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.

Verizon Q1 Earnings Make History, Stock up 2.25%

Posted on April 27, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Monday, Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) posted earnings for its first fiscal quarter and was able to report positive net adds for postpaid phone plans for the first time in over a decade.

Verizon stock is bullish against its competitors.

Verizon shifted their approach to become more customer focused and started chasing long-term contracts rather than working toward quick gains. That tactic has paid off, and they posted earnings per share of $128.

That was better than the expected EPS of $1.21. They missed the revenue mark, though, reporting $34.4 billion for the quarter as opposed to the expected $34.82 billion. However, investors were happy with the Q1 performance and their outlook moving forward, and their stock initially rose 3% and then settled down to 1.70% later in the day.

Verizon Beat Four Years of EPS Growth

The quarterly report for Verizon shows a number of areas in which they improved from the previous quarter. Their adjusted earnings per share grew by its largest rate in four years, helping VZ stock climb to $47.48. The stock dropped from a 2026 high of $51.38 per share back in March, and it is on the road to recovery now after an impressive earnings report.

Verizon’s outlook for the rest of the year is promising, and during their earnings call, they raised their EPS growth guidance from a low of 4% to a high of 6%. They also expect their postpaid phone net adds to grow even more than they previously forecasted. Now, they are setting their sights on adds between 750,000 and one million.

Their broadband service and mobility revenue growth for Q1 were relatively low, but they expect those areas will perform better in other quarters. Verizon anticipates around 2-3% growth annually for those aspects of their business for the remainder of the year.

One of the biggest areas of improvement for the company is in their operating expenses. They anticipate saving around $5 billion for 2026 thanks to plans to close down legacy components of the network and using AI to boost productivity. On Monday, VZ stock performed well above its competitors, most of which were down for the day. It also outperformed the stock indices it is listed on, including the Nasdaq and S&P 500, which were up 0.6% and 0.10%, respectively.

US Natural Gas Futures up 3% on Declining Output

Posted on April 27, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Gas futures in the United States rose 3% on Monday to hit $2.58 per MMBtu as output fell to its lowest point in 11 weeks due to rising costs and a lack of demand.

Gas production plants are becoming more expensive as demand for them rises.

LNG output in the United States is down but 4.1 bcfd for the last two and a half weeks. Falling demand for natural gas and rising production cuts forced output levels lower, creating a scenario where inventory levels are high and the need for LNG is low, but the price is still rising.

Natural gas rates are only slightly affected this week by rising tension in Iran, and global oil prices are up nearly 3% on major benchmarks, but domestic LNG costs are primarily rising this week due to decreased output from production plants. Those plants face higher costs in recent months as facility construction costs have skyrocketed.

Natural Gas Plant Costs up 66% over Two Years

The cost to build a natural gas production plant is much higher in 2026 than it was in 2024. The price increase for parts needed is up by nearly 66%, according to a report from BloombergNEF. Facilities are also taking longer to complete- about 23% longer than they did two years ago, say reports.

The issue is partly that there is simply more demand for these facilities. Big tech companies like Meta and Microsoft are constructing their own natural gas production facilities, cutting out the middleman for electricity supply but paying large amounts upfront. Data centers need massive amounts of electricity, and with the rapid rise of AI products and services, those centers are more important than ever. To cut costs, companies are building their own natural gas production facilities, and the demand is increasing costs for everyone and driving output down for existing facilities.

Even though natural gas rates are higher today than last week, they still remained close to their post point in 18 weeks. The rates have been pushed lower and lower for weeks as temperatures warm and inventory levels rise. The latest injection reported was 103 bcf, which came in for the week ending on April 17th. That was much higher than the market forecasted, and it is well above the five-year average of 64 bcf. Forecasts are calling for slightly cooler temperatures as the month closes out and May begins, but if that changes, then investors should expect the LNG rate to plummet again.

New Bitcoin Price Prediction after Strategy’s $255 Million Purchase

Posted on April 27, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Strategy bought 3,273 bitcoins this week, amounting to approximately $255 million, and that may have kept Bitcoin (BTC) from falling very far while oil prices are on the rise.

