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.

Amazon Stock May Be Severely Undervalued after Middle East Disruption

Posted on March 24, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Drone strikes in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates disrupted power to Amazon Web Services on Monday, and the service was still struggling Tuesday as stock hit a 2026 low.

Amazon stock is down after drone strike knocked out some web services.

Amazon (AMZN) stock fell to $208 per share, the lowest price since June of last year, and some experts say it is undervalued. This typically high performing stock has been low since early February, remaining below $220 from then. Amazon is one of what are known as the Magnificent Seven stocks, which is a group of strong market movers that investors pay close attention to for their impact on the wider economy.

The stock has been struggling through the Iranian conflict as consumers watch their spending closely while they pay more for gas during the ongoing crisis. Oil has soared past $100 per barrel during much of the fighting. Amazon has taken a hit from the recent drone strikes as they are pulled into the conflict indirectly. The strikes have hurt the most lucrative aspect of their business.

Amazon’s 4th Quarter Performance

In early February, Amazon reported their 4th quarterly earnings and beat expectations. They reported sales for North America of $127 billion that were 10% higher than the year before. Their Amazon Web Services brought in $35.6 billion as well, which was an increase of 24% from the previous year.

The company’s net sales of $213 billion marked a 14% year-over-year increase and yet was not enough to keep their stock price elevated. The stock fell sharply following the earnings report as investors feared that Amazon may be spending too much on research and development costs. Their capex spending of $131 billion in 2025 shocked investors and shareholders and put a dent in their Q4 revenue celebrations.

At a time when tech companies are under strict scrutiny for their capital expenditures, Amazon drew the ire of tis shareholders who were concerned that they may not be as profitable as they were a few years ago when the focus was less on chasing the bleeding edge of artificial intelligence and more on website optimization.

Is Amazon a Good Buy Right Now?

Even with Amazon stock low at the moment, it may be worth investing in them. In fact, this could be the perfect time. They are still a couple of months out from their next quarterly earnings report, so the stock has a chance to climb before shareholders worry too much about capex spending. The company has made no serious measures to reign in their capital expenditures, so we can expect that their stock will take another hit after their Q1 revenue report, even if the numbers beat Wall Street expectations again.

Outside of capex spending, though, Amazon is an excellent performing stock that the market pays attention to. Their disruptions on the AWS are temporary, and once they get those services back up and running smoothly, they should have a small stock boost. Amazon stock is rarely so cheap, particularly in relation to its cash flow.

Their e-commerce service is unparalleled, and there is no runner up that is even close to them on sales numbers and revenue in this market. They will likely continue to report billions of dollars in earnings each quarter as they fill a need that has only grown in the last decade. This may be the perfect time to jump on board and buy into this stock while the price is low.

Natural Gas up after 6% Drop Monday; Traders Uncertain on Iran Peace Talks

Posted on March 24, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Is President Donald Trump having peace talks with Iran or not? Iran’s government denies Trump’s claim, and U.S. natural gas prices have fluctuated wildly this week and are now climbing.

The United States LNG rates are higher Tuesday as the market settles down.

Natural gas futures rose to $2.90 per MMBtu on Tuesday after a sharp fall on Monday. Yesterday marked a three-week low for LNG futures as Trump announced that he was having productive peace talks with Iran’s leadership. But Iran’s leaders quickly told the media that there were no peace talks.

Gas futures in the United States are up 0.5%, but well below the $3 per MMBtu that was the norm in recent weeks. Warm weather forecasts have kept the prices down recently, as the market anticipates less demand through the end of March and early April as the temperature rises.

Accounting for LNG Price Fluctuations in the United States

U.S. gas futures have not been influenced by the Iran conflict as much as other regions. The LNG rate has fluctuated as the global situation shifts, but only marginally, and Tuesday’s natural gas rate is more a reflection of the weather forecasts and U.S. LNG supply levels than the situation in Iran and the surrounding areas.

The price of natural gas in the United States has remained mostly stable throughout the conflict in the Middle East that began back in late February. Meanwhile, crude oil is up 3.67% and gasoline has climbed 3.32% over the last day. At the same time, gold has dropped slightly, and the stock market has dipped after a strong upswing the previous day.

