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.

Natural Gas Loses 1-Month High with Record Production Levels

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Natural gas futures dropped from $3.18 to $3.02 per MMBtu on Tuesday as the United States LNG production levels hit a record high and weather warmed further.

Natural gas price fluctuations due to Iran conflict, warm weather, and low withdrawals.

Warmer weather is coming to the U.S., which means that natural gas demand is dropping. Production levels are at incredibly high levels right now, and last week’s withdrawal was 38 billion cubic feet- less than predicted. All of these factors are working together to bring the LNG rate down 4.4% from the previous day.

Even with war in the Middle East and global LNG supplies threatened by Iran’s action in the Strait of Hormuz, the domestic supply for the United States remains very high. Local demand is dwindling, and export terminals are meeting outside demand perfectly fine.

Small Withdrawal Leads to Price Drop

The EIA expected last week’s natural gas withdrawal to be around 42 bcf, but it fell short of that estimate by about four billion. Natural gas rates dropped as a result, back to the comfortable $3 level that has been the standard through much of the fighting in Iran. That war has greatly disrupted international shipments of LNG and crude oil but has had little effect on LNG levels in the United States. Most of that comes from domestic or local sources and the inventory is not dependent on Middle East suppliers.

The price of natural gas in the U.S. is still elevated from where it was before fighting broke out between Iran and the United States. The price was under $3 and rose to hover just above that level over the last two weeks. The winter season is drawing to a close, though, and that was clearly indicated by the lower than anticipated withdrawal number.

LNG futures have enjoyed a sympathy rally with crude oil but have not risen at the same rate as that commodity. We may still see a rally for LNG futures soon if the global gas supply does not hold out. With continued fighting in Iran, shipping routes are at risk and supplies of natural gas and crude oil may not reach their intended destination.

This turmoil has allowed gas companies to raise their prices and divert shipments to the highest paying customers. U.S. investors should expect to see further price fluctuations on LNG futures for a while as the Iran conflict creates an unpredictable market environment.

New BTC Price Prediction On $74K Holding Pattern

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Bitcoin (BTC) has found support around $74,000 this week, holding onto gains made Monday to secure its position at a four-week high.

Bitcoin has elevated the entire crypto market this week.

On Monday, Bitcoin fell just short of $76K and has not settled to $73,842 (BTC/USD) with just 0.04% in gains for the last 24 hours. It is remarkable that the coin has not fallen further after climbing so high in such a short period of time. The coin moved from $70.6K to $75.7K in two days, gaining 7.2%.

[[BTC/USD]]

This is noteworthy in that it is a four-week high for the coin and the token is being supported at that level and not dropping back to its previous level below $70K. This indicates bullish movements, the ability to retain gains, and an overall upward momentum that could be sustained over the long term.

Bitcoin Outperforms Stock Market

Investors should also take note that Bitcoin is performing better than the majority of the stock market right now. Yes, there are some energy and tech stocks that are doing well, but for the most part, the stock market in the United States is low due to rising oil prices and the ongoing fighting in Iran.

When investors worry about the economy and rising prices of necessities like oil, they usually step back from spending on cryptocurrency and other risky assets. However, Bitcoin has seen tremendous market support and excellent investor sentiment in recent days.

With Bitcoin’s bold and unexpected moves, investor interest has been piqued. Trade volume remains elevated- around $55.5 billion per 24 hours. That is a 24% increase from the previous day, and even though BTC has not kept close to the $76K mark, trade volume is still very high.

We do not expect Bitcoin to experience a strong upward surge and sustained bullish movement. Instead, the coin appears to be settling into a rhythm of ebbs and flows that is gradually pushing it higher to where it may be able to achieve the price points of 2025 that set new records for the market. This is healthy growth rather than spurious, unpredictable swings, and that makes Bitcoin an interesting investment choice and a safer bet than what it was throughout much of last year.

Spot ETFs for Bitcoin are on the rise, with days of recorded inflows that have pushed back against the previous strong out outflows. Bitcoin’s recent performance has also elevated the wide market and pulled Ethereum (ETH) up 13% in the last week. What is happening with the BTC rate is not an isolated case. We are seeing the entire crypto market perform well during a time when stocks are fluctuating wildly. This makes it easy to predict that Bitcoin will hit close to $80K this week or early next week and then keep climbing from there.

