Author: Timothy St. John

Timothy St John is a seasoned financial analyst and writer, catering to the dynamic landscapes of the US and European markets. Boasting over a decade of extensive freelance writing experience, he has made significant contributions to reputable platforms such as Yahoo!Finance, business.com: Expert Business Advice, Tips, and Resources - Business.com, and numerous others. Timothy's expertise lies in in-depth research and comprehensive coverage of stock and cryptocurrency movements, coupled with a keen understanding of the economic factors influencing currency dynamics. Timothy majored in English at East Tennessee State University, and you can find him on LinkedIn.

Bitcoin Price Prediction Calls for 30% Decline

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Bitcoin (BTC) recovered slightly Wednesday, but the Standard Chartered bank warns that the price could fall to $50,00 before BTC finds support.

Bitcoin price predictions indicate a much lower price point in the next few weeks.

Now at $67,799 (BTC/USD), Bitcoin is up 1.54% from the previous day but still well off its October all-time high. After months below the record high, analysts worry that Bitcoin will have trouble holding onto any gains it makes, and Standard Chartered suggests a loss of 30% soon.

[[BTC/USD]]

The slight upturn the market saw this week, partly due to a very optimistic jobs report for January, could be turned around quickly as market sentiment remains low for Bitcoin and the larger cryptocurrency market.

Selling Pressure to Increase Once More?

Investors have sold off much of their Bitcoin over the past few months as they worry about the economy, rising tariffs, the utility of Bitcoin, and the future of the crypto market. The market has been repeatedly gripped by panic selling, and selling pressure has remained high since November. Even when the stock market rises, the cryptocurrency market continues to be bearish.

Bitcoin struggled at the $90K level a few times at the end of 2025 and then found no support even around that level in 2026. Since February began, Bitcoin has fallen by $10,000. Analysts worry that the decline is not over for the coin, and Standard Chartered is not the only investment entity warning of further slippage for the BTC rate.

Benjamin Cowen, a crypto analyst, says that Bitcoin is still in its bear phase. According to Standard Chartered, though, there could be just one last wave of selling pressure. The general consensus among analysts is that the coin is still bearish and that the market is going to go through another period of selloffs. That may be a long, dramatic period or a short one before a bullish upswing.

The outcome of the next bear wave will likely depend on how much consumer confidence is left in Bitcoin and the crypto market. Months of selloffs have depleted the market’s confidence levels in these digital tokens, but the positive jobs report and the new legislation that is being drafted to support crypto regulation could help.

Bitcoin price predictions place the coin around $50,00 in the coming weeks and Ethereum (ETH) around $1,400. Weakened ETF flows demonstrate that investors are soft on these coins and are waiting out the bullish phase before they make their move. Most analysts are optimistic that the market will recover and that crypto will once again be highly sought after, but it is a question now of how long they will have to wait for that recovery.

Investors should consider the bearish phase a good entry point. Because the market is expected to recover, investors should look for a good opportunity to jump in and buy the dip on Bitcoin and other resilient crypto tokens.

Excellent Jobs Data Leads to Stock Market Gains

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The January jobs report on Wednesday combined with mixed earnings from companies to slightly boost stock market indices Thursday morning.

Stocks are slightly up after the January jobs report released.

Wednesday’s jobs data showed that unemployment held steady at 4.4% and 70,000 jobs were added. The Dow gained 0.28%, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both climbed about the same amount as well. Stock gains were held back by underwhelming guidance from Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Coca-Cola (KO).

McDonald’s (MCD) is up 0.53% after releasing earnings for the previous quarter. They exceeded expectations and proved very resilient during a period when consumers were looking for high value options. Their net revenue was up 10%, but the wider market trended down on Wednesday, with all three major stock indices dropping slightly by the end of day.

Jobs Report Relieves Market

Investors can breathe a bit easier today after the delayed jobs report released. The nonfarm payrolls indicated that job growth was high, and President Trump praised the results and said that the economy is getting stronger. Analysts are not so bullish on the market and Navy Federal Credit Union Chief Economist Heather Long says that 2025 was a “hiring recession.”