Strategy made a big purchase of bitcoins that buoyed the coin this week.

Strategy announced their purchase of more than 3,000 bitcoins this week, which brings their cumulative total to around $61.81 billion. The Bitcoin rate fell 0.28% on Monday due to climbing oil prices and flared geopolitical tensions.

[[BTC/USD]]

Michael Saylor of Strategy posted to X that the company made the massive purchase, and it could be that the news gave Bitcoin a boost during a time when oil prices are up 1% and more conflict erupted over the Strait of Hormuz. An attempted attack on President Donald Trump also had the market hesitating Monday, as analysts wait to see how the event will impact his market and global policies.

Bitcoin Holds below $80K

Over the weekend, Bitcoin hovered between $78 and $79K, but it slipped to $77,751 (BTC/USD) on Monday. The coin might have fallen further if it were not for Strategy’s fortuitous move that indicated strong institutional support for the coin. Strategy now has a 2026 Bitcoin yield of 9.6%.

It appears that Bitcoin’s recovery attempt has stalled out since the coin moved little over the past few days. In the last week, the closest Bitcoin has come to hitting $80K is $79,414, and investors are likely disappointed that the coin has not been as bullish as the technology futures over on the stock market. Those rallied last week while Bitcoin made incremental upward progress.

The Bitcoin rate improved by 3.26% between April 20^th and April 27^th, however, and that rate is up 17% for the past month. That is a big step up from the coin’s poor performance throughout February and March when it made very little progress and lost most of its gains from that time.

Several factors could strongly influence the BTC price this week. One of the biggest is the conflict in Iran and its impact on oil prices. If Iran and the United States continue to strike out during peace negotiations, then Bitcoin will have trouble making much upward progress. Investors should also watch Wednesday’s Federal Reserve policy meeting. An interest rate cut, as unlikely as that is, could help push Bitcoin higher. One of these factors could give coin the push it needs to move past $80K and then build support so it is less likely to fall below that psychologically important level.

Mixed Stock Market Movements as Iran Conflict Escalation Pushes Oil Prices Higher

Posted on April 27, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The Dow fell 0.1% while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.2% on Monday in early trading as a result of climbing oil prices and little progress on peace talks between Iran and the United States.

The Nasdaq rally from last week has slowed down dramatically Monday.

There is still no resolution to the Iran conflict as a new week starts, and stock traders are hesitating to make big commitments Monday. The S&P 500 is practically unchanged, and oil prices are up 1% for both the Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate benchmarks.

Fighting continued in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, and the escalation has led to higher oil prices, increased fear across trading markets, and stalling stock values. On Saturday, an apparent assassination attempt on U.S. President Donald Trump has raised geopolitical tensions even higher, and analysts are worried that it might cause the President to act brashly where Iran is concerned, even though the two situations are not linked.

Big Week for Stocks Overshadowed by Political Unrest

This week is marked by a round of quarterly earnings statements from some of the biggest movers on the market. Five Magnificent Seven stocks are reporting their earnings, and the Federal Reserve will also be announcing its latest policy decision on Wednesday.

Magnificent Seven stocks usually push the market much higher, but they have come out almost flat this year so far as shifting tariffs and the Iran conflict weigh down the market. This week will see the release of earnings reports for Microsoft (MSFT), Meta Platforms (META), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), and Apple (AAPL).

Tech stocks have permed well recently but took a beating between February and March. Many of them are still trying to recover from the lengthy downturn they experienced then. The stock market will be closely watched this week to see what kind of impact the Magnificent Seven stocks have, and traders will be judging whether the market is healthy enough for them to make a big move.

The Federal Reserve policy decision is also a major event this week, and while the consensus is that the Fed will likely hold off on a new interest rate cut, there is a chance that they could approve a new cut. Jerome Powell has been hesitant to recommend cuts during his tenure, much to the chagrin of President Trump.

Last week, both the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 closed off the last day of trading with record highs. They were helped by a strong tech rally created by strong quarterly earnings from several leading companies. This week’s renewed political turmoil could end the rally, though, and lead to some pullback from bullish stocks.