Oil Price Jump Erased Monday Stock Market Rebound

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Crude oil prices climbed once more on Tuesday, pushing down stock market values and causing all three major U.S. stock indices to fall 0.2% or more.

Chevron performed very well in the last few days as Iran fighting intensifies.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.2% on Tuesday, losing 99 points in the face of rising oil prices. Investor sentiment is being heavily impacted by fluctuating oil prices and the fighting in Iran. An increase of 4% for oil prices permitted Brent crude oil to bounce back above $100 per barrel.

At the same time, stock prices fell on investor worries about the economy and the impact that oil prices will have on consumer budgets. That leaves less room for unnecessary, frivolous spending as consumers focus on the essentials and the economy shrinks.

Strait of Hormuz Safety Concerns Investors

The rapidly fluctuating stock and oil markets this week have been the result of the changing situation in the Strait of Hormuz. This major shipping lane is under attack, and Iran has already destroyed one oil tanker there. The United States government has vowed to assist and protect ships passing through the strait, but the waterway spans 104 miles and the ships passing through it account for about 20% of the world’s crude oil and LNG supplies.

Selling pressure is intense right now as this important sea passage is a target of opportunity for Iran hoping to strike back at U.S. and Israeli oil interests. If the oil supply is threatened, then stock prices are likely to fall quickly in response. That is what we have seen over the last two weeks as this war has continued, and investors should expect more of the same until the situation is resolved.

Some of the largest stock market price fluctuations have occurred in the energy sector, as expected, with premarket trading for this niche taking off on Tuesday morning. Shell (SHEL) hit a record high on Monday and continued to rise on Tuesday, and this gas and oil company stands to profit tremendously from the increased demand for its resources while supplies are placed in jeopardy.

Gas and oil prices could continue to rise this year, and Goldman Sachs predicts an increase of around 20-30% throughout 2026. BP (BP) has been rising swiftly over the past two weeks, outperforming the rest of the market and benefitting tremendously from events in the Middle East. Several oil companies have moved less than expected last week, showing sluggish reactions to rapidly rising oil prices. One of those was Exxon Mobil (XOM) at first, but it has now moved 6.7% in the last week.

Chevron (CVX) has moved about the same, adding 6.4% in a week after a slow first week during the war in Iran. We anticipate further bullish movement from energy stocks as the fighting continues, and that may have the effect of pushing down the rest of the stock market as investors feel the pinch on their wallets.

Bitcoin Price Prediction as Token Closes in on $74K

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Falling oil prices have made space for crypto tokens to perform better as the week begins, and Bitcoin is now up to $73,826 (BTC/USD) in a strong performance.

Bitcoin is having trouble moving higher after achieving $74K.

Bitcoin (BTC) has not just reclaimed its recent gains but has also climbed higher than it has been since early February. The coin is up by 3.5% over the last day and is starting to stall out at the time of writing. It may be running out of steam or might be slowing down before a further surge.

[[BTC/USD]]

The price of Bitcoin has also climbed as spot ETF inflows increase. For the last week, the market has witnessed a reversal in that area of the market which is pulling up crypto tokens as a whole.

Bitcoin Encounters Hesitant Investors

In 2025, a strong move like Bitcoin made Monday would have resulted in continuous upward momentum. That is not so in 2026 when investors are much more skeptical and hesitant. They want to wait and see what Bitcoin will do next and if it can hold onto its gains.

For the past few months, Bitcoin has spent much time falling and little time climbing or holding onto gains. Only since late February did the coin start to climb back and hold onto some of its progress. Bitcoin fell to $62K on February 24^th and then climbed. It fell again shortly afterwards, but only to $63K.

That was followed by another surge in early March that peaked at $73K. But Bitcoin fell once more and ended up at $66K. A pattern was starting to emerge that made investors and analysts both more hopeful. It appears that Bitcoin is making progress, slowly but surely. That is an encouraging sign for the beleaguered token that has spent so long below its last record high back in October.

Indicators show that buyers are helping the coin move higher, but many investors are holding back. Trade volume is high- up 140% from the previous day, but there is hesitancy to embrace Bitcoin at $74K. Now, Bitcoin has stalled and may have trouble moving higher, but for now, it is not losing its gains. That is a promising indicator for investors looking for a reason to buy in now while the coin is at a four-week high.