There was no drop off for the labor market in January, and that is excellent news for investors. This will give the market a chance to hold onto its recent gains and then to climb even higher. The Dow is holding near a record high at the moment, and the other leading indices are near all-time highs.

The great jobs report could mean that a new interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve is out of the question now, though. The Fed may tighten down on interest rates and be hesitant to issue a cut if they see no need for it. That could cause stock market investors to stall slightly on their bullish expectations.

On Friday, the Consumer Price Index will release, further indicating the thrust of the economy and what investors should expect moving forward. Major earnings reports from the last few weeks are still being digested, and while the overall picture looks good for AI-related stocks, several of those have dropped sharply in recent weeks as profits take focus over revenue.

Natural Gas Prices Tick Upward but Are Not Yet Bullish

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Gas futures in the United States rose 1.35% on Wednesday, but investors should not expect a bullish trend at the moment since warm weather is still on the way.

Gas production is on the rise as warmer weather spreads.

The slight upward movement of natural gas futures on Wednesday are mostly the result of natural market correction and do not indicate strong bullish momentum. Weather forecasts show that warm weather is expected in the coming weeks, but the price of gas is also kept low by increased production.

Gas rates are around their January lows at the moment and may continue to stay low as warm weather creeps in and gas production escalates. The high exports trend that helped the market recently may start to slow down as well since gas production plants are planned for several countries around the world. Additionally, warmer weather is spreading across the globe as winter closes off, which will decrease heating demand and therefore natural gas demand.

Mild Weather Could Build Back Reserves

The LNG reserves across the United States were cut by 1% during January’s fierce winter storms at the tail end of the month. The cold weather continued partway into February, and the last reading showed a 6% below normal level for gas reserves for the month.

Even though reserves are relatively low, especially after months of high injections into the supply in 2025, the early warm weather this winter may cause supply problems again. The expectation among experts is that gas reserves will be back to normal by March as warm weather spreads across the United States.

Higher temperatures will be starting in the south and central areas of the United States, drastically cutting heating demand and LNG business. LNG exports are still relatively high, but that could change in the coming weeks as well when spring weather starts to manifest.

The small uptick on Wednesday is not enough to offset gas prices from a 16-month low. Now at $3.15/MMBtu, natural gas futures across the United States are low and not expected to increase much for weeks unless a cold weather forecast arrives.

Tesla Stock up 2% on Morgan Stanley Assessment

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Tesla (TSLA) stock has gained 2.1% and is at a critical juncture where it could trend downward after its peak, but a new Morgan Stanley might improve its trajectory.

Tesla EV sales are declining lately, particularly in Europe.

On Wednesday, Tesla stock jumped 2% after Morgan Stanley set a price target for the electric automaker of $415. The current $426 stock price might be higher than that, but the $415 mark is higher than Tesla stock was earlier this month.

The price target demonstrates that the investment bank is confident that Tesla will remain above its recent low and could go higher soon. Shares for the company have ranged between $410 and $440 recently, so we anticipate another upward shift closer to the $440 mark soon.

Tesla Keeping to Average Stock Price

Over the last six months, Tesla stock reached a high of $489 and a low of $320. Its current price is above the six-month average, but not by much. If the stock price breaks past $440 once more, that could create a strong support level near there and help push the stock price much higher. A dip under $410 could be catastrophic, though, and could signal to investors that the stock is in trouble.

The company noticed that their EU sales have fallen lately, and they are moving around management for that region to compensate. In order to shift focus away from poor EV sales, the company is taking up its plans for robotics and AI.

There is rising concern among investors that companies like Tesla are putting too much money into AI and not seeing the profits that they should be from that long-tail technology investment. These concerns have hurt Tesla, Microsoft, Nvidia, and other leading tech companies in recent months, making it more important than ever for companies to demonstrate profitability.

The 1-year return on Tesla stock is 29%, and their 5-year return is 60%. However, declining EV sales across the globe are cutting into the company’s revenue, and they are actively working on other revenue streams to make up for that. The company is planning to release a new Tesla model, but their primary focus appears to be on Optimus robots, AI integration, and the robotaxi service that launched last year.

