New York, January 24, 2026, 08:52 EST — Market closed
- Shares of MARA ended Friday at $10.50, up 2.1%.
- A filing showed CEO Fred Thiel sold 27,505 shares under a pre-arranged plan.
- With the new week underway, traders are zeroing in on Bitcoin’s movements and the Federal Reserve’s upcoming January 28 decision.
MARA Holdings shares jumped 2.1% to close Friday at $10.50, buoyed by Bitcoin’s rally late in the week. By Saturday, Bitcoin was trading around $89,400.
With U.S. stock markets shut until Monday, crypto prices are grabbing the spotlight. For miners like MARA, weekend trading often sets the tone for the stock’s rebound, especially given the coin’s wild swings during the day.
CEO Fred Thiel offloaded 27,505 shares at $10.80 apiece on Jan. 20, according to a regulatory filing Thursday. After the sale, he still holds 3,517,566 shares. The transaction followed a Rule 10b5-1 plan put in place on May 28, 2025.
A 10b5-1 plan lets insiders trade shares on a predetermined timetable, even if they come into possession of non-public information afterward. Although this can dilute the trading signal, the timing remains notable—especially when the stock moves in response to wider market events.
Other U.S.-listed bitcoin miners ended Friday higher: Riot Platforms added 1.3%, CleanSpark climbed 3.9%, and Hut 8 jumped 5.6%. Their fortunes continue to track closely with bitcoin’s price swings.
Macro factors continue to steer market moves. Reuters reports that investors are buying gold and silver amid a weaker dollar, while keeping a close eye on rate expectations ahead of the Fed’s two-day meeting wrapping up Jan. 28. Kyle Rodda, senior market analyst at Capital.com, said, “The dollar weakness is about a loss of U.S. credibility and prestige.” Reuters
MARA’s immediate focus is clear: Bitcoin’s price swings, the state of the network, and energy costs. Hashrate, the computing muscle behind mining, dictates how much bitcoin gets mined. Still, tougher competition across the network keeps raising the bar for miners.
The downside is clear-cut. A sharp Bitcoin slump over the weekend, a surprise spike in mining difficulty, or renewed risk-off moves in rates could squeeze miners again. MARA’s shares tend to amplify these swings in the cryptocurrency.
Trading resumes Monday as investors watch to see if Bitcoin holds near $90,000 and if crypto stocks will move in tandem. The spotlight then shifts to Jan. 28, when the Fed unveils its latest policy decision.
