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.

Stock Market Surges after Powell Suggests Incoming Interest Rate Cut

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Timothy St. John

At Friday’s Federal Reserve meeting exiting Chairman Jerome Powell made comments that heavily suggested a new interest rate cut would be coming soon.

The Fed may be ready to issue a rate cut, and the stock market is very happy about it.

At Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Fed Chairman Powell seemed hopeful that an interest rate cut would help the current economic situation instead of worsening it. A stock market rally ensued immediately after those comments were made, with investors anticipating a rate cut as soon as early September.

A Changing Stance for the Fed

The Federal Reserve has been very conservative in their approach to the economy and interest rates throughout 2025, with many of the hoped for cuts not happening due to President Donald Trump’s wide-reaching tariffs. Now, the Fed says that any new tariffs are likely to be short-lived, since they have seen trade partners negotiate with the current administration over tariffs very quickly this year.

That has caused the stock market to ebb and flow rapidly this year, with the overall impact being that the stock market indices are higher now than they were at the start of the year and many stocks are very close to their all-time highs. Powell said that there is a “shifting balance of risks” that “may warrant adjusting our policy stance.”

The market indices climbed rapidly in response to his words, with the Dow Jones up 1.91% at the time of this writing. The Dow added 860 points since the previous day, which is a huge change from how it has behaved over the week. Between Monday and Friday, the Dow lost 160 points, so it has now regained all its lost ground this week and surged to its highest point in years.

The Nasdaq Composite is likewise up, with an increase of 1.96%, and it is currently up over 20% for the past 12 months. The S&P 500 added 1.54% today, surging very close to its all-time high once more. Before the day is over, we could see all three of these indices break their record highs.

Bitcoin Bounces Back as Philippines Considers Bitcoin Reserve

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Timothy St. John

Bitcoin (BTC) is up by 3.80% over the last day, hitting $116,724 (BTC/USD) not long after the Philippines considers a bill that would see their government buy up 10,000 BTC in the next five years.

Bitcoin is moving higher as investors hope for a new interest rate cut.

After a rough week so far, Bitcoin is starting to look bearish. The coin fell from $118K to $112K in less than a week, but now it is regaining much of that lost ground. This could be partially due to increased interest in Bitcoin from the Filipino government.

[[BTC/USD]]

The proposed act is called House Bill No. 421, and it proposes that the government buy up 2,000 BTC each year for the next five years and place those bitcoins in cold storage facilities and then release the funds for government use in 20 years. The bill is only at the proposition stage right now, but if it is approved, the Philippines will join the United States and the United Kingdom that hold large reserves.

Other countries have considered buying up Bitcoin as a government investment, including Malaysia, Thailand, and others. Bitcoin has proven to be a good long-term investment for years now, increasing in value from $87K to $116K between 2024 and 2025 and nearly doubling every year for the last few years.

Bitcoin May Not Remain Bullish

While Bitcoin has made back most of the lost ground from this week, it is still 6.2% off its all-time high. There are a few factors keeping the coin from setting new records, particularly the tightening economy and tough inflation.

Investors are waiting for a rate cut decision from the Federal Reserve, which could be announced later today. The Fed has not backed away from its position that it would issue two rate cuts before the end of the year, and one is expected very soon. If a cut is decided this week, it will go into effect in about three weeks, and even the news of an upcoming cut could be enough to propel Bitcoin back up near its all-time high.

The stock market is already slightly elevated today in hope that a rate cut will be issued soon, so Bitcoin could pick up some steam as well and remain bullish on that same momentum. Right now, the coin is being held back by tariff fears as well as wider economic fears, so it has an uphill battle to get back to its all-time high.

Stock Market Waiting for Jerome Powell’s Final Fed Speech Friday

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Timothy St. John

Stock futures in the United States are expected to tick upward slightly today ahead of Jerome Powell’s important final speed as chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Stock markets are in decline right now and have been all week.

