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.

Bitfarms Shares Bullish after Dropping Paraguay Facility

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Shares of Bitfarms (BITF) stock shot up by 10% when they announced this week that they were leaving Paraguay behind to focus on American facilities.

Bitfarms plants its roots more firmly in U.S. soil with its Paraguay exit.

The dust has settled on Bitfarms’ latest business decision, and their stock fell 3.3% on Wednesday, but investors should note that it is still elected from their 2026 beginning price of $2.60 per share to $2.76 per share. The company sold off their last Paraguayan facility and now only has facilities in the United States.

The result of that selloff to Sympatheia Power Fund is that the company’s stock prospects are now much higher, and investors are behind the move. The stock is nowhere near its October high, but still ahead of early 2025 values and showing promise as the company transitions to its new digital data market.

Bitfarms Consolidates and Refocuses for the New Year

Bitfarms has been shifting from global Bitcoin mining in recent months to offer digital infrastructure and data centers. The move paid off with a massive stock spike in October, but the price of shares fell dramatically since then. The company posted earnings reports that showed significant cash outflows to cover development and infrastructure costs and little in the way of profits.

Those reports concerned investors, but it looks like the risks the company took to move into a different tech sector are paying off. 2026 has been a great year for Bitfarms so far, and while they have certainly come down from late 2025 stock price highs, the company is consolidating its assets to minimize expenses. That is excellent news for shareholders who have been worried that the company was hemorrhaging money on diversified assets. With all their property now in the United States, Bitfarms should be able to save significant resources moving forward.

Having only U.S. holdings as opposed to also having Latin American ones means that the company will have more reliable energy and internet access all year long. This also means that they do not have to spread themselves so thin, and they can focus on the aspects of their business that are truly profitable.

Bitfarms may be moving out of Latin America at the right time, as leaders in Colombia have spoken this week about taking up arms against the United States. The Trump administration has also expressed interest in setting its sights on Cuba and other Latin American countries to ensure that they have cooperative and friendly allies. That could lead to political unrest in the region for the coming months and years, and Bitfarms may be pulling out before the conflict truly starts.

The data center sector has grown in recent years, accompanying AI progress as a supporting market. Data centers as an industry are expected to grow around 14% through 2030, according to a report from real estate firm JLL. They say AI demand and cloud expansion will drive growth in this sector, and Bitfarms is positioned to benefit.

SLB Ltd. Leads Energy Sector Stock Rally

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Energy stocks have soared in the wake of Nicolas Maduro’s capture by the Trump administration, with SLB Ltd. (SLB) taking the lead and gaining 13% in recent days.

SLB stock is 35% higher than it was in October.

SLB remains elevated after sharp gains, adding 1.7% in remarket trading for Wednesday as other energy stocks start to fall off. Over the last few days, Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, and a number of other gas and oil stocks have skyrocketed since Maduro’s arrest.

This week, Trump administration members are planning to meet with oil executives to talk about the situation in Venezuela. Excitement over the news has helped to spike energy stock prices this week.

Political Change Could Spike Energy Sector Further

Two decades ago, the United States was in charge of energy operations in Venezuela there, with American companies owning majority shares in the oil business. Trump has accused Maduro of stealing American oil, and he is seeking to take it back.

Now that Maduro is ousted and the Venezuelan vice president has taken over as interim president, Trump hopes to make headway with oil operations in the region. He may find strong resistance from Delcy Rodriguez who is filling in for Maduro right now and who has denounced the Trump administration’s actions.

That has not stopped oil companies from preparing to meet Trump administration members or investors from pumping up the energy sector. SLB is definitely ahead of its competition at the moment with gains of 35% compared to its October low.

At the same time news broke that Maduro had been captured, SLB was expanding its land-based operations. The impact of two pieces of good news at the same time helped shoot their stock value incredibly high, and it is notable that they have lost little of their gains by midweek.

Houston, Texas-based SLB could benefit from their proximity to the Venezuelan oilfields, and the entire U.S. oil and gas industry may continue to expand rapidly in the coming months and years as a result of the political shift. Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, and it accounts for 17% of all global oil reserves, making it an attractive prospect for energy companies in the region.

Bitcoin Price Prediction as It Does Something It Has Not Done in Months

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Bitcoin jumped into 2026 with a strong performance, blasting past the $90K resistance level and moving as high as $94,458 (BTC/USD) before coming back down.

Bitcoin could set a new record soon if it keeps up its strong performance.

Now at $91,792, Bitcoin is settled above the $90K level and is holding onto some of its recent gains. This marks the first week since mid-November that Bitcoin has stayed above that level for more than a couple days. BTC passed that benchmark on Friday and has nearly stayed a week above $90K, prompting analysts to call the end of the coin’s bottoming out period.

[[BTC/USD]]

For months, Bitcoin has either been bearish or simply not been able to overcome the $90K hurdle. Now, sitting just above that level, the coin may be able to do something else it has not done in months- pass $100K and set a new record high. We have not seen a new all-time high for the coin since back in October, and so far, it is looking like 2026 will be a promising year for the coin.

New Bitcoin Price Prediction

Because Bitcoin has been able to overcome the strong resistance it has faced for months, it looks like fears that Bitcoin has peaked can be put to rest. Analysts now expect the coin to pick up a bullish trend that will carry it much higher in January.