Intel Stock Jumps 25% on Bullish AI Market Outlook

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Intel Corp. (INTL) reported earnings for their first fiscal quarter of 2026, and their extremely positive outlook for the remainder of the year drove their stock up 25%.

Intel stock is bullish thanks to a very good Q1 report.

In premarket trading for Friday, Intel stock jumped 25%, hitting a price of $84 per share after the company reported their quarterly earnings. Their market value is now above $420 billion, and they reported a 7% increase in year-over-year revenue.

With $13.6 billion for the most recent quarter, their revenue is higher than Wall Street expected, and their impressive gains paved the way for a rosy outlook for the rest of the year. Intel anticipates second quarter revenue somewhere between $13.8 and $14.8 billion.

Intel Impresses and Expects the AI Market to Continue Booming

For the first quarter, Intel reported earnings per share of $0.29, although they only expected $0.01. They attribute their gains to simply listening to their customers and resetting their methods of operation. They stepped up their CPU and wafer packages to meet differentiated needs over the last quarter, and they were even able to sell chips that had been written off.

The company turned their business around in the last quarter, surpassing even the record setting performance from the early 2000s when the dotcom market was taking off. How much have they improved over the last couple years? They experienced revenue decline year over year for five out of the last seven quarters. This quarter marks a bold new direction and a major turning point for them, and the company is confident that their revenue will continue to climb through the next quarter.

Intel did not just beat Wall Street expectations; they placed themselves at the forefront of the AI chip market. Their rivals are performing well too, and Friday morning saw Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) stock climb 11% on Intel’s bullish momentum. Arm Holdings (ARM) added 10% as well on Friday, thanks to Intel lifting the tech market, but the biggest boost has been specifically for those companies that produce powerful chips needed in AI applications.

Nasdaq Up 1.3% Despite Rising Oil Prices

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The stock market was broadly bullish Friday morning, even with soaring oil prices this week, and tech stocks in particular performed well.

Stocks mostly high on Friday as tech niche soars.

The Nasdaq gained 1.3% on the last day of trading for the week, while the Dow fell 0.1% and the S&P 500 gained 0.4%. Intel Corp. (INTC) was the big gainer, with a 25% jump in premarket trading. The company posted extremely high quarterly results, and the boom is attributed to surging demand for the company’s products in AI applications.

The market is recovering from Thursday dip, caused by rising oil prices. Those prices slipped somewhat by Friday morning but are still high. Brent crude oil is priced at $106 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate futures are up to $95.80. Both benchmark oil prices have climbed tremendously this week due to problems with the ceasefire between Iran and the United States.

Tech Stocks Post Major Recovery

The Dow may be ticking down Friday and the S&P 500 barely holding onto recent gains, but the Nasdaq Composite is performing well. That tech-heavy index is supported by strong stocks like Intel, Nvidia (NVDA), and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) that are benefitting from the rising demand for AI components. Intel’s outlook for the rest of the year is extremely positive as they expect the market to boom.

Stocks declined on Thursday, but their recovery Friday looks to be quite strong. ServiceNow (NOW) pulled the market down with a sharp drop off of more than 17% after posting decent Q1 results. It suffered the fate of many tech companies in recent months sharing their quarterly earnings, which is shareholder fears of slim margins and excessive capital expenditures.

Intel is leading the charge for the bull rally for tech stocks Friday, though. Several Magnificent Seven stocks have also performed well this week, and Amazon (AMZN) is up 2.09% already for the day. Taiwan Semiconductors is also propping up the market with 3.4% gains from the previous day, and investors should expect the tech market to remain bullish throughout the day.

The cryptocurrency market was in decline on Thursday but settled by Friday morning with minor gains for several leading coins. Bitcoin (BTC) added 0.76% Friday morning, and XRP (XRP) gained 1.64%. Across multiple markets, there is evidence of recovery today, but the strongest gains are coming from tech futures.

Solana Slows on Market Upset; New SOL Price Prediction

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Cryptocurrency prices fell Thursday after Iran attacked multiple vessels off its coast, sending Solana (SOL) down 3.09% to $85.42 (SOL/USD).