Powell will be speaking Friday about the economic environment including the state of inflation, which was at 2.7% at the last reading. Powell will be likely to speak on any upcoming interest rate cuts as well, just three weeks out from the next rate setting meeting for the Fed.

This will be a key meeting for the stock market, as investors are waiting to see what decision the Fed will make about interest rate cuts and hear what they have to say about the state of the economy. Those comments on Friday will determine how much buying or selling pressure there is on the stock market heading into the weekend.

A Week of Losses

This week marks the first time in more than a month that the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite ended more sessions down than up. Those two indices have been setting record highs for much of the summer, but this week has seen them both decline significantly.

The stock market has dipped mainly due to rising consumer goods prices and new tariff fears. President Donald Trump had set a deadline for when his new tariffs would go into effect for numerous countries, and many of those countries let that deadline expire without reaching out and starting negotiations. Consumers expect to pay higher prices for a while on imported goods, while businesses anticipate slower sales and more fees for exported goods while these tariffs are in effect.

The Nasdaq Composite trended down as Thursday trading closed off, losing 0.34% and adding to its week of decline. The index has lost about 500 points since the start of the week.

The S&P 500 is down 0.40% now ahead of the stock market opening, and this index has lost about 70 points this week. Tech stocks have really suffered this week, with unexpected losses for Nvidia, Apple, and many others that have done very well in previous weeks over the summer.

The Dow Jones is also down, losing 0.34% on Thursday but only about 160 points for the week. That is less percentage loss for the week compared to the other two indices, leaving the Dow Jones in a slightly better state than the Nasdaq and S&P 500 as the week comes to a close.

China Warns Its Companies Against Buying Nvidia H20 Chips

Posted on August 21, 2025 by Timothy St. John

Nvidia (NVDA) may have permission from the U.S. government to sell its powerful H20 chips to China, but the Chinese government does not want them.

China does not want its locals using Nvidia chips.

Nvidia’s stock has been bearish this week, from a high of $182 per share on Monday to a low of $169 on Wednesday, today’s price of $175 is in the middle but still shows the AI chip manufacturer’s stock trending downward. Nvidia may be following broader market pressure, but they are not being helped by the Chinese government either.

China VS the United States

Beijing is telling its citizens that they should avoid buying Nvidia’s powerful H20 chip for use in government offices in particular, but the warning also extends to Chinese businesses. It should be noted that this is not an outright ban, however, the action is likely to hurt Nvidia’s prospects on this now open market.

It was only recently that U.S. President Donald Trump removed the ban on selling H20 chips and other powerful AI chips to the Chinese market. There were concerns that these advanced tech items would allow the Chinese market to compete directly with the United States and give Chinese government agencies similar technical capabilities as their American counterparts.

Nvidia sold the chips to China anyway at a high markup in order to cover the fines for selling there. Now, they have freedom to sell to that market, but there is considerable pushback from the Chinese government.

China Pushes Local Alternatives

In recent weeks, the Chinese government has been sending out warnings against using H20 chips and similar products from Nvidia and AMD. They are urging their people to buy local alternatives and are calling the H20 chips obsolete.

They are also sending questionnaires to businesses that buy H20 chips and other imported AI chips, asking local companies why they are not buying the local options. Of course, Nvidia’s top performing chips have been proven to work and are already compatible with the most cutting edge AI products, which is why they have more market capitalization than any other company in the world and certainly more than their direct competitors.

The poor performance of Nvidia this week is likely just a minor setback during a particularly good year. We saw Nvidia’s stock dip during March and again in April of 2025. Both of those bearish periods were times when tariff fears had escalated and there was concern that Nvidia would be taxed out of most of its profits.

Since late April, Nvidia’s stock has been steadily climbing, and this week’s dip should pass soon. We expect to see the stock impacted little by China’s current action as it warns locals away from buying Nvidia chips, but if China puts a definite ban in place, then that could be a problem.

