Author: Timothy St. John

Timothy St John is a seasoned financial analyst and writer, catering to the dynamic landscapes of the US and European markets. Boasting over a decade of extensive freelance writing experience, he has made significant contributions to reputable platforms such as Yahoo!Finance, business.com: Expert Business Advice, Tips, and Resources - Business.com, and numerous others. Timothy's expertise lies in in-depth research and comprehensive coverage of stock and cryptocurrency movements, coupled with a keen understanding of the economic factors influencing currency dynamics. Timothy majored in English at East Tennessee State University, and you can find him on LinkedIn.

Natural Gas Held Back by Storage Reports

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Bearish storage data kept United States natural gas futures from gaining ground on Friday as the latest report came in under expectations.

The U.S. LNG export market is strong at the moment.

Natural gas is already a bearish market, but the most recent storage report showing 249 billion cubic feet of gas withdrawn from storage is only making things worse. Gas futures ticked up 0.08% on Friday to $3.23 per MMBtu, back to October 2025 prices.

The sluggish market can be blamed on warm weather forecasts that have cut the winter season short for much of the United States. Natural gas futures are expected to remain low so long as weather forecasts call for relatively mild temperatures.

LNG Export Demand Could Shift Market Upward

There is one factor that could push back against mild weather and low withdrawals, and that is the exceptional export demand that U.S gas traders are experiencing. LNG export demand is high right now as trade partners around the world need heating for their cold winter weather. As long as that demand remains high, the gas futures will not dip much lower.

Warm weather is expected to continue all the way through the end of February with forecasts pointing to unusually mild temperatures for this time of year. However, withdrawals are higher this year than they were the previous year, coming in at 249 billion cubic feet compared to 111 from the same time last year. The withdrawal numbers are also much higher than the five year average 146 bcf.

That is promising for the market that has struggled with high reserve levels for a while. All throughout 2025, the natural gas supply was unusually high, and injections continued to occur to an already elevated supply level. For now, the reserve levels are going back down and are correcting, but that could change later on this year. Several production facilities are expected to open in the region, and several facilities are expected to increase their production output this year as well.

The Energy Information Administration expects natural gas production to reach all-time highs in 2026. The production levels could move as high as 120.8 billion cubic feet per day, which would mean an increase of about 2%. Much of the growth should come from the Appalachian region, but production in Texas is expected to ramp up as well this year. If production levels really do increase, then overall market prices will likely fall in response.

Bitcoin Price Prediction as Bears Hold on at $67K

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The Bitcoin rate fell 1.36% over the last 24 hours and is down to $67,210 (BTC/USD) as the bears continue to keep their stranglehold on the coin.

Bitcoin falls further as bears remain in control.

Heavy ETF spot withdrawals worked to keep the Bitcoin (BTC) price low this week, with $375.11 million by Thursday. This marks four weeks in a row of withdrawals over inflows, cementing the notion that the bears are in charge of Bitcoin’s trajectory for now.

[[BTC/USD]]

Trade volume for Bitcoin is down more than 4% for Friday and is part of a wider trend that tells analysts the token is not at the bottom yet. That bottom could be around $50 or 60K, some experts warn.

Bitcoin Demand Weakens

Losses continue this week from a starting point of $71K to a holding pattern near $67K. On Thursday there was a brief dip to $65K, indicating that the market is willing to test a price point lower than the current one. No support level or resistance level has been established recently for Bitcoin as it continues to decline from one psychologically important level to another.

The 30-day movement for the coin is even more disheartening for investors. A month ago, Bitcoin was valued at $96K, and it has since lost 30% of its worth. Investors are selling off their Bitcoin, and the wider market is panicking. The losses extended to Ethereum (ETH) and many other crypto tokens as well, as all the crypto market is being pulled under by Bitcoin’s downward spiral.

Bitcoin is still searching for the bottom and when it finds that bottom, it may start to build support and then climb back to key psychological levels. The market may be nearing that bottom, but it does not appear that the coin is done with its decline. The jump from $65K to $67K between Thursday and Friday does not tell us that the coin is bouncing back. That could simply be a short-term correction before further decline.