After the most recent 6% drop for the LNG rate in the United States, the market should not expect radical changes to the price. Weather forecasts and supply levels will likely dictate the price movement more than anything else, and these are set at high incoming temperatures and relatively high inventory levels for now.

The most recent EIA report shows that inventory levels for natural gas are around 10.5% above the level they were at 12 months prior. They are also higher than the five-year average by 2.6%. Production has been increasing throughout the United States while demand drops, and that will likely remain the situation through the spring and summer months.

Bitcoin Increasingly Volatile Near $71K

Posted on March 24, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Tuesday, Bitcoin (BTC) faltered near $71K, losing some of the steam from the previous day as investors stepped back from their busy trading and reevaluated their positions.

Fighting has stopped in Iran, giving the crypto market a chance to breathe.

Across the cryptocurrency market, price movement is slowing down, settling above where the values were late last week. It is obvious that investors are hesitant to keep up Monday’s bullish momentum after peace talks began between Iran and the United States. But Iran’s leaders said that no talks have taken place, making traders backpedal on some of their bold moves.

[[BTC/USD]]

Bitcoin is at $70,596 (BTC/USD) now and holding, down just 0.75% over the last hour. The coin has a trade volume of around $37 billion and is up nearly 4% for the month, but its current position will be a proving point. Can Bitcoin keep moving from here or will it stall out as traders hesitate?

Bitcoin’s Bullish Factors Point Toward Strong Gains

The spot Bitcoin ETF market is performing well right now, with $167 million in inflows recorded for Monday. That broke a three-day streak of withdrawals and indicates that Bitcoin may be changing course. The question is whether that course correction will stick. What this inflow report tells us is that Bitcoin may be gearing up to swing higher now.

Even if Trump is not having productive peace talks with Iran like he claims to be, the fact that he is willing to announce talks with the rival country is promising. It means that there could be an end to the fighting very soon. For now, missile strikes have stopped in the region, and that has allowed the price of oil to retreat while stocks climb. The crypto market is higher as well since talk of peace started early this week.

If pressure from the Middle East remains off the crypto market, then there will be opportunity for Bitcoin and other coins to move higher and continue their upward momentum we saw from earlier in the month. If fighting escalates and this fragile ceasefire is broken, then we expect Bitcoin to fall quickly or at least slow down.

We could be hearing good news from the U.S. government soon about legislation for a new regulatory framework for cryptocurrency. If that in-progress legislation is passed, it would make the crypto market feel safer for investors and would open up access to the market through ranking institutions. That could swing the crypto market upward in a big way later this year and help make up for the bearish trend that took over in late October last year.

Bullish Market Pulls Back with S&P 500 and Nasdaq Down

Posted on March 24, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The stock market indices climbed quickly on Monday after news of peace talks with Iran, but the market slipped on Tuesday, bringing the Dow and S&P 500 down 0.2%.

The Dow dipped Tuesday but held onto most of its gains.

The Nasdaq fell the smallest on Tuesday with a loss of just 0.1%, but all three indices were slightly in the red as early trading began. The market is volatile and fluctuating quickly amid changing global economics as oil and gas production hesitantly resumes. The stocks moved boldly under the impetus of optimistic traders this week, but other stocks are moving more cautiously.

The talks between Iran and the United States could result in a stable region and a measure of peace, but the current status could change rapidly as well. Investors are wary about jumping in on the news of peace talks too quickly in case everything shifts.

Stocks Remain Elevated

When looking at Tuesday’s stock numbers, it appears that the market is losing its upward movement. However, it is important to note that most of the gains from the previous day are still accounted for. The Dow increased the most on Monday, with more than 1,100 points added to its total. Even though the index slipped Tuesday morning. The Dow is well ahead of where it was late last week but still has ground to make up for what was lost during the Middle East fighting.

The situation is similar for the Nasdaq and the S&P 500. These indices fell over the last couple weeks as Iran, Israel, and the United States engaged in missile strikes and other military action. The conflict resulted in damages to at least five oil shipping vessels and multiple oil production plants and oil fields. Gas and oil prices spiked to their highest point for the year as a global supply crisis loomed.