Positive Walmart Earnings Not Enough to Lift S&P 500 from Four-Session Decline

Posted on August 21, 2025 by Timothy St. John

The S&P 500 has been recording a loss at the end of the last four trading sessions even though Walmart (WMT) posted a good earnings statement that enabled them to raise their 2025 outlook.

The S&P 500 dips further after days of decrease.

Walmart stock is up 1.26% after they released their quarterly earnings statement, but the Nasdaq and S&P 500 indices are both down, falling 0.67% and 0.24%, respectively. The S&P 500 has now ended the last four sessions in the red after recent weeks of setting record highs.

Stock markets are feeling the pressure from new tariffs as well as fears that inflation is high and the interest rate is not going to be cut anytime soon. Retail reports this week mostly missed the mark, with Walmart appearing as the one bright light, but even that major retailer did not post earnings that were good enough to keep its stock from falling slightly after the quarterly report was posted.

Walmart’s Quarterly Performance

This is the week for big retailers to release their quarterly statements, and Walmart perfumed well in sales for the last quarter. Their profits were not as high as expected, though, and that has caused the retailer to see a small stock drop as Thursday trading commences.

Still Walmart was able to raise their guidance for the entire year as a result of their decent sales figures. For the quarter ending in July, Walmart saw their earnings per share hit 68 cents, but that is below the Wall Street estimate of 73 cents. For the quarter overall, Walmart’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same time last year.

Economic Tightening

Mixed news from Walmart’s quarterly performance will not be enough to help the stock market get back on its feet. Inflation remains sticky and consumer prices are still high while the job market is performing with mixed results.

We may be entering a period of economic decline or at least a period of inflation increase according to the latest data. This has investors worried, and the stock market has seen more selling and less buying over the last week. There is also significant slowdown in the cryptocurrency market.

The only hope for the moment is going to come from two corners- the Federal Reserve’s meeting scheduled for Thursday and the trade/peace talks between the United States, Russia, and the European Union. As news appears on these key issues, the market will dramatically shift back up toward its previous winning streak or down further into a period of decline and economic tightening.

New Bitcoin Price Prediction after Dip to $112K

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Timothy St. John

For the past week, Bitcoin (BTC) has lost 6.78% of its value and dropped to $112,700 (BTC/USD) on Wednesday. This is the coin’s lowest point in weeks.

Bitcoin hit a hurdle this week on its way to the predicted $150K price point.

Even though Bitcoin has fallen below $113K, it could be ready to turn around. The last time BTC was this low was in early August, and the coin shot up to an all-time high shortly afterwards. We may see a repeat of that, but investors need to know first why Bitcoin is falling right now.

Retail earnings reports have hurt the stock market and the crypto market in a big way this week. With revenue and earnings per share numbers lower than expected for major retailers, the economy does not look as good as it did last week. Even though Bitcoin recently hit a record high, it is incredibly low right now and in need of a boost.

That boost is not coming for the Federal Reserve, in all likelihood. The Fed will be holding a meeting on Thursday, and sentiment is already poor, as analysts expect that there will be no new interest rate cuts announced. Since inflation is still high and is not declining, the Fed is unlikely to issue a rate cut.

Price Prediction for Bitcoin

So, where will Bitcoin move from here? We do expect the coin to start to recover, but it could be a while before BTC’s price goes back up above the previous $119K support level. We predict that Bitcoin will not hit a record high again until possibly deep into September. The coin will struggle to make that $150K level that some analysts predicted earlier in the year as well. The contributing positive factors are simply not strong enough right now for that to look like a real possibility. Poor economic reports are going to pull Bitcoin’s value down for now.

Bitcoin is being held back by several weeks of declines as well as sticky inflation and a poor economic outlook. Amazon recently announced that they would be placing a number next to their times to show how tariffs are affecting prices, and moves like that will keep the high cost of living in the public eye. Even though tariffs have had little effect on the stock and cryptocurrency markets in July and August, they look to be coming back to the forefront of public consciousness and retailers and business owners are tired of the fluctuating tariffs and ongoing trade war.