Solana slipped as Bitcoin and other tokens fell Thursday.

Solana was unable to stay above $90 this week and felt the pressure of Middle East conflict and fear over rising oil prices. Crude oil jumped 3% Thursday, and Solana’s price fell by about the same percentage.

[[SOL/USD]]

Over the last week, Solana has averaged about $86 and is currently just below that price point. We anticipate that the coin will climb again before the week is over, especially since the coin has trended upward for most of the past month.

Solana May Be Preparing to Surge Upward

According to data from Kraken, Solana climbed sharply Thursday afternoon, moving from $84.69 to $85.42 in about 20 minutes. This could indicate a bullish surge that may sweep the crypto market. For much of the day, the market trended downward, with Bitcoin (BTC) losing 1.9% and Ethereum (ETH) dropping by 3.46% over a 24-hour period.

We are noticing similar drops across the market, and while some of it can be blamed on the fresh ship attacks in Iran, some of the decline has to be attributed to the market correcting after significant gains the previous day. The story is the same in the stock market, with stock indices dropping Thursday after significant gains Wednesday.

The Solana bulls may come to the coin’s rescue and defend it at the $85 price point. That will be partly dependent, though, on the conflict in the Middle East. If the attacks continue and the ceasefire is broken, we could see fresh lows for the crypto market. If peace resumes and the ceasefire is upheld, then Solana could push back toward $90 very quickly.

What is hurting Solana right now is its long-term performance. The coin lost 4.16% over the last month and is down by 31% since the start of the year. These numbers are weighing on investors who are hoping for the coin to break out and reach its previous highs. The slow but steady upward progress from the last few weeks is promising, but that could be a short-tail trend rather than the development of a protracted bullish movement.

Why Natural Gas Is Not Rising as Quickly As Gasoline

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Timothy St. John

A massive drop for U.S. natural gas futures on Thursday was caused by higher than normal inventory injections, and yet gasoline at the pump has slightly increased from the previous day.

Natural gas production is high and inventory levels are elevated as well, keeping prices low

LNG rates in the United States dropped by 5.18% Thursday to hit $2.58 per MMBtu as oversupply reports came in. That is the lowest the price has been since October of 2024. Federal reported levels showed plenty of gas in storage and in injection of 103 billion cubic feet for the week of April 17th.

That is far more than anyone was expecting and well above the five-year average of 64 bcf. The same week last year, there was a 77 bcf injection, so production levels are way up. High production and high inventory are pushing prices down since inventories are still high from last year’s unseasonably warm middle months. The mostly mild winter throughout the United States for 2025-2026 has not helped the oversupply problem either, keeping prices subdued while global rates are much higher.

Gasoline and Natural Gas Factors Compared

The United States produces most of its own natural gas, having to import very little. All of those imports come from Western Hemisphere nations, specifically from South America and the Caribbean. That explains why the energy crisis in the Middle East is not affecting LNG rates much domestically.

As Iran and the United States fight it out over the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices globally are on the rise, with Brent crude oil jumping 3.79% over the last 24 hours. West Texas Intermediate oil, which serves as a benchmark price for global oil prices, is up by nearly 4% today.

Those rising global oil prices are why gasoline at the pump is so high for Americans. About 13% of the U.S. oil that is turned into gasoline comes from Persian Gulf countries, and when the supply is hindered by fighting over the Strait of Hormuz or by oil tankers being attacked, then prices rise at the pump. The oil brought into the US is put through a process called fractional distillation that turns it into gasoline suitable for combustion engines.

Over the last month, premium grade gasoline has climbed from $4.82 to $4.90 per gallon. That is the average price across the United States, and it may decrease if the U.S. and Iran can keep their current ceasefire.

Domestic LNG prices are more influenced by the weather and inventory levels than anything else. Because of the strong influence of these factors, LNG rates can move in a dramatically different way than gasoline. If the weather cools as it is supposed to in the coming weeks, the price of natural gas could rise, but high inventory levels will likely keep any price increases subdued.

