketCap, Bitcoin was trading at around $66,700 at the time this article was written.
Moreover, March 5 marked a record-setting day for trading volume among the ten ETFs, totaling approximately $10 billion, with IBIT accounting for the bulk of this activity.