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.

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.

Natural Gas Futures Not Moving Despite Tightening Supply

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Timothy St. John

A massive withdrawal of 360 Bcf from natural gas storage has kept the price of gas futures flat as warm weather forecasts pull rates in the opposite direction.

Warm weather and large withdrawals make gas prices steady.

The EIA (Energy Information Administration) reported large withdrawals for Friday from natural gas storage, creating a deficit of 27 Bcf when compared to the 5-year average. As supply decreases, warmer weather is expected across the lower half of the United States. Gas prices moved up just 1.32% for the day so far as both factors pull at each other and stabilize the market.

The latest EIA report showed that gas reserves are dwindling after months of excessive storage reports. This may allow the market to see higher gas prices through next week, but for now, the market price is mostly flat. The Henry Hub price is slightly higher than the market average, at $3.56 to $3.54.

Gas Deficit Shifts the Market Narrative

For much of 2025, the gas market wrung its hands over high storage levels that were well above the 5-year average. As large injections continued to pour in and demand remained low through an unusually warm year, it did not look like the reserves would be cut enough during the winter months to make much of an impact.

However, last week’s ice storms caused demand to shoot up and also slowed down production. It is only since late this week that production is back to normal and gas transportation is resuming as scheduled. During the entire cold front, LNG exports remained high for the United States, and even though warmer temperatures are setting in across much of the United States, foreign trade partners are still seeing very cold weather.

The combined weight of a diminishing reserve supply and large export numbers should shift the market price higher very soon, even with warm weather forecasts keeping prices down. The market seems little affected by the report of a supply deficit, but the impact of that should start to show by early next week.

The withdrawal numbers reported were less than expected but still very high compared to recent weeks. That lower than anticipated withdrawal may have hampered price movement slightly, but as the numbers are processed by the market, we predict the price of LNG will climb in the coming days. That is particularly likely as the price of gas has already corrected after a swift decline following the last warm weather forecasts. A slight bull market is therefore possible under these conditions.

New BTC Price Prediction after Bitcoin Loses 20%

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Bitcoin (BTC) fell 20% from the previous week and nearly 50% from its October high as it hit $66,309 (BTC/USD) on Friday in a further bearish move prompted by intense selling pressure.

The BTC rate fell further on Friday as the stock market climbed.

Investors have lost billions of dollars in Bitcoin value over the last two weeks as the coin slid further from its January high of $96.9K and fell below $67K in a dramatic bear trend that shows no signs of stopping.

[[BTC/USD]]

Bitcoin rebounded in January but then fell again in recent weeks as investor confidence in the crypto market diminished. Now, Bitcoin is struggling to find any support, and price predictions are calling for a bottom near $60K and lower. This is an unprecedented bear market for not just Bitcoin but for the wider cryptocurrency space.

Market Volatility Grows, Kills Hopes for Rebound

There are few short-term positive price predictions for Bitcoin or the larger crypto market right now. Market sentiment is incredibly low, and volatility is high. We expect that if Bitcoin were to make some upward progress, it would be quickly lost by intense selling pressure.

Bitcoin dropped to a low of $60,074 on Thursday evening, which is the lowest that the coin has fallen since September of 2024. The quick rebound to $66K is promising, but that does not necessarily mean that $60K is the support level. The coin has been trapped in too strong of a bear trend for too long for a solid support level to be established.

The market is in what is known as a confidence-shaking period. This started back in October and has only worsened in February. What little hope the market had for Bitcoin in January has been eradicated by strong downward movement that has failed to find support for any length of time. We will have to wait and see if next week establishes a support level around $60K or if Bitcoin continues to fall.

Right now, the volatility is so great that any decent price predictions will have to wait it out. There is simply no strong reason to think that Bitcoin is done spiraling downward yet, but investors who can risk it may want to jump in as the coin made a small rebound late Thursday. However, the coin has not returned to its 24-hour high of $70,626, so there is little expectation that it will pick up bull support already.

Nasdaq up 0.58% as Stock Market Ends Three-Day Downtrend

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Timothy St. John

After three days of losses, the stock market indices showed signs of improvement on Friday, with the Nasdaq Composite index gaining 0.58%.

Amazon's stock fell quickly after their Q4 report worried investors about overspending. — Amazon’s stock fell quickly after their Q4 report worried investors about overspending.

The Dow rose 0.25% and the S&P 500 added 0.41%, with tech stocks performing better on the Nasdaq for Friday morning after a tough earnings season. Alphabet (GOOG) stock fell in premarket trading by 0.68% despite strong cloud storage growth. Amazon (AMZN) was down 4.4% on Friday after releasing earnings for the previous quarter and worrying investors with steep capital expenditures.