Dow Jones Holds onto Record as Dollar Drops

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Stock market indices dipped on Wednesday morning in early trading as investors held back in anticipation for the January jobs report, but the Dow retained its record high.

The Dow Jones index is still at its record high after three days.

The market is waiting for news on an interest rate cut and the most recent jobs report, which could be game changers for market sentiment. The Dow Jones ended Tuesday with its third consecutive record high, though the index moved very little.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq dropped slightly on Wednesday as early trading began while the Dow remained almost flat. The incredibly important jobs report for January will determine the next big shift for the market, and the nonfarm payrolls report is expected to release soon. That report was delayed due to the recent government shutdown.

Jobs Report Expectations

The January jobs report is expected to show that the unemployment rate held steady at 4.4%. That is still high, but as long as it is not increasing, the stock market should remain relatively stable and could even climb. If the report comes in at expectations, then the stock market could keep its upward momentum from the recent round of earnings reports. Many of those were very positive and indicated a strengthening economy.

Investors should also look out for news of a new interest rate cut. While the Federal Reserve determined not to issue a new cut at the last meeting, they may change their mind for the next meeting. As the Fed is shaken up by Chairman Jerome Powell’s departure and President Donald Trump’s hawkish pick of Kevin Warsh, we could see more interest rate cuts happen soon.

Stocks Rose as the Dollar Drops

The U.S. dollar index dropped this week as it fell against most competitors. The value dipped in direct proportion to bets that the Fed would issue a rate cut. If cuts are made, that could tell investors that the economy is weakening and in need of drastic measures to help it along.

Expected this week are earnings reports for McDonald’s (MCD), Cisco (CSCO), and Kraft Heinz (KHC). The market has already been pulled up by strong earnings reports from Nvidia (NVDA), which is up to $189 per share from Friday’s $171, as well as other tech companies. The AI market offered mixed results for earnings, with most major companies performing well in revenue and growth but losing investor confidence with their capital expenditures (capex).

Dow Hits Record as Businesses Post Strong Earnings

Posted on February 10, 2026 by Timothy St. John

U.S. stock futures did not move much Tuesday morning, but Monday marked a record high close for the Dow Jones thanks to several weeks of strong earnings from multiple business sectors.

Technology stocks are climbing higher this month after strong quarterly earnings.

The U.S. economy is looking healthy after weeks of impressive earnings statements, and the blue-chip Dow Jones index closed at a high of 23,238, up 0.9% from the previous day.

CCH Holdings (CCHH) on the Dow received a notice of delisting for having a stock price under $1, but massive investor buying resulted in a $1.35 stock price for Monday at the close of trading and a 135% stock price gain. Borealis Foods (BRLS) is up 134% for the week so far with no explanation for why it is doing so well. The company recently appointed a new director, but that happened early last week, and several stocks are climbing dramatically this week with little reason behind the shift.

Stock Indices Remain Elevated during Bullish February

February is off to a solid start with record highs for several indices and strong earnings reports from Microsoft, Apple, Taiwan Semiconductors, Advanced Micro Devices, and many more. Several of these stocks have seen double digit increases in February and are holding near their all-time highs.

Overall stock futures changed little on Tuesday as trading opened, with indices moving only slightly. The S&P 500 added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq and Dow each gained 0.1%. These fractional increases are an indication of a waiting market as U.S. retail sales data for December is set to release later in the day on Tuesday.

Estimates point toward very positive sales data, even though investors and analysts have been worried how changing tariffs in 2025 might have impacted sales. In November, retail sales climbed 0.6% for the month and 3.3% year over year. The estimate for December is that sales continued to climb by 0.4%-0.5%.

The Nasdaq added 0.9% on Monday, while the S&P 500 gained 0.5%, ensuring that the overall picture for the stock indices is an elevated one. The early bullish movement in February may have slowed this week, but the gains have been retained, indicating a strong and stable market for the moment. Treasury yields fell on Monday from 4.18 to 4.21%. Bitcoin dropped to $68,600, and the U.S. Dollar index moved slightly higher to 96.88. Meanwhile, gold dipped by 0.3% and silver fell 0.7%.