The whales are trying to help Bitcoin regain some of its lost ground, with Strategy (MSTR) buying up 1,142 bitcoins. That firm has been buying the dip on Bitcoin for years, and Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor is bullish on the coin still. However, Bitcoin has not seen any boost from an excellent jobs report that was stronger than anticipated.

Even a bullish stock market with record highs for several indices and leading stocks has not been enough to sway investors to give Bitcoin and the crypto market a chance lately. Strong bullish momentum should continue to push Bitcoin lower, but investors may be ready for the coin to consolidate soon and start to climb back up in the next few weeks.

Nasdaq down 2% as AI Worry Creates Market Selloff

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Labor reports were positive this week, but continued fears over AI futures has investors worried, and a sharp decrease in tech stocks caused the Nasdaq to lose 2% of its value Thursday.

The Nasdaq Composite is in decline as tech stocks sell off this week.

The Nasdaq Composite dipped on Thursday at the end of trading, but the Dow and S&P 500 also lost ground, falling 1.34% and 1.57%, respectively. A wide market selloff occurred before trading closed off for the day, and we anticipate that the bearish trend will continue through Friday.

Leading technology stocks that make up the Magnificent Seven all decreased on Thursday and then again Friday morning. Investors appear to be alarmed over the AI disruption, or artificial intelligence taking jobs from the market and disturbing the status quo. This has led to a drastic decrease in tech stock values this week.

New Inflation Report and Persistent AI Fears

The consumer price index report for January is releasing Friday, and the report is expected to show an increase of 0.3%. If that holds true, then the inflation gauge may increase by 2.5% from the previous year. These estimates come from Wall Street polls that took into consideration the opinions of economists, and investors are starting to pull back in fear of rising inflation.

The selloff has begun with tech stocks, particularly those related to the AI industry. These stocks are under attack as investors narrow down the number of AI companies they are confident in. We have seen steep drops in stock prices over the last few weeks for Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and other leading AI-related companies. Even when they impress with earnings, their profitability is not what shareholders expect from them.

It is evident that more than just profits are important to stockholders, though, when it comes to declining stock prices for tech companies. There is a growing fear that AI will disrupt the workforce and lead to a shift in how business is conducted. Several tech companies are bucking the bearish stock trend, like Applied Materials (AMAT) with an 11% price jump. The company demonstrated strong earnings and had an excellent outlook to offer.

Cisco Systems (CSCO) dropped 12% this week as they shared their guidance for the year. Massive capital expenditure plans tanked their stock price and worried investors.

From the Magnificent Seven Stocks, Apple is down 5% with one of its worst days in months. Tesla (TSLA) is down 2.62%, and Microsoft has dipped 0.63%. We are seeing market-wide tech stock losses that indicate a trend that may persist. The overall stock market is still holding close to record highs, but the AI bubble may be in trouble and is certainly under fire this week as tech earnings season draws to a close.

Advanced Micro Devices Expected to Climb 348% in Five Years

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Investors may be able to expect a considerable upside for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) in the next few years if financial growth estimates are accurate.

Can AMD really grow by 348% in half a decade?

Wall Street analysts say that AMD could grow significantly over the next five years, achieving an increase of 348% by 2030. This prediction comes after AMD showcased their roadmap for the coming years, and AMD anticipates that they will see a compounded annual growth rate of 60%.

AMD predicts that growth will be led by its Instinct GPUs and its AI accelerators, with these particular arms growing at a rate of up to 80% per year. That would put them on par with Nvidia’s (NVDA) growth rate and place them side by side with their most direct competitor.

Watching AMD Stock to Predict Growth Potential

AMD stock fell 17% after they released their fourth quarter guidance in early February, and their stock is down another 2.83% for Thursday. Is there really any indication that the company is going to turn things around soon? The five-year plan may look promising, but their short-term movements are less encouraging.

The company even issued excellent guidance following their quarterly report that was better than expected, and yet it was not enough to keep their stock price from tanking. They have been caught up in a wave of strong market sentiment that criticizes capital expenditures that are excessive and that cut sharply into profits.

AMD may be forecasting a 32% year over year increase for their revenue, but their stock price is down to $206 after hitting $246 three months ago. The company will have to change investor sentiment about their spending if they are going to see their stock make an appreciable improvement.