Amazon reported revenue of $35.6 billion on their Amazon Web Services, which converts to growth of 24% year over year. That was not enough to calm the fears of investors who noticed that the company was increasing their capex spending to $200 billion for 2026.

Market Volatility Decreases

As premarket trading began on Friday, the stock market ended a three-day losing session with its first positive start across the board. All three indices were up on Friday and may continue to climb despite a poor showing from Amazon and a few other tech giants who failed to impress their shareholders over the last two weeks.

At its lowest, Amazon stock fell 11% after their earnings report released. It is obvious that their data did not assuage market-wide fears over AI overspending by tech companies, and investors should pay careful attention to the trend of stock price decline after earnings reports for companies that invest heavily into artificial intelligence. Even with tremendous growth in the cloud and web services divisions, Amazon was not able to placate shareholders about their profit margins.

However, AI-related tech companies did not carry the market on Friday. Rather, an excellent showing from Roblox Corp (RBLX) and Envista (NVST), gaining 12% and 13% respectively, lifted the market as both companies shared Q4 earnings that exceeded expectations. Roblox managed to ease parents’ concerns over child safety, and Envista impressed with 100% free cash conversion.

Tech companies should realize that shareholders and investors are worried about more than simply revenue or earnings per share. They want to see the issues addressed that have been bothering them, particularly profits for those companies that have been spending millions or even billions on tech investments. While the stock market may continue to climb for Friday, profitability concerns from Magnificent Seven stocks like Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet are holding back the Nasdaq and S&P from all-time highs.

Solana below Psychologically Important Level as Bears Control Market

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The cryptocurrency market is trending bearish with weeks of downward movement that has pushed Solana (SOL) below $100.

Solana reached its lowest point in over a year.

Solana has been caught up in the wider cryptocurrency market trend that is causing billions of dollars in losses. Bitcoin (BTC) is below $70K and Solana is now down to $83.60 (SOL/USD).

[[SOL/USD]]

The Solana rate has dropped more than 7% over the last 24 hours and is well below the psychologically important $100 level. That means that investor support could dry up as coin holders panic.

Lengthy Liquidations Create Strong Bear Market for Solana

For months, the bears have been pulling not just Solana down but also the wider cryptocurrency market. Investors have lost confidence in digital coins, and Solana has suffered from tremendous, extended liquidations. Short-term and long-term investors alike have bailed on Solana for weeks, getting rid of primarily coins purchased in the last 12 months but also those purchased earlier as the market continues a lengthy bear trend.

The weeks of decline could lead to buyers stepping in turning things around for Solana. There was supposed to be a bullish divergence near $96, according to Chaikin Money Flow, but the Solana rate fell much too quickly for that to happen at the $96 level, and now SOL is priced lower than it has been in over a year.

The low price could be attractive for buyers, but the lengthy decline points to a problem that may not be solved by a few whales stepping in to buy up large masses of Solana. The coin has reached a critical juncture where now spot ETF outflows are above $2.45 million for the first time, and investors have lost faith in the coin and the larger market.

Economic factors are certainly at work here, with one of the strongest factors being President Donald Trump’s hawkish pick for the Federal Reserve in Kevin Warsh. Investors are losing faith in digital tokens and are looking for less volatile assets to invest in. The stock market indices remain close to all-time highs, indicating that the problem is not solely the economy but is, in part, a problem with the crypto market.

Solana is not stuck in a temporary bear trend that could simply reverse anytime soon. Instead, it is part of a long trend that is affecting the entire market and that will likely persist for weeks to come, at the very least. Even if Solana manages to make some recovery, it will have trouble holding onto its gains with such low investor confidence plaguing the market.

Huge Natural Gas Withdrawal Could Impact Futures

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Timothy St. John

There is little change for Thursday in U.S. natural gas futures as investors wait for the next EIA report to release, but early data indicates a massive withdrawal from gas reserves for the week.

Natural gas futures are holding steady as the market waits for the newest EIA report.

Forecasts estimate that about 379 bcf was withdrawn from U.S. natural gas reserves this week, which would be up from last week’s 242 bcf. That late January withdrawal was already above estimates, but the U.S. reserves still sit about 5% above the 5-year average.

Natural gas futures are now at $3.38, with a decrease of 2.3% over the last day. The weekly EIA report could change things, though, and withdrawal estimates may have been undervalued by how much the gas reserves have diminished. With over a week of harshly cold weather for much of the United States, reserves have been drastically reduced, and that could bring the price of gas futures back up from recent lows.

Weather Forecasts Fight with Reserve Levels to Control Gas Prices

The largest LNG export plants in the United States have averaged 18.3 bcfd for February so far, and that is an increase of about 2.8%. This data indicates that the demand for natural gas is very strong around the world, and buyers are dipping into the gas reserves that have been bult up over months of irregularly high gas injections throughout 2025.

