NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 10:07 ET — Market closed
- Strategy shares closed up 3.5% on Friday, tracking a bitcoin rebound.
- A Jan. 2 SEC filing detailed a higher dividend rate on the company’s STRC preferred shares and a Jan. 31 payout.
- Traders next watch Friday’s U.S. jobs report (Jan. 9) and MSCI’s Jan. 15 conclusions on digital-asset-heavy companies in indexes.
Strategy Inc shares ended the first U.S. trading session of 2026 up 3.5% at $157.16, before markets closed for the weekend. The move tracked bitcoin’s recovery, leaving crypto-linked stocks in focus heading into Monday’s open.
The Nasdaq-listed company — formerly MicroStrategy — is widely treated as a proxy for bitcoin, meaning investors often buy or sell the stock to express a view on the token. That relationship tends to amplify moves: when bitcoin rises or falls, Strategy can swing more sharply.
That sensitivity matters now because bitcoin has been volatile into year-end, while Strategy continues to lean on capital-markets financing that investors scrutinize for cost and dilution risk. A company filing late this week also highlighted its preferred-share dividend mechanics, a feature that can affect sentiment around its funding strategy.
In a Form 8-K dated Dec. 31 and filed on Jan. 2, Strategy said it increased the regular dividend rate on its Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Stretch preferred stock (ticker STRC) to 11.00% from 10.75%, effective for monthly periods starting on or after Jan. 1.
Preferred shares sit above common stock in a company’s capital structure and typically pay a dividend before common shareholders receive anything. Strategy markets STRC as a monthly-pay preferred designed to trade around a $100 par value, with the dividend rate adjusted monthly, the company says.
The board also declared a cash dividend of $0.916666667 per STRC share for the month ending Jan. 31, payable on Jan. 31 to holders of record as of 5:00 p.m. New York time on Jan. 15, the filing showed. A “record date” is the cutoff for who qualifies to receive the dividend. SEC
On the common stock, Strategy traded between an intraday low of $150.03 and a high of $160.76 on Friday, with about 20.2 million shares changing hands, before finishing at $157.16.
Bitcoin was last around $91,277 on Sunday, up about 1.4% from the prior close, according to market data. Reuters reported bitcoin gained 1.64% on Friday to $89,741.61.
Other crypto-linked U.S. stocks moved higher alongside the token on Friday. Coinbase Global rose 4.6%, while miners Marathon Digital and Riot Platforms gained 10.2% and about 12.0%, respectively.
Strategy began accumulating bitcoin in 2020 and later rebranded to Strategy, positioning itself around a bitcoin-treasury strategy alongside its software business, the company has said. The approach has drawn supporters who want equity-market exposure to crypto and critics who point to leverage, financing costs and potential dilution from share sales.
But the trade cuts both ways: if bitcoin weakens or interest-rate expectations shift higher, the stock can fall faster than the token itself. Another overhang is index methodology — MSCI has said it will announce by Jan. 15 its conclusions on a proposal affecting companies whose digital asset holdings represent 50% or more of total assets, with any changes slated for MSCI’s February 2026 index review.
Macro catalysts sit close behind. “It’s going to be a time to actually do a lot of assessment … there’s no consensus,” said Juan Perez, director of trading at Monex USA, pointing to the coming run of U.S. data. Reuters
The next near-term test is the U.S. Employment Situation report for December 2025, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 9, followed later this month by the Federal Reserve’s Jan. 27–28 policy meeting. For Strategy, investors also watch the Jan. 15 STRC record date and any updates on bitcoin holdings disclosed through the company’s channels.