Analysis from Wall Street shows the potential for a massive growth spurt over the next few years, with gains of around 348% according to projections. If those estimates hold true and AMD really does grow as much as expected, then their stock price could hit $1,000 per share. That would be an increase of about 331%, putting them on par with some of the best stock growth stories of recent years, many of those in the AI field.

Over the last three years, AMD’s stock price has grown from $78 per share to more than $200, and its growth in that time has been around 156%. That is phenomenal growth, but the company will have to do better than that to achieve what Wall Street is talking about now. With the AI market still growing rapidly, that kind of exponential growth is possible, but AMD has fierce competition in the field.

Cisco Systems Stock Falls 10% after Q2 Earnings Report

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Thursday, Cisco Systems (CSCO) fell 10.87% after the company issued their Q2 earnings report that showed decent growth but substantial capital expenditure on AI.

Cisco Systems released earnings data above expectations.

Cisco Systems should have had a great week after showing off a 9.7% increase in sales, but their stock fell nearly 11% when the same period showed that their free cash flow was down 24% for the year. The company put much of that capital into AI infrastructure, and investors are worried about their profitability.

This has been a common theme for tech companies during this earnings season. Shareholders and analysts wring their hands over AI expenditures, and companies demonstrate that their revenue is up while they promise great things for their AI investments. Cisco Systems sharply ended a phenomenally bullish stock run this week as a result.

Should Investors Buy into the Cisco Systems Dip?

Cisco’s earnings per share was $1.04, and they earned $15.349 billion in revenue, managing to beat out expectations for the company. The company also experienced year-over-year growth of about 10%, and they are obviously beating earnings projections, but that is not enough in the current stock market climate.

After climbing 17.8% since January 21st, Cisco stock is now down in a big way and could have trouble making back those gains. The stock price hit an all-time high on Monday, but the writing was on the wall for the company by that point. The stock started to steadily decline dealing into the company’s second quarterly earnings report.

Even though Cisco shattered expectations with a strong performance, the market was closely watching their profits. Their capital expenditures are higher than expected, and that drastically cut into their profit margins. The stock fell 7% initially and then another 4% in the following hours. The problem was that in a single quarter, the company spent more for AI orders than they had in the entire previous year.

Cisco is trying to keep up with its competitors and to stay on the bleeding edge. In order to do that, they need to invest into rapidly changing AI architecture, but that costs tremendous amounts of money. The company upgraded its network pipes and expects that their expensive refresh will allow them to stay competitive so that they can support the latest AI models. Now, Morgan Stanely is recommending that investors wait on buying Cisco stock. The company needs to figure out how it will demonstrate strong profitability in the current quarter before their stock becomes worthwhile for risk averse investors.

Cisco announced price increases to combat profitability concerns. So far, that is not enough to turn the tide of negative sentiment that they are facing for investing heavily into AI and then having trouble turning a sizable profit for their shareholders.

Natural Gas up 3.67% on Improved Market Sentiment

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

While natural gas futures remain near January lows, they did climb slightly on Thursday to $3.27/MMBtu as the market continued to correct and export data appeared solid.

Heating demand in the U.S. is low and keeping prices down to January lows.

Several factors worked this week to help gas prices recover slightly, including the latest storage report that showed that reserve levels were close to normal once more. The price of futures also benefited from news that U.S exports to trade partners was decent and was helping to offset lower heating demand throughout the United States as warm weather sets in.

That warm weather is expected to spread through much of the country in the coming weeks, starting in the South and the Central United States. The northern and western areas of the county are still experiencing plenty of snow but not at the levels seen in late January and early February during an intense cold front. As heating demand decreases, the price of futures has been dropping since early February.

Where Gas Futures Are Headed

Forecasts are calling for warm weather for the next few weeks, and even though parts of the United States are not feeling that yet, the LNG futures are already dropping. On Thursday, the price of gas futures climbed slightly, but part of that was due to continued market correction after sharp declines between last week and early this week.

