Just by reading the headline I can guess that the loss is from them accepting Bitcoin (not buying Altcoins)
@OP
Did you know the online retailer Overstock accepts Bitcoin on their web site as a form of payment for merchandise ?
Where did you get the idea that the web site owners are investing in Altcoins ?
No, they specifically mention losses from investing in altcoins.
That article is from 2014
Yes, because the loss the reported from investing in altcoins would have been from the last fiscal year I assume.
The people who keep popping in on here and commenting that Overstock doesn't invest in alts are like the people who went to the Monkees show in 1967, saw Jimi Hendrix on stage playing Purple Haze and started screaming, "We want Daaavy!"
Get over it. Bitcoin isn't for everyone and certainly doesn't do everything (at least not well).