Price Slump Continues for Natural Gas Futures

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Heating demand in the United States has decreased lately, and the price of natural gas futures is down as well, with a dip to $3.20/MMBtu on Monday.

Declining natural gas futures have been caused by warming weather forecasts.

The previous trading session ended low, and Monday continues that losing streak, bringing the price of gas futures to a three-week low point. With warm weather predicted and declining demand, the market expects prices to continue to fall for now.

Much of the United States is expected to receive above normal temperatures, and that is especially true of the southern and the central parts of the U.S. Gas prices should keep dropping as a result, but gas reserves are unusually low as well, which could keep prices from falling very quickly and very far.

There May Be an Oversupply Problem on the Horizon

LNG production may be about to dramatically increase for the United States. A new plant will open soon in Texas, and an additional one near New Orleans will be opening another production line. Apparently, supplies of natural gas are going to expand soon.

LNG projects are expected to take off in 2026, with six new projects approved last year by U.S. companies. There are more LNG facilities going up in Qatar and Canada as well, which raises concerns that the industry may be faced with an oversupply of natural gas. The U.S. LNG industry could be facing financial headwinds in 2026 as the export arm runs into challenges finding willing customers. Some of the U.S. current trade partners may choose to get their gas closer to home since new facilities are opening up.

Last year, oversupply was a serious issue that held back gas prices for months as larger than normal injections were repeatedly made into the gas reserves. That could be a problem throughout 2026 as well, and some estimates point to the November midterms in the U.S. as the next time that prices may spike. With winter winding down and warm weather ahead for much of February, gas rates could very well drop continuously for the next few months.

Demand for natural gas only drops as the weather gets warmer, and investors may have already seen the high point of gas for the first half of 2026. Unless another cold front moves through, we anticipate the recent ice storm created the highest prices the industry will experience in the United States for a while.

Bitcoin Price Prediction after 10% Loss

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Over the last week, Bitcoin (BTC) has fallen 10.45% and is now at $70,625 (BTC/USD), experiencing strong selling pressure and low investor confidence.

Bitcoin is back above $70K, but for how long?

The price of Bitcoin is well above the recent low of $60K but still not back to where it was a week ago. The question many investors are asking is whether the BTC rate can hold above $70,000 or if it is due to dip again?

[[BTC/USD]]

Bitcoin simply has not been able to hold onto its value throughout late January and early February. There has been a small surge in the BTC rate since the middle of last week, but any mid- or long-term ranges are going to show that Bitcoin is dangerously low.

Which Direction Is Bitcoin Headed?

Outside of last week, the last time Bitcoin dropped this low was in 2024, and the coin has lost a lot of ground and a lot of good will that it accumulated last year. The BTC rate is about 44% off from its record high and is in a dangerous area where selling pressure remains high. Even the historically low rate is not proving attractive for investors, and it could be that they have seen the coin drop too far for too long to have much confidence in it.

There is widespread bearish activity across the cryptocurrency market, and Ethereum is down nearly as far with a loss of 9.4% over the last week. That coin is 57% below its record high as well.

BNB (BNB) and Solana (SOL) are even worse off, with decreases of more than 18% over the last week. This market-wide decline is serious enough that many investors are simply selling off their crypto tokens and switching over to the stock market or to gold and silver.

In recent weeks, the stock market has hit record highs and remains bullish. Gold is close to a record high, but silver just experienced a 14% selloff. Still, these markets appear more promising for investors right now, and until the bears release their grip on the crypto market, it seems unlikely that Bitcoin will start to recover its significant losses from the past few months.

Bitcoin is just above $70K at the time of writing, and there is a high risk that it will slip below that level like it did last week. Economic factors are not positive enough or promising enough to give the coin much of a boost right now, and we anticipate bearish behavior to continue for the coming weeks.

Technology Stocks Give Market a Boost as Nasdaq Gains 0.95%

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Tech stocks are off to a good start this week, with Microsoft (MSFT) up 2.8% and helping the Nasdaq Composite have one of its best days for the year so far.