Gas output increased to 107.5 bcfd for the lower 48 states of the U.S. Even though gas withdrawals have been higher than normal in recent weeks and reserve levels are flattening out, that should start to change swiftly. As warm weather sets in, gas withdrawals will decrease and supply injections could increase. With new production facilities opening in Texas, Canada, and other parts of the world, the summer of 2026 could be similar to 2025’s with excess storage and little demand.

WTI crude oil is now above $65, which is surprising considering a supply increase of 8.4 million barrels. The $66 level will be crucial for WTI crude, demeaning if it can move higher in the short term.

Brent was trading close to $69 at the time of writing, and the market appears bullish on that side. The latest U.S. employment data for January was very positive and helped lift the market this week. President Donald Trump called the jobs report greater than expected, and the White House is very optimistic about the state of the U.S. economy.

Bitcoin Price Prediction Calls for 30% Decline

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Bitcoin (BTC) recovered slightly Wednesday, but the Standard Chartered bank warns that the price could fall to $50,00 before BTC finds support.

Bitcoin price predictions indicate a much lower price point in the next few weeks.

Now at $67,799 (BTC/USD), Bitcoin is up 1.54% from the previous day but still well off its October all-time high. After months below the record high, analysts worry that Bitcoin will have trouble holding onto any gains it makes, and Standard Chartered suggests a loss of 30% soon.

[[BTC/USD]]

The slight upturn the market saw this week, partly due to a very optimistic jobs report for January, could be turned around quickly as market sentiment remains low for Bitcoin and the larger cryptocurrency market.

Selling Pressure to Increase Once More?

Investors have sold off much of their Bitcoin over the past few months as they worry about the economy, rising tariffs, the utility of Bitcoin, and the future of the crypto market. The market has been repeatedly gripped by panic selling, and selling pressure has remained high since November. Even when the stock market rises, the cryptocurrency market continues to be bearish.

Bitcoin struggled at the $90K level a few times at the end of 2025 and then found no support even around that level in 2026. Since February began, Bitcoin has fallen by $10,000. Analysts worry that the decline is not over for the coin, and Standard Chartered is not the only investment entity warning of further slippage for the BTC rate.

Benjamin Cowen, a crypto analyst, says that Bitcoin is still in its bear phase. According to Standard Chartered, though, there could be just one last wave of selling pressure. The general consensus among analysts is that the coin is still bearish and that the market is going to go through another period of selloffs. That may be a long, dramatic period or a short one before a bullish upswing.

The outcome of the next bear wave will likely depend on how much consumer confidence is left in Bitcoin and the crypto market. Months of selloffs have depleted the market’s confidence levels in these digital tokens, but the positive jobs report and the new legislation that is being drafted to support crypto regulation could help.

Bitcoin price predictions place the coin around $50,00 in the coming weeks and Ethereum (ETH) around $1,400. Weakened ETF flows demonstrate that investors are soft on these coins and are waiting out the bullish phase before they make their move. Most analysts are optimistic that the market will recover and that crypto will once again be highly sought after, but it is a question now of how long they will have to wait for that recovery.

Investors should consider the bearish phase a good entry point. Because the market is expected to recover, investors should look for a good opportunity to jump in and buy the dip on Bitcoin and other resilient crypto tokens.

Excellent Jobs Data Leads to Stock Market Gains

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The January jobs report on Wednesday combined with mixed earnings from companies to slightly boost stock market indices Thursday morning.

Stocks are slightly up after the January jobs report released.

Wednesday’s jobs data showed that unemployment held steady at 4.4% and 70,000 jobs were added. The Dow gained 0.28%, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both climbed about the same amount as well. Stock gains were held back by underwhelming guidance from Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Coca-Cola (KO).

McDonald’s (MCD) is up 0.53% after releasing earnings for the previous quarter. They exceeded expectations and proved very resilient during a period when consumers were looking for high value options. Their net revenue was up 10%, but the wider market trended down on Wednesday, with all three major stock indices dropping slightly by the end of day.

Jobs Report Relieves Market

Investors can breathe a bit easier today after the delayed jobs report released. The nonfarm payrolls indicated that job growth was high, and President Trump praised the results and said that the economy is getting stronger. Analysts are not so bullish on the market and Navy Federal Credit Union Chief Economist Heather Long says that 2025 was a “hiring recession.”

