Top 12 Stocks to Own Should Bitcoin Price Rally Continue (Fundstrat)

Fundstrat says investors need to have some exposure to bitcoin and its blockchain technology as a handy tool for diversification. These are the dozen equities that could propel your portfolio as bitcoin continues its gains.Bitcoin is on fire, but are you cashing in?

You should be, according to Fundstrat analysts in a Friday. Dec. 8, note. Led by managing partner Thomas Lee, the analysts suggest 12 stocks to own to best capitalize on the bitcoin boom.

"We believe investors should have exposure to blockchain, particularly given bitcoin has essentially zero correlation to equities, bonds and commodities - hence, as a portfolio strategy, bitcoin is a good diversification tool," Fundstrat wrote.

But equities managers might struggle to leverage bitcoin-related names given their mandates or practical issues. That's why Fundstrat offered a group of 12 stocks that best leverage bitcoin and blockchain, either tethered to the price gains of bitcoin and tokens, the transaction activity of either wallets or exchanges, and the mining of digital currency based on proof of work or proof of stake.

An equal weighted basket of the following stocks is up 136% year-to-date, Fundstrat said. While it trails bitcoin's otherworldly price appreciation, it tops the S&P 500 Index's 2017 gains, which are about 17%.

Bitcoin Experts See Prices Surging as High as $100,000 One Year From Now
"What could go wrong," Fundstrat wrote. "Bitcoin and tokens are better ways to leverage blockchain. But these equity plays allow equity portfolios to have exposure."

Most leveraged equities:

Bitcoin Investment Trust (GBTC) , MGT Capital Investments Inc. (MGTI) , HIVE Blockchain Tehcnologies Ltd. (PRELF) , U.S. Global Investors Inc. (GROW - Get Report) and DigitalX Ltd. (DGGXF)
"Many investors know the ETN GBTC which is issued by Grayscale Investments and is a direct play on bitcoin and leveraged to its price appreciation. GBTC can be bought "new issue" from Grayscale. MGTI is a miner owned by McAfee and is mining bitcoin profitably in Washington, leasing farmer utility rights of ways to get power at wholesale cost. With 5,000 rigs, MGTI will be a major miner. HIVE/ GROW mines in Iceland where electricity costs are low. DCC provides ICO advisory and blockchain consulting services."
Transaction leveraged:

CME Group Inc. (CME - Get Report) , Cboe Global Markets Inc. (CBOE - Get Report) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS - Get Report)
"The cash-settled bitcoin futures/derivatives should be a very profitable contract, given the OTC nature of bitcoin itself (less liquid means more profit for derives providers). And given CME/CBOE are only major providers offering this contract, could be meaningful boosts to profit. We put in Goldman Sachs, as we expect GS to be the first investment bank to be involved in bitcoin trading."
GPU-suppliers:

Nvidia Corp. (NVDA - Get Report) and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD - Get Report)
"GPUs are used by miners for many tokens other than bitcoin. Bitcoin mining is almost exclusively via ASICs (specialized chips). But as blockchain grows, and as transactions grow, mining will grow and therefore require more GPUs."