As a result, stock values plummeted, with investors fearing that the economy could not support rising oil prices as well as strong stocks. Stock indices are up today from where they were last week, but the market has been in decline for weeks. Even key stocks like Nvidia (NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are down from their starting point in 2026 and from their late January/early February highs. The stock market may be mildly bullish right now, but it has a long way to go to become net positive for 2026.

Bitcoin above $71K on Iran Peace Talk; New BTC Price Prediction

Posted on March 23, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Bitcoin (BTC) jumped 4% on Monday morning following news of possible peace between Iran and the United States. Missile strikes have stopped for now, and markets are booming.

Bitcoin is surging with the wider crypto market after peace talks have begin in Iran.

The stock market and the crypto market both shot up on Monday after Trump announced that he was having very productive talks with the Iran government over the situation in the Middle East. Bitcoin has been slipping in recent days as the war there escalated, but now it is at $71,634 (BTC/USD) and climbing.

[[BTC/USD]]

Bitcoin had fallen to a low of $67.4K on Sunday, its lowest point since early March, and selling pressure intensified for the crypto market. The pressure was the direct result of intensifying conflict in the Middle East, as Qatar was drawn into the war after an attack on its oil facilities. Rising tensions resulted in the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil and gas shipping lane for the region.

Bitcoin Likely to Gain Renewed Strength

Over the past few weeks, Bitcoin has been moving from one gain to the next and holding onto much of its progress. It is only in the last few days that it started to falter, and we suspect that the coin has regained much of its strength from the middle of 2025. Analysts agree that Bitcoin’s downward spiral in late 2025 and early 2026 has exhausted itself and that the coin is primed for explosive growth this year.

As fighting stops in Iran and the surrounding areas, this could be the chance to Bitcoin to surge much higher. We are already seeing an increase of more than 4% and climbing movement from the coin and the wider cryptocurrency market as the new week begins. Ethereum (ETH) is up nearly 5%, and Solana (SOL) has gained 4.74% since the previous day. There is bullish momentum across the market, and similar increases are taking place on the stock market.

The current global environment is perfect for Bitcoin to move much higher. The coin only recently started to lose its upward momentum, so it should be able to regain it fast. While today’s surge may be the biggest one for the week, it is likely that Bitcoin will move higher throughout the week if fighting remains stopped in Iran and the surrounding region. We could see a move to $80K as soon as this week if the positive factors continue to hold.

U.S. Stock Futures Climb on Trump’s Announcement of Talks with Iran

Posted on March 23, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The stock market rallied on Monday after President Donald Trump revealed that he has been having productive talks with Iran and that missile strikes were being paused.

Stocks have rallied on news that Iran and the United States are seeking peace.

The Nasdaq gained 1.6% on Monday on news that Iran and the United States are talking about peace. The S&P 500 added 1.5%, and the Dow Jones climbed by 1.6%. This has been the strongest upswing in weeks and the most significant indicator of recovery since the conflict with Iran began.

Strikes against Iranian power plants and energy facilities have been stopped as the government there is in talks with the United States about a resolution to the conflict that has been going on for weeks. The news has caused stock prices to jump and allayed fears about the ongoing energy crisis and skyrocketing gas and oil prices.

Stocks Expected to Move Higher Today

The Dow is up by 715 points already for the day and could climb higher. After weeks of selling pressure and economic worry plagued the market, we could see a return to record highs from the leading U.S. stock market indices. Crude oil fell with the announcement of peace talks, and West Intermediate dropped 9% while Brent crude fell 13%. These oil prices are still not down to the pre-conflict levels, but investors are concerned that the fighting may continue and a peaceful resolution may not be possible just yet.

The oil and gas industry is likely to remain in a state of confusion and will attempt to catch up to meet demands, even if the fighting ends now. Because the conflict has resulted in the loss of oil fields and oil tankers and has caused damage to production facilities, it will be some time before normalcy returns to the market.

This may give stocks a chance to keep up the bullish momentum. Stocks are showing signs of recovery Monday morning, with Nvidia (NVDA) moving from a loss of 3% to gains of 2% in early morning trading. Microsoft (MSFT) is also up for Monday, with gains of 0.53% as the market begins a process of swift recovery.