Stocks Jump Monday as Oil Prices Fall

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Stock market indices closed low on Friday but surged on Monday after oil prices dipped. The Iran war has been making energy rates fluctuate and has been playing havoc on Wall Street.

Oil prices are dropping as it looks like the United States is not ready to stop the war in Iran.

The Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.1% on Monday while the S&P 500 gained 0.9% and the Dow added 0.8%. The increase was due to oil prices falling after weeks of rising rates in the energy market. This may only be a small reprieve in the ongoing Iran crisis, though.

Oil prices dropped from just above $200 per barrel to $95 per barrel on Monday, with WIT crude falling 3% and Brent crude dropping 1%. This change in rates has come on the heels of an announcement from the treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He said that the U.S. government is following oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

Energy and Tech Stocks Climb

Energy prices are dipping for now but could be back up after any further alterations occur near Iran. Because no agreement for peace is being considered by the parties involved for now, we expect fighting there to continue. Energy stocks are up almost across the board, with a number of high performing assets from that sector already this week.

BP (BP) gained 0.95% on Monday while EOG resources (EOG) climbed 0.94%. Permian Resources (PR) added 0.21%, and Chord Energy Group (CHRD) rose 2.07%. Even with gas prices dropping, most analysts expect the market to rebound quickly and energy stocks to continue to climb for now.

Meta is one of the top-earning technology stocks so far for the week with gains of 2% on Monday. The Magnificent Seven, which mostly consist of tech stocks, are very bullish at the start of the week. Alphabet (GGOGL) added 0.64% while Apple (AAPL) gained 1%. Microsoft (MSFT) is doing well too, with gains of 0.86% for the day. The tech sector is still climbing from last week’s gains, which may leave many stocks near record highs,

Of course, Nvidia (NVDA) is the one to watch for indicators as to how AI-related tech stocks will perform. Nvidia jumped 2.23% on Monday in a strong performance that continues to allay fears over the death of the AI market and overspending concerns from investors.

President Donald Trump spoke to reporters over the weekend and told them that Iran is ready to make a deal, but he is not. It appears that the war will drag on for longer, which could make for a volatile stock market and declining stock values overall.

Ethereum Price Prediction Following Crypto Market Tumble

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The cryptocurrency market experienced minor losses on Thursday after a bullish week, and Ethereum (ETH) fell 1.34% over the last day while the stock market slipped on rising oil prices.

The cryptocurrency market is down today but retains most of its gains from recent days.

Ethereum is down to $2,050 (ETH/USD) as a downward trend sweeps the crypto market. Bitcoin (BTC) fell 1.03% on Thursday along with XRP (XRP), which lost 2.05%. Widespread decline erased some of the gains from the previous day and most of the gains from the last week across the crypto market.

[[ETH/USD]]

Selling pressure climbed as oil and gas prices jumped globally. Many regions are expecting gas shortages in the near future as the war in Iran continues. Most of the crypto market experienced increases early on in the week, and Ethereum ETF inflows were recorded at $57 million for March 11^th.

Ethereum Back above $2,000

Even though Ethereum slipped on Thursday, it remained above the psychologically significant $2,000 level, which it passed on Monday. As long as Ethereum can keep from slipping below there, it will likely enjoy strong investor support and excellent consumer sentiment. The ETH rate has continuously dropped below $2K throughout March but shows support around that level that is promising.

On the whole, the crypto market is mildly bullish and is moving from gain to gain over time in 2026. Bitcoin is behaving similarly with repeated gains and losses, but with higher lows achieved each week. That means that when ETH and BTC fell in recent weeks, they did not fall as much as the time before and have kept from slipping back into long-term bearish trends.

Over the last year, Ethereum has gained 8%, which is not as much as most analysts predicted. However, 2026 has been a slow year for the market, and for Ethereum to hold onto its gains and remain above $2K for any length of time bodes well for the coin’s future prospects.

Ethereum remains mildly bullish and yet precarious at the same time. If a strong enough factor hits the market, it could drive Ethereum down with incredible force and bring it back to its 2026 lows, but the current economic climate is healthy for crypto. Ethereum may enjoy a boost from the recent CPI report that showed that inflation is still at 2.4%. It may also get a boost from this week’s jobs report that demonstrated that unemployment claims have fallen in the United States. These factors could help propel Ethereum to $2.1K very soon and strengthen the support level above $2K.