Bitcoin will struggle to get back up to its recent high level and will likely find resistance now around $115K as it starts to trend upward.

Nasdaq Down as Top Tech Stocks Nvidia and Navitas Suffer Decline

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Timothy St. John

The Nasdaq Composite dropped close to 1.5% on Tuesday and continues to fall as Wednesday trading has begun, pulled down by a poor performance of some of its top stocks.

Nasdaq leads declining stock indices today.

Nvidia (NVDA) and Navitas (NVTS) have performed well recently but are trending down on Wednesday due to fears over the Federal Reserve meeting as well as concerns about the longevity of the AI market.

This is the niche most likely to be affected by President Donald Trump’s trade policies because it is so vital for the technological advancement of China and the United States. If the U.S. does not corner the market on AI technology, then they will be outperformed and outmaneuvered by their trade partners and rivals. Some of the restrictions on AI products have been lifted, and Nvidia can now sell its high end H20 chips to China without the very high fees that were previously attached, but the United States is calling for investment in America first from its tech companies.

With the government dipping its hands into business affairs in new ways, investors are concerned about what the future of the AI market and related fields is going to look like. Will the government have a say in what happens with AI and who gets to profit from it?

The Stock Market Is in Decline

Most major stocks shifted downward Tuesday and continued to slip on Wednesday heading into Thursday’s Federal Reserve meeting. With the chair Jerome Powell expecting to be replaced and anticipation high that the Fed will not issue interest rate cuts, the meeting could be dire for the market. Investors are already preparing for the worst and selling off stocks quickly.

The Dow Jones dropped 0.13% on Wednesday after ending Tuesday slightly down. The S&P 500 also decreased, losing another 0.83% on Wednesday morning. Across the board, stocks are down, with tech stocks suffering the biggest blow. Investors should expect further decline as the day progresses with heightened selling up to the Thursday Fed meeting.

Positive Sentiment Continues for UnitedHealth Group after Warren Buffett Investment

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Timothy St. John

UnitedHealth (UNH) continues to climb up the stock market charts, adding 1.47% even after days of upward movement. The company recently gave $4.5 billion to its shareholders.

UNH stock is doing well as the wider stock market trends downward.

The comeback story of UnitedHealth is an unexpected one. After reports surfaced that the company was under federal investigation for mistreatment of Medicare patients, the stock went into freefall. The value of UNH hit one of its lowest points in years until its unlikely savior Warren Buffett showed up with a $1.6 billion dollar stake through his company Berkshire Hathaway.

Now, UNH stock is up by 30%, having climbed from a low of $237 to its current price of $310 per share. Other investors have jumped on board, seeing the potential in this stock and feeling it is undervalued at the moment. Their investments have paid off so far as UnitedHealth’s value continues to rise.

Does UNH Still Have Growth Potential?

The upward trend of this stock is not finished, as UNH is adding 0.49% in premarket trading for Tuesday. The stock is likely to keep on climbing as well, since it is far below its 2025 average of around $400 per share.

During the first quarter of the year, the company increased its quarterly dividend rate by 5%. Analysts are bullish on this stock, with Bank of America Securities broker Kevin Fishbeck estimating that the company’s fair value assessment should increase from $290 to $325.

UNH might not improve substantially over the short term. It still has the looming federal investigation to deal with and the poor public perception that persists because of that. Outside of that issue, though, UnitedHealth is pleasing shareholders and is on its way back toward its 2025 average.

The steam may run out of its current upward momentum, but for now, UNH is rising relatively quickly, outpacing the rest of the stock market at a time when investors are keen to wait on what the Federal Reserve will announce regarding interest rates and any potential cuts for the remainder of the year.

S&P 500 Dipping before Today’s Federal Reserve Meeting

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Timothy St. John

The stock markets usually get a bump heading into the Federal Reserve meeting, but that is not the case for Tuesday, with the S&P 500 falling before Powell speaks on interest rate cuts.

Declining stocks herald an impending Fed meeting that is expected to be bad news.