The forecasts call for warm weather next week for much of the United States, but the Northeast is expected to develop colder weather over the same period. Production is still down in most of the U.S. as gas plants try to ramp back up operations after freezing cold weather brought a halt to work. Production levels should be back to normal by next week, according to industry reports, and that will help the country to meet the still-high demand from other nations around the world where cold weather has prevailed.

Natural gas futures are down considerably from their January highs. The price had reached more than $5 for the first time since 2022, and demand spiked for a short period. Now that the market is settling down to normal, investors should watch reserve levels and withdrawal data, as these will be some of the strongest price drivers until the weather forecast changes.

Amazon to Release Quarterly Earnings Today as Stock Falls 2%

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Amazon (AMZN) is set to reveal their quarterly earnings for Thursday during a contentious earnings season that has seen several other Magnificent Seven stocks plummet.

Amazon revenue and EPS could climb this quarter but their capex may be high as well.

The price of Amazon stock fell 2% on Thursday in premarket trading ahead of the release of the company’s quarterly earnings. Investors may be worried that Amazon will fail to impress due to the high cost of artificial intelligence investments.

Amazon may be reporting a record quarterly high of around $211 billion, but concerns over $125 billion in AI spending are likely to put a damper on any celebrations. What investors and shareholders will be looking at as well is the company’s guidance moving forward. Will they continue to sacrifice profits for AI development or assuage shareholder fears by changing their focus?

Amazon Stock Slips

Before the company released their Q4 earnings statement Thursday, their stock slipped from $232 to $225. January was uneven for the company, with little upward progress early on and a steep decline as the month closed off. This may indicate that investors are not very confident that Amazon can impress with their earnings report.

The market will be looking at the company’s capital expenditures and how much their investments have cut into their profits. Their free cash flow and margins are also vitally important, especially in the wider scope of the tech earnings season. So far this season, only Meta Platforms (META) has managed to impress investors from the round of major tech earnings releases.

Amazon stock has been trading sideways for months, and they have to make an excellent showing today if they are going to turn the tide of investor sentiment back in favor of tech stocks. But Wall Street analysts consider this stock a buy. That could be because it has been slipping lately and is due for a comeback as a generally strong performer. However, investors need to be aware that tech stocks are volatile at the moment, especially close to earnings reports.

Revenue predictions for Amazon this last quarter are between $211.3 and $211.6 billion, and if that holds true, then the company will have experienced about 13% growth from year to year. The company is also expected to produce EPS around $197, and that would be a big step up from last year’s Q4 EPS of $1.86. If the past two weeks of earnings reports are any indication, Amazon needs to really impress its investors with more than just revenue numbers in order for their stock to climb this week.

BTC Price Prediction after Fall below $70K

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Timothy St. John

For the last three sessions, cryptocurrency markets have fallen, and Bitcoin (BTC) is now at $69,357 (BTC/USD) in an alarming turn for investors who hoped the coin would rebound after weeks of sharp decline.

Bitcoin is now below $70,00 and is still falling.

Bitcoin is now below the crucial $70K level, and each $10,000 level it drops is another psychologically impactful hit to the confidence that investors have the digital token. In the last 24 hours, Bitcoin’s price has dropped 8.34%, and it may continue its plunge throughout the rest of the week.

[[BTC/USD]]

Billions of dollars of Bitcoin value has been wiped out by a bearish trend that does not appear to be stopping. The BTC rate is now at its lowest point since November, and some analysts say it could plunge much lower.

Bitcoin’s Lengthy Decline

The BTC price hit an all-time high on October 6^th, 2025, reaching $126,198. From there, the coin has fallen sharply. By mid-November, the price of Bitcoin fell below $100K and never reached back above that level. The coin tested the $90K level a few times since then but struggled to keep above that psychologically important mark.

In late January, Bitcoin entered into a freefall, and it has lost $20,000 in value since the end of last month. Now, investors are wondering where the bottom is for the coin. Can Bitcoin regain its record high and establish new records this year? Some indicators point to an extended bear run that lasts through much of the year.

The Bull Score Index from CryptoQuant indicates how bullish or bearish a coin is. For about six weeks, Bitcoin has been as bearish as possible, hitting the 0 score on the index consistently. Investors are left to ask how long the bear trend will extend.

Extensive liquidation of digital assets have pushed Bitcoin lower, with both whales and smaller investors jumping on the trend of dumping their assets when they saw the value of Bitcoin was dwindling. If the coin falls to $68K, which it is likely to this week, then we may see a demand reaction. That is where Bitcoin’s price would hit the 200-week exponential moving average.