Promising News from February Jobless Claims Report

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Stock market indices in the United States fell on Thursday despite low unemployment numbers from the latest Labor Department report.

Unemployment numbers are lower in the Labor Department's report. — Unemployment numbers are lower in the Labor Department’s report.

The U.S. Labor Department announced this week that there were 213,000 jobless claims for the most recent week of reporting, which is a drop of 1,000 from the previous week. That is great news for the economy, but it was not enough to keep the Dow Jones from losing 1.08% for the day while the Nasdaq dropped 1.28% and the S&P 500 fell 1.04%.

Selling pressure on the stock market today came from higher oil and gas prices and fear that those prices may climb even higher as fighting escalated in the Middle East. With energy resources diverted, destroyed, and blocked, an energy crisis has erupted globally.

Unemployment Pairs with CPI for a Positive Outlook

The U.S economy is looking better than it did last month thanks to promising reports on inflation and jobs. The Consumer Price Index report was released on Wednesday and showed that inflation had not changed and was still sitting at 2.4%. Couple that with the decent jobs report and investors can rejoice in the strengthening economy.

CPI numbers changed very little in February compared to January, and while not as low as the Federal Reserve would like the inflation number to be (around 2%), it is still better than analysts feared after recent tariff changes. President Donald Trump’s emergency power tariffs have been most overturned by the Supreme Court, but then he enacted new global tariffs of 10% with plans to raise those to 15%.

The jobs report for this week was even more positive than the CPI report. It showed that unemployment is down and the economy is growing. If there was no war going on in Iran at the moment the stock market would likely be hitting record highs right now.

Wall Street predicted that unemployment claims could increase in the latest report, calling for a jump to 215,000. The numbers were about 3,000 lower than that though, indicating a better than expected economy that is headed toward strength and growth. Comparing the claims from this report to the same time last yet, on an unadjusted basis, these claims are lower. Continuing claims are lower too, with a drop of 21,000 for people who are collecting unemployment benefits on an ongoing basis.

For years, the continuing claims number has been growing, but it is dropping now and pointing toward a reinvigorated labor market. The jobs market is stable, although perhaps slightly sluggish, but is looking better on the unemployment side of things.

Latin American LNG Supply at Risk Due to Iran Diversions

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The transportation of oil and gas throughout the world has been disrupted by ongoing fighting in the Middle East, with the latest casualty being Latin American and its LNG supply.

LNG gas has been diverted from Latin America to other, higher paying customers.

Vessels carrying natural gas bound for Latin America have been sent to other countries where the payout is higher as the fighting in Iran continues to disrupt the transport of energy supplies. Natural gas levels are now threatened throughout the region as Iran is threatening the supply lines and European and Asian customers are pledging to pay more.

The gas is going where the money is, following the demand for LNG in areas where supplies are in danger due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Iran has already destroyed one oil transport ship and threatened the supply routes of many others.

U.S. LNG Rates Climb on Supply Problems

With the Latin American supply of natural gas at risk for now, LNG prices in the United States are increasing. LNG futures for the U.S. market rose from $3.1 to $3.3 per MMBtu on Thursday. There is concern that Latin America customers will need to have their gas imported from the United States to make up for the lack of supply from Middle East suppliers.

Oil production companies may also ship to Europe and Asia where supplies are dwindling and demand is rising at the moment, diverting away from their regular customers to chase the higher paying clients. All of the regions around the Middle East are feeling the pinch of restricted oil and gas supplies, since Iran holds the keys to about 20% of the world’s available oil and gas resources.

Global energy supplies are in constant fluctuation as Iran conducts fierce fighting with both Israel and the United States. There are even reports that Iran is engaging in cyberattacks on U.S. soil and may be planning drone strikes there as well. The EIA has promised to release 400 barrels of emergency oil reserves to needy markets, but even that may not be enough to keep inventories high if the fighting is protracted.