There was no drop off for the labor market in January, and that is excellent news for investors. This will give the market a chance to hold onto its recent gains and then to climb even higher. The Dow is holding near a record high at the moment, and the other leading indices are near all-time highs.

The great jobs report could mean that a new interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve is out of the question now, though. The Fed may tighten down on interest rates and be hesitant to issue a cut if they see no need for it. That could cause stock market investors to stall slightly on their bullish expectations.

On Friday, the Consumer Price Index will release, further indicating the thrust of the economy and what investors should expect moving forward. Major earnings reports from the last few weeks are still being digested, and while the overall picture looks good for AI-related stocks, several of those have dropped sharply in recent weeks as profits take focus over revenue.

Natural Gas Prices Tick Upward but Are Not Yet Bullish

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Gas futures in the United States rose 1.35% on Wednesday, but investors should not expect a bullish trend at the moment since warm weather is still on the way.

Gas production is on the rise as warmer weather spreads.

The slight upward movement of natural gas futures on Wednesday are mostly the result of natural market correction and do not indicate strong bullish momentum. Weather forecasts show that warm weather is expected in the coming weeks, but the price of gas is also kept low by increased production.

Gas rates are around their January lows at the moment and may continue to stay low as warm weather creeps in and gas production escalates. The high exports trend that helped the market recently may start to slow down as well since gas production plants are planned for several countries around the world. Additionally, warmer weather is spreading across the globe as winter closes off, which will decrease heating demand and therefore natural gas demand.

Mild Weather Could Build Back Reserves

The LNG reserves across the United States were cut by 1% during January’s fierce winter storms at the tail end of the month. The cold weather continued partway into February, and the last reading showed a 6% below normal level for gas reserves for the month.

Even though reserves are relatively low, especially after months of high injections into the supply in 2025, the early warm weather this winter may cause supply problems again. The expectation among experts is that gas reserves will be back to normal by March as warm weather spreads across the United States.

Higher temperatures will be starting in the south and central areas of the United States, drastically cutting heating demand and LNG business. LNG exports are still relatively high, but that could change in the coming weeks as well when spring weather starts to manifest.

The small uptick on Wednesday is not enough to offset gas prices from a 16-month low. Now at $3.15/MMBtu, natural gas futures across the United States are low and not expected to increase much for weeks unless a cold weather forecast arrives.

Tesla Stock up 2% on Morgan Stanley Assessment

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Tesla (TSLA) stock has gained 2.1% and is at a critical juncture where it could trend downward after its peak, but a new Morgan Stanley might improve its trajectory.

Tesla EV sales are declining lately, particularly in Europe.

On Wednesday, Tesla stock jumped 2% after Morgan Stanley set a price target for the electric automaker of $415. The current $426 stock price might be higher than that, but the $415 mark is higher than Tesla stock was earlier this month.

The price target demonstrates that the investment bank is confident that Tesla will remain above its recent low and could go higher soon. Shares for the company have ranged between $410 and $440 recently, so we anticipate another upward shift closer to the $440 mark soon.

Tesla Keeping to Average Stock Price

Over the last six months, Tesla stock reached a high of $489 and a low of $320. Its current price is above the six-month average, but not by much. If the stock price breaks past $440 once more, that could create a strong support level near there and help push the stock price much higher. A dip under $410 could be catastrophic, though, and could signal to investors that the stock is in trouble.

The company noticed that their EU sales have fallen lately, and they are moving around management for that region to compensate. In order to shift focus away from poor EV sales, the company is taking up its plans for robotics and AI.

There is rising concern among investors that companies like Tesla are putting too much money into AI and not seeing the profits that they should be from that long-tail technology investment. These concerns have hurt Tesla, Microsoft, Nvidia, and other leading tech companies in recent months, making it more important than ever for companies to demonstrate profitability.

The 1-year return on Tesla stock is 29%, and their 5-year return is 60%. However, declining EV sales across the globe are cutting into the company’s revenue, and they are actively working on other revenue streams to make up for that. The company is planning to release a new Tesla model, but their primary focus appears to be on Optimus robots, AI integration, and the robotaxi service that launched last year.