There are unlikely to be any new rate cuts for now. That is the expectation in the hours before Fed Chairman Jerome Powell speaks. With indications that the economy is tightening and inflation is not heading in the right direction, the cautious Fed is expected to hold off on announcing new interest rate cuts.

If that is what happens later today on Tuesday, then the stock market will likely dip further. The Fed making rate cuts to get that rate down to historically average levels tends to help the stock market and demonstrates the confidence the Fed has in the economy. The current Federal Reserve members have been very conservative and constrained in their approach to policies like interest rate cuts. If inflation levels are not diminishing and are potentially rising, then the Fed will wait to issue further rate cuts.

The Stock Market Expects No New Cuts

This is why the S&P 500 index is down right now. Investors are cautious about trading assets that are about to dip. They will wait until the dust settles and the Fed meeting announcements are processed and then buy the inevitable dip.

The S&P 500 index fell 0.01% on Monday before trading closed off. This index has been mostly positive for the past few weeks, setting record highs and enjoying weeks of gains.

The Nasdaq Composite ended the day slightly ahead, with a 0.03% gain. This index as well has been climbing to record highs for weeks and has ended most days in the green. A number of major retailers will be issuing their quarterly reports later this week, and that will drive the Nasdaq more strongly than anything else. Dollar Tree (DLTR), Target (TGT), Home Depot (HD), and Walmart (WMT) all have quarterly reports to release throughout the week.

The Dow Jones index is down as well for now, dropping 0.076% as premarket trading begins. On the Dow, the biggest positive change is coming from UnitedHealth Group (UNH), up only 1.76%. This stock has started to turn around dramatically after reaching a historic low, thanks in a big part to a massive stock buyup by Warren Buffett.

Expect the stock market indices to trend low as the market opens for Tuesday, with investors waiting cautiously to see what the Fed will decide.

Bitcoin Falls Further as Inflation Data Lowers Rate Cut Potential

Posted on August 18, 2025 by Timothy St. John

Slipping further from its key support level, Bitcoin (BTC) is now at $115,134 (BTC/USD) and could drop even further before it is finished with its bear run.

Bitcoin is low now but could get back on its feet fast.

Analysts blame sticky inflation and decreasing rate cut hope on the current state of Bitcoin, which fell to $114K on Monday and is way below its recent support level of $119K.

[[BTC/USD]]

Recent inflation data shows that the overall rate of increase has held steady compared to the previous month- at 2.7%. but there has been no decrease, which was what the Federal Reserve was looking for in order to institute an interest rate cut. That means that the market may need to wait longer for a rate cut to happen. As consumer prices rise, investors are faced with the very real problem of tightening budgets, higher costs, and less disposable income to work with in their investments.

That leaves Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to dip in the wake of rising inflation fears. While the stock market is enjoying weeks of gains, the crypto market is looking less hopeful.

Where Will Bitcoin Go from Here?

It is both good news and bad news that Bitcoin is near its one-month low. This decline gives investors a chance to buy in during the dip and potentially make incredible profits in the coming weeks. Bitcoin has been very resilient this year and has managed to stay above $100K for months. No one expects it to dip below that psychologically important threshold for now, especially since the contributing factors to Bitcoin decline have been relatively mild.

There is not a strong inflation increase pulling BTC’s price down, nor is there confirmation from the Fed that no rate cuts are coming for now. So, if inflation improves or the Fed announces a rate cut, then Bitcoin’s price is certain to turn around very quickly. The BTC rate could also improve greatly if there is positive news out of Monday’s meeting between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Bitcoin could also receive a boost from the powerfully positive stock market performance we are seeing now, with the Nasdaq and S&P 500 flirting with all-time highs still. This week will be a busy one for retail earnings reports, and if those reports look good and beat Wall Street expectations, then Bitcoin could see a price jump due to that factor as well.

There are a lot of ways that Bitcoin could turn things around this week and few that would be likely to pull it down even further. Investors might be wise to buy the dip now and reap the rewards in the coming days.