Nasdaq is near its high point after Nvidia and other tech stocks soared.

The S&P 500 climbed on Monday with a gain of 0.51%, although the Dow Jones remained nearly flat. Technology stocks are taking center stage and with major gains for the day, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) which gained 2.47% so far.

Earnings reports poured in over the last two weeks, revealing strong revenue for many of the leading technology companies but poor profit margins thanks to heavy spending on AI technology. This week is another major earnings period that could help move the stock market dramatically as Coca-Cola (KO) and Ford Motor (F) both prepare to release quarterly statements.

Indices Soar as Tech Stocks Offer Mixed Results

All three major U.S. stock indices are near their record highs once more after an exceptional earnings week. However, several tech companies failed to impress in the area of capital expenditures. Those with investments in the AI niche are having difficulty making enough profit to justify their excessive spending. Shareholders showed their impatience last week with sinking stock values for some of the top tech companies.

Heavy stock value drops hit Microsoft, Apple, and Oracle after investors saw that large capex spending was outpacing profitability. Even double digit revenue growth was not enough for some of these companies to appease shareholders.

Tech stocks peaked last year in October, and that is also when Bitcoin hit its all-time high. However, since then, tech stocks have fallen anywhere from 29% to 50%, according to Reuters. That is not true across the board, as several tech companies have managed to stand out.

On Monday, both Broadcom (AVGO) and Nvidia (NVDA) surged, adding 4.3% and 3.2%, respectively. Their upward movement is mirrored by several others, and they are giving hope to tech investors that all is not doom and gloom for this niche of the stock market. Investors are obviously worried that AI spending is getting out of hand, and it does not appear that the issue will go away soon, since several key tech companies have committed to even greater capex investments for 2026. These companies will need to start to demonstrate that their investment into AI is paying off for them.

Stocks Surge as S&P 500 Closes in on Best Day in Months

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Stocks are climbing rapidly for Friday and helping push the S&P 500 to its best day since November with 1.46% in gains already thanks to many high performing stocks.

Stocks are climbing as earnings seasons reveals numerous high performers.

Super Micro Computers Inc. (SMCI) added 10% on Friday while Robinhood Markets (HOOD) gained 15.5% in a stellar showing for the stock market after a week of volatility. The bullish day of trading has helped the S&P 500 near its November highs, and other major indices are gaining as well.

The Dow increased by 990 points, or 2.03%, and the Nasdaq Composite added 1.70% thanks to a mostly positive earnings season. Several key tech companies reported excellent revenue and EPS increases for the quarter, but their stock growth was hampered by tight profits. However, the wider stock market has performed incredibly well through the last quarter, and investors are reaping the rewards of that performance this week.

Rally for Market Led by Tech and Blue Chip Stocks

Even though some tech companies suffered on the stock market side over the last two weeks, a few of them exceeded expectations for their earnings reports and saw incredible gains on the stock indices. SCMI’s strong performance this week indicates that the AI market is very healthy despite criticism for tech companies who invest much of their cash into that niche.

Super Micro Computers released their Q4 earnings this week and their stock jumped 14% on Wednesday. Their earnings per share came in at $0.69 and beat the Wall Street predictions. They also experienced a revenue increase of 123% from 2025 and reported $12.68 billion for the quarter.

While their stock is one of the top performing ones this week, it joins the ranks of many others who are nearing double digit gains in the first week of February. Robinhood Markets, Coinbase (up 10.87%), and United Airlines are all enjoying massive stock increases for Friday.

The Dow Jones tends to be more reserved when it comes to stock gains compared to its counterparts, but on Friday, Nvidia (NVDA) rose 7.33%, and Caterpillar (CAT) added 6.11%. These are just a sampling of the excellent stock performances we are seeing from numerous companies, so it is no wonder that the stock market is surging across all three leading U.S. indices. The impressive gains, though, could lead to greater AI spending. Because that market is doing so well, major tech companies are looking to stay on the cutting edge and are hurting their own profits, but that is also a niche with plenty of room for growth. We are likely to continue to see the back-and-forth movement on the stock market that has plagued tech companies since late last year over the issue of overspending for technology investments.