JD.com is the first online shopping platform to accept China's digital yuan
JD.com Inc (NASDAQ:JD) is in the spotlight today, after the Chinese e-commerce company became the first to accept digital yuan -- the country's new online currency. Furthermore, the municipal government and the People's Bank of China (PBOC) will hand out 20 million yuan, or $3 million, in the form of "red envelopes" containing 200 yuan each through a lottery. Those who win can spend the money on the company's online shopping platform. At last check, JD is down 2% at $83.47.
On the charts, the security has been carving a channel of higher highs over the past year to hit a Nov. 6 record of $92.77. And while the stock is now cooling off slightly, it is still getting support from the 60-day moving average, which has contained multiple of JD's pullbacks since May. Longer term, the equity sports an impressive 154.1% lead.
Digging deeper, JD.com stock could benefit from a short squeeze. Short interest rose 6.3% in the most recent reporting period, and the 36.98 million shares sold short make up a significant 3% of the stock's available float, or three days' worth of pent-up buying power.
Meanwhile, the brokerage bunch is mostly bullish, with all but two of the 10 analysts in coverage sporting a "strong buy" rating. Similarly, the stock's 12-month consensus price target of $98.76 is an 18.1% premium to current levels.
Echoing this sentiment is JD's 50-day call/put volume ratio of 3.94 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). This ratio stands higher than 92% of readings from the past year, showing long calls are being picked up at a much faster-than-usual clip.