What is happening is similar to what has occurred under Trump’s presidency each time tariffs have been put in place and then repealed or decreased. This ebb and flow of the market is indicative of the Trump administration period, and we are seeing with the Iran conflict another event with a quick turnaround rather than a protracted period of economic pressure. This allows the market to escape a lengthy recession and to stay fluid and fluctuating.

Bitcoin Holds Steady at $70K after Bringing down Crypto Market

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Friday morning, the majority of the leading cryptocurrencies were trending lower, with Bitcoin (BTC) down 4.8% for the week and Ethereum (ETH) falling 2.66%.

Cryptocurrency is starting to climb back after a sharp dropoff this week.

Bitcoin lost nearly 5% of its value this past week as metals fluctuated, oil climbed, and stocks dipped. Now at $70,014 (BTC/USD), the BTC rate is about 44% below its all-time high from back in October and is struggling to regain a foothold above $70K.

[[BTC/USD]]

As Bitcoin moves, so too does much of the crypto market, and this week BNB (BNB lost more than 5% of its value while Dogecoin (DOGE) dropped 5.5%. Other leading crypto tokens were also bearish for the week, with most of their declines happening near the tail end after missile attacks in Iran and Qatar threatened the global oil supply.

Bitcoin Set to Outperform Gold in 2026?

According to some analysts, the metals market is not likely to have as good of a year in 2026 as Bitcoin. Of course, Bitcoin ended the year poorly, well below its $126K record high. Gold performed very well, on the other hand, but has slowed this year.

As metals became more volatile in 2026, Bitcoin has experienced some weakness, and the two movements may be very closely related, says Thomas Lee, the chairman of BitMine Immersion and CIO of Fundstrat. According to his predictions, gold has topped out while Bitcoin is likely to reach as high as $200,000 this year.

We have already seen some excellent gains from the coin this year, with marked improvement from its early February low of $62.7K. Even during the ongoing Iran conflict, Bitcoin has managed to reclaim lost ground and perform more impressively than the stock market.

Recent slowdown is seen as just a bump in the road on the way to greater gains to come. Investor sentiment is better now than it was last month, and Bitcoin is likely to ride that consumer confidence to a new record high in 2026.

Bitcoin has already regained its place above $70K after a drop to $68.9K on Thursday. The coin started to do better on Friday after several countries issued statements about the conflict in Iran. Israel’s prime minister said that the war there may be ending soon and that opening the Strait of Hormuz is a priority. Leaders from Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, and France have all condemned Iran’s missile attacks and have vowed to open up the Strait as well.

Bitcoin is posting larger gains Friday morning than SOL, XRP, ETH and others this morning, but it appears the market is starting to recover from Thursday’s decline. Investors should expect the crypto market to improve over the weekend as global solidarity against Iran works to open up shipping routes.

S&P 500 Set for Fourth Consecutive Week of Losses

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Oil prices reversed and began climbing again on Friday, forcing stocks lower and pushing the S&P 500 index toward its fourth consecutive losing week.

The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and is causing oil prices to climb while stocks dip.

The selling pressure for the oil market eased slightly on Thursday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was working with the United States to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. He said there may be an end to the conflict sooner than expected, but as the market opened on Friday, oil prices jumped while stock prices fell.

The Dow dropped 1.2% on Friday in early trading while the S&P 500 fell 0.4%. The Nasdaq Composite stayed mostly flat with a decline of just 0.1%. Now, the S&P 500 is looking at its fourth week in a row of losses, caused primarily by the fighting in Iran but also by apex fears for leading technology companies.

The Strait of Hormuz Needs to Open for Stocks to Climb

Iran has now been fighting with the United States and Israel for nearly three weeks, pulling in Qatar and other countries in the area with missile strikes. The conflict has also seriously hampered the transportation and production of oil and gas around the world.

West Texas Intermediate futures climbed 0.7% and nearly hit $97 per barrel. Brent crude oil futures rose 1.7% Friday and reached $110 per barrel. Those prices may continue to rise as the conflict continues, and that could also keep pressing stock futures lower as consumers fear economic tightening.

On Friday, the stock market is facing a quadruple witching event. This is a period when index options, stock options, single-stock futures, and index futures all expire at the same time, and it happens four times each year. The result is usually high trade volume and quick shifts in momentum that lead to increased volatility.