The U.S. LNG market reported a withdrawal of 41 billion cubic feet recently, and that is down from the average for this season, however, with dwindling supplies around the world, U.S. LNG may be in high demand soon. There is a severe risk that Iran will use any means necessary to disrupt oil supplies around the world as the fighting continues, which could raise U.S export sales and create a strong demand for U.S. inventories in other areas.

Bitcoin Finds Support Close to $70K; New BTC Price Prediction

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

After a dip on Wednesday, Bitcoin regained its $70K level but is still down 3.5% for the past week, and Thursday will be a proving ground for its hold on this level.

Bitcoin appears broadly positive with strong ETF inflows.

Bitcoin (BTC) has been fluctuating around the $70K mark and is now at $70,611 (BTC/USD) at the time of writing. The coin lost 12% of its trade volume over the last 24 hours, slipping to $42.6 billion in daily trades, but Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $115 million in inflows.

[[BTC/USD]]

That makes three consecutive days of gains for ETFs, supporting predictions that the coin is regaining lost ground and may have exhausted its downward momentum. Ethereum (ETH) ETFs are likewise seeing positive movement with a combined $172 million in inflows with Bitcoin.

Bitcoin Achieves Higher Lows

Over the past few weeks, Bitcoin has oscillated within a range of $64,000 and $74,000. What we have noticed is that the coin is still having trouble keeping its gains, but at the same time it is achieving higher low points. In other words, when the coin does dip, it does not fall back to the bottom of the range but instead stays higher than its previous low.

This indicates that the coin is working its way back up to $85K and beyond and may regain its all-time high in a few months. We are not seeing the great upward strides for the coin that it has had in the last few years, and 2026 appears to be a rest year from the coin’s bullish trajectory in the past decade.

Bitcoin movement is faltering, unsteady, and fiercely fluctuating, but it is also more bullish than what the coin went through from November through February. There is a definite improvement brought on by the changing legislative landscape for cryptocurrency and the confidence of whale investors to buy the dip and support Bitcoin’s reversal.

Bitcoin is not collapsing after each obstacle, though, like it did earlier in the year. Instead, it is building upward progress and looking stronger with each passing week. We anticipate that the coin may climb to $72K by Friday and perhaps swing as high as $75K by Monday thanks in part to this week’s in-line CPI report that showed inflation holding at 2.4%.

Stock Markets Slip on 2.4% Consumer Price Index Reading

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Wednesday, the Consumer Price Index report showed that prices rose to 2.4%, in line with expectations, but the stock market still decreased slightly on Thursday morning.

Stocks fall on news that inflation remains at 2.4% for now.

Core CPI increased by 0.2% for the month to hit 2.5% annually, and that was exactly what Wall Street expected. The Dow fell to a four-month low on the news, likely feeling pressure from rising oil prices and global economic tightening caused by fighting in the Middle East.

The stock market retreats on Wednesday were relatively small but added to weeks of decline due to the war between Iran and the United States and the impact that has had on the energy sector primarily. There is concern that oil shortages are going to hurt the global economy even with the EIA planning to release 400 barrels to countries in need.

AI Stocks Continue to Impress

It looks like technology stocks are still somewhat bullish and AI stocks in particular are performing well right now. At the top of the upswing is Oracle (ORCL). After reporting quarterly earnings that beat expectations, the company’s stock climbed 9%. They were able to increase their forecasted revenue for 2027 as well.

Nvidia (NVDA) is still the company with the highest market capitalization, and they have held on to some minor gains this week. Their reasonably strong performance during the Iran crisis has helped to dispel fears that AI companies are floundering in debt and are going to crash and burn on heavy capex spending. At $184 per share, they are above where they were three months ago in mid-December but are not climbing at the exceptional rate we have seen for much of the past few years.

Other tech stocks that performed very well this week included Micron Technology (MU) and Intel Corp (INTC). These companies added 3.86% and 2.57% respectively over the last 24 hours. The tech boom that we saw last week is still ongoing and is boosting the positions of formerly struggling AI-related technology stocks. This sector as well as the energy sector are likely to be where the biggest gains happen over the next few weeks.

Inflation is holding for now, remaining above the Federal Reserve’s target of 2% but not worsening. That is good news during a time when investors fear that changing tariffs and Middle East unrest will drastically alter inflation rates. Even though stocks dipped late Wednesday and early Thursday, they may correct slightly in the next 48 hours.