Tesla Posts Strong Earnings, But Musk Hurts Momentum

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Tesla’s (TSLA) ambitions plans for AI and robotaxi services have paid off with a better-than-expected first fiscal quarter for 2026, but CEO Elon Musk caused their stock to drop with his comments on capex spending.

Tesla beat earnings expectations this quarter.

Q1 earnings for Tesla came in at $22.39 billion, which is slightly better than the $22.19 billion that Wall Street predicted. Their gross margin was also better than anticipated, up 21.1% compared to the 17.7% that was expected. That would have helped Tesla stock soar, but Musk made untimely comments about capital expenditures.

Their stock fell 4% immediately following the earnings report and Musk’s comments but then recovered somewhat. After falling from $387 to $370, the stock climbed up to $378 on Thursday.

Tesla Impresses with Earnings, Yet Cannot Keep Its Price

The adjusted earnings per share for Tesla that they reported for the most recent quarter came in at $0.41. That is significantly higher than the $0.34 that analysts expected, and even though their gross margin was excellent as well, the company’s stock still fell.

Part of that fall can be attributed to Elon Musk promising that significant capex spending would be happening this year. He expects Tesla to invest heavily in research and development. According to Musk, the company will spend $25 billion in 2026 alone to invest in its future. Most of those costs will go to chips and AI software, which the company needs to power its robotaxi vehicles, Optimus robots, and self-driving electric vehicles (EVs).

In their latest earnings call, Tesla focused on autonomous driving services and AI products as their path forward. They spoke on several new investments as well as the Cybercab (Tesla’s two-seater robot taxi vehicle). The shift in focus could be good for them, but it comes with tremendous upfront costs to develop these products and then release them to the public.

Tesla performed well in the last quarter, particularly in the area of profitability, which has been a point of concern for shareholders and analysts for a while. However, they shot themselves in the foot with statements on upcoming capex spending, and while their venture may pay off, the multi-billion capex investment is not pleasing shareholders right now. The company is jumping right into the deep end of autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence, but it will be some time before the market can determine if their risky move has paid off.

Bitcoin Slipped but Held onto Some Recent Gains

Posted on April 23, 2026April 23, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Bitcoin (BTC) fell 1.08% on Thursday as Iran attacked several ships off its coast and the stock market fell from recent highs.

Bitcoin retained much of its progress after a slip on Thursday.

The Bitcoin rate dropped to $77,526 (BTC/USD) Thursday morning following a stock market correction. On Wednesday, Bitcoin hit its highest point since January of this year, and it Is not surprising that the coin was unable to hold onto all of its progress. However, the slip today did not cause the coin to lose all of its recent progress.

[[BTC/USD]]

Market sentiment is still relatively high for Bitcoin and much improved from where it was throughout February and March. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index shows a move from Extreme Fear into Fear recently, and the coin is looking broadly bullish.

A Show of Strength for Bitcoin

Through the first half of the week, Bitcoin gained 7.5%, hitting a high of $79,449. It lost some of that between Wednesday and Thursday but is still well above its low level from the beginning of the week. That indicates that the coin is resilient and able to climb very high without losing a lot of progress once it starts to dip.

Bitcoin may be losing some of its volatility and finding a measure of stability thanks to strong market support. Much of that support is coming from institutional buyers, like Strategy, which just spent $2.5 billion on Bitcoin this week to build up their reserves. They anticipate a bullish trend for the coin in the coming months despite the impressive upward movement of the coin already throughout April.

That is the consensus of many crypto and market analysts. They believe that Bitcoin has used up most of its downtrend and is widely bearish, and expectation is that the coin will keep on climbing through 2026 as it is supported by positive market sentiment, improving economic factors, and the potential for a new regulatory framework to help extend the coin’s reach.

Bitcoin could take a hit this week if the station in Iran worsens. There is worry that the recent attacks on cargo ships could escalate into extended fighting once more and the ceasefire could be shattered. Bitcoin has been under selling pressure from investors concerned about rising oil prices due to the fighting in the Middle East, and if conflict there cannot be resolved and oil prices continue to climb, Bitcoin holders are likely to see their assets devalue.