Investors are looking for the Strait of Hormuz to open again and for shipping to resume in the region. That is the major deciding factor that will allow the stock market to regain its upward momentum from earlier in the year and for indices to start to hit the record highs that they were enjoying back in February. Some analysts predict that the Strait will reopen in a few weeks and that the market will not have to wait months for this to happen. That is Scott Wren’s prediction, and the Wells Fargo global market strategist says that the Strait is the one factor that near-term action is counting on.

Solana Falls Hard after Strong Week; New SOL Price Prediction

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Thursday, Solana (SOL) fell 0.86% but has not lost all of its recent gains. This has been a great week for the coin, and it is still up 3.55% over the last seven days.

Solana fell today with the rest of the crypto market and the stock market on elevated inflation.

Solana’s trade volume is dropping as the coin loses much of what it gained between Sunday and Wednesday this week. Much of the crypto market is down at the moment, pushed into sharp drop-offs by fighting in Iran and the Federal Reserve’s warning on inflation.

[[SOL/USD]]

This week, the Fed met about monetary policy, and they decided not to move ahead with any interest rate cuts due to elevated inflation and the conflict in Iran. As understandable as that may be, the Fed’s weighing in on these strong market factors hurt crypto investor sentiment and sank a number of tokens.

Solana Loses Important Level

On Sunday, Solana was able to regain the $93 level that had eluded it for about 40 days. This indicated a bullish pattern that might have extended further if it were not for the Iran conflict escalation this week as well as the Fed’s reading on inflation.

Now, Solana is in a potentially tricky spot where investors are worried if it can gain back that $93 level. The Solana rate is at $88.84 (SOL/USD) for now, but that is rapidly changing. Trade volume over the last 24 hours is around $3.7 billion, and traders are very active with the coin today.

The good news for investors is that the SOL price has not dropped as much as the price of other competing crypto coins, indicating its stability and potential to regain lost ground quickly. Bitcoin (BTC) lost 1.32% over the last day, while Ethereum (ETH) dropped 2.41% in that same period. Meanwhile, Hyperliquid (HYPE) is down 4.77% and Cardano (ADA) dropped 2%.

Solana may just be in a short-term squeeze that passes quickly, and there is a strong possibility that it is back up to $93K or higher by the weekend. Investor confidence for Solana is high and could rise rapidly in the next few days if it continues to outperform other crypto tokens.

Micron Technology Stock Severely Impacted by Earnings Report

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Micron Technology (MU) posted incredible earnings that would typically ensure a massive stock jump, but their $23.86 billion in earnings for the second quarter netted them a 6.6% stock drop.

High capex spending sinks Micron Technology stock after their Q2 report.

Technology stocks took another hit this week as Micron Technology reported excellent earnings but then took a hit on capex (capital expenditure) spending. Their stock is currently down 4% after a small recovery from the previous day’s sharp drop. Their Q2 earnings should have earned them a stock rally, but investors are worried about their spending.

Huge earnings were not sufficient to keep their stock from dropping in an environment where tech stocks are under severe scrutiny. Analysts from Citi say that the downward movement indicates “some profit taking after a strong run.”

Micron Technology Earnings Hurt AI Stock Chances

In the last quarter, Micron Technology tripled their revenue for sales of high performance, high memory chips and semiconductors. They have stepped into the gap created by an unusually high demand for memory supply storage. Their corner of the AI market is very lucrative right now, and their stock grew 350% over the last 12 months.

However, the company is one of many that is facing shareholders and investors who are worried about capex spending. The concern is that Micron Technology and other companies in the AI space are spending millions and sometimes even billions to buy high end components and develop the latest artificial intelligence technology. This is cutting into their profits severely, so even when they make billions, the shareholders want to know how sustainable that model is.

If Micron Technology wanted to dispel false rumors about their capital expenditure, they would release financial statements to that effect. But the information investors have access to online tells them that the company is already planning to spend more than $25 billion in capex.

Investors may still want to buy into this stock, especially since it has seen incredible growth over the last year. Buying the dip now may be a smart move, and Micron Technology has already proven they can multiply their gains from quarter to quarter. They had a very strong quarter, and their guidance for the coming months is well beyond what Wall Street estimates predicted.