But other indicators place the bottom for Bitcoin even lower than that, with some analysts predicting that the BTC rate will fall to $10Kas investor sentiment diminishes rapidly. On the other end of the spectrum is Michael Saylor, the executive chairman of Strategy. He says that Bitcoin’s volatility is a feature that keeps short-term investors away and that the coin could easily climb to $10 million if investors agreed with his views.

AI Spending Plagues Stock Market, Causes Alphabet to Drop 3%

Posted on February 5, 2026February 5, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Just one day after releasing their quarterly earnings report, Alphabet (GOOIGL) stock fell almost 3% as investors worry about how AI spending is outstripping profits.

Google's stock is dropping as investors worry about the profits following a high capex outlook. — Google’s stock is dropping as investors worry about the profits following a high capex outlook.

The U.S. stock market indices were mostly flat on Thursday, but investors should note that Alphabet is feeling backlash from its exceptionally high AI spending with a quick stock decline after posting decent earnings on Wednesday.

All three major indices- the Dow Jones, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 climbed around 0.1% higher on Thursday following earnings reports from Alphabet. Investors are still waiting on Amazon’s (AMZN) quarterly earnings report to be released later this week, and the company’s profits will be under scrutiny since they too spend heavily on AI technology.

Tech Stocks In Danger

The stock market is currently in a major earnings season where Magnificent Seven companies and other leading businesses report their quarterly earnings, but the stock movements are telling a story about how investors feel about slim profits. Tech giants like Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Alphabet have all prioritized artificial intelligent investments, and their profits have taken a hit as they race to have the most cutting edge AI tech.

Meta is one of the few companies to come out of this earnings season ahead after posting excellent revenue numbers and demonstrating remarkable growth. Because Alphabet, Microsoft, and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) have all seen their stock fall as a result of tight profit margins, the rest of the tech industry is in a dangerous place. The Nasdaq Composite index, with its focus on tech stocks, is down 1.51% at a time when it should be soaring.

We are seeing a repeat of what happened back in November of 2025, with investors, analysts, and shareholders worried about the focus on AI and not on profits. As investors lose their confidence in tech companies, the stock market is experiencing a crisis in the making, and mega-cap stocks are hurting, according to Reuters.

With AMD down 17% and Microsoft dropping from a share price of $481 to $405 in a few days, it is obvious that technology stocks are bearish. Once earnings season is over, the tech stocks may start to stabilize and get some breathing room before the next quarterly report, but the pressure is on this part of the stock market for excellent performance, high profit margins, and proof that AI investments are paying off.

Alphabet posted earnings that were better than anticipated, but its capital expenditures for 2026 are expected to be twice what it invested in 2025- in the region of $180 billion. That cuts into their profits and is likely to alarm shareholders, as we have already seen their stock price drop for Thursday.

Amazon Stock Dips 2.5% ahead of Earnings Report

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Investors seem skittish about Amazon’s (AMZN) upcoming earnings report this week as the stock price fell 2.55% on Tuesday, two days before the earnings report is due.

Amazon stock dips before they release their earnings report.

Amazon stock may be down, but Swiss investment service UBS raised their price target for this stock from $310 to $311, and they say investors should buy. After all, this stock has grown more than 7% over the last month.

On Thursday, Amazon will report for their most recent fiscal quarter during a very busy earnings report season for Magnificent Seven stocks like this one and other major players. Alphabet (GOOGL) is releasing their earnings report this week as well, following last week’s reports from Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), and Meta Platforms (META).

Why Amazon May Impress Slightly

Data coming from Wall Street for Amazon says that the ecommerce giant improved their revenue from Amazon Web services and increased capital expenditures. Like many of the big tech companies, they are putting millions and even billions into the development of artificial intelligence and other cutting edge technology, which has taken a serious bite out of their profits.

Amazon needs to impress its shareholders this week and show that they can be profitable while still keeping ahead of tech trends. Artificial intelligence was supposed to save companies money on resources and payroll, but for now, the needed chips are incredibly expensive and development costs are sky high. Throughout November and December of last year, investors and shareholders began to demand more profitability from tech companies that were investing heavily into AI and other bleeding edge technology, causing a bearish stock trend.

Amazon is expected to report around $344 billion for capital expenditures for the fourth quarter, up from the previously expected $300 billion. If Amazon can demonstrate excellent free cashflow and strong profitability, they will help to shift the tide of negative sentiment against AI-related tech companies. The stock market indices are near all-time highs, but investors are pulling back from tech stocks during a mixed earnings season. It is partly up to Amazon to change things for the tech niche.

Wall Street estimates say that Amazon will post earnings per share of around $1.98. If they do, that would mean a growth from the same time last year of about 6.5%. For revenue, the estimates call for $211 billion, which is a jump of about 12.6% compared to the same fourth quarter from 2025. Even though the retailer’s stock is pulling back right now, it could climb on Wednesday ahead of the earnings report.