Trade volume for the coin is up 24% for Wednesday, indicating renewed interest in BTC. Both Bitcoin and the wider crypto market are down for now, with Bitcoin losing 1.81% over the last 24 hours, but the market remains elevated compared to recent weeks. Despite the recent dip, Bitcoin is up 3.6% for the week and 8.8% from its December low point.

Likewise, Ethereum (ETH) is up 7.22% for the week and 15.6% from its December low. There is a similar trend across much of the cryptocurrency market, and this points to January being a strong month for the decentralized currency market. Even with political upheaval in Latin America, the crypto market is following the same trend as the stock markets right now with reduced volatility and elevated values overall.

Bitcoin is likely to surge this month, possibly pushing past $100K in the next week or so and setting a new record high as early as late January or February depending on how well it can hold onto new gains. If the coin is done bottoming out, as it appears to be, then it is possible for Bitcoin to move steadily higher and lose little progress along the way, but months of poor performance have made investors wary. It will once again be up to the whales to give BTC the push it needs to set a new high.

New High for Dow Jones, but Wednesday Stocks Are Mostly Unchanged

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Wednesday morning in early trading, the Dow Jones achieved a new high but only increased by 24 points. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 both decreased slightly, by 0.3% and 0.1%, respectively.

Energy stocks gained this week and most have held onto some of their gains.

All three major U.S. stock indices climbed early in the week but then stalled on Wednesday. Each of them gained 0.6% or more on Tuesday and then held onto most of their gains as trading began the following day, hardly bothered by concerns that U.S. action in Venezuela will lead to further conflict.

Typically, when there is strong geopolitical conflict, like what we are seeing in the Western Hemisphere, stock markets shift downward and become volatile, but that has not happened this week so far. Over the weekend, the Trump administration captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and placed them in confinement in New York. Leaders from Colombia and the new interim president of Venezuela, as well as Chinese officials, have spoken out about the action and decried the United States.

Bullish Markets Remain Elevated Despite Political Turmoil

The Nasdaq is close to its record high from back in October and is buoyed by strong technology stocks that have made a comeback since Christmas. These are the same stocks that struggled in November and December but rallied near the end of the year as investor fears over the AI market started to fade.

Nvidia (NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) both surged in late 2025 but have since fallen off. AMD has dropped 4.9% since the beginning of the year as the short tech rally comes to an end. The strong performance we saw from these stocks has significantly diminished as the new year started, but they are still elevated overall.

AMD is well above its 6-month average, and Nvidia is as well, with both stocks trading close to record highs despite a few days of decline. The tech rally has finished, which is why the Nasdaq Composite is not at its record high any longer, but AI stocks have incredible long-term potential this year. Investment analyst Jim Cramer said Sunday that AI stocks will dominate in 2026, and this was after several of the key tech stocks had started to shift downward.

Energy stocks continue to perform well, with Exxon Mobil (XOM) holding onto some of its most recent impressive gains. Chevron (CVX) is performing similarly, with sharp gains after Maduro’s capture and then a small drop off, but some gains are still retained. The best performing energy stock may be SLB Ltd. (SLB), however, which jumped sharply early in the week and has held onto all of its gains, adding 13% to its stock value in the last few days.

Tesla Disappoints with Largest Sales Decline in Their History

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Tesla (TSLA) just released their 4th quarterly sales figures, and they reported only 1.63 million EV sales for the year, which is a decrease of 8.5% and their biggest drop ever.

Tesla stock dropped on Tuesday after their 4th quarter sales were revealed.

For the 4th quarter, Tesla only delivered 418,227 electric vehicles and did not meet the expectations of Wall Street or their investors. In 2025, they suffered the greatest year-over-year decline in sales, and their stock dropped nearly 5% on Tuesday as a result.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk came back to the company earlier this year and has attempted to right the ship, but he faced strong opposition from the public for his connections to President Donald Trump. Tesla has also been in the news repeatedly over poor sales figures this year, with declining numbers in European and western markets.

At the beginning of the year, Tesla was performing poorly in relation to climbing sales numbers from the competition, but near the end of the year, both Tesla and the wider electric vehicle market fell considerably. Even a sharp uptick in sales close to when the U.S. government EV credits were set to expire did not move the dial enough to mark 2025 as a good year for electric vehicles.

Tesla Has a Tough Road to Recovery

Back in 2023, Tesla beat its competitors soundly with 1.79 million EV sales. Those numbers have dropped drastically since then, and that is partly because of political opposition against its CEO Musk. But EVs are also losing their status and popularity, with consumers moving to hybrids or combustion engine vehicles in large numbers.

Cost of living increases have also hurt the EV market. Many consumers are buying combustion engine vehicles to combat rising inflation and higher cost of living in numerous markets, including the United States, China, and much of Europe. Tesla simply has less appeal as prices continue to skyrocket.

The company is working on a low cost version that is still set to be released. That budget-friendly Tesla vehicle was set to release back in weary 2025. Named the Model Y, this car was delayed until late 2025 and has now been pushed back until later this year. At this point, Tesla cannot afford to have a shaky product launch, partially with someone as important as a new, economic model during a time when it could really take off.

Tesla stock has been in decline since before Christmas but is still elevated compared to the last six months. In null of 2025, the stock traded at around $332 and then climbed to $429 in October. Now at $432 per share, the stock is elevated but not in line with analyst expectations for the company that were made early last year when Tesla was doing remarkably well.

Energy Sector Surges with Uni-Fuels Holdings up 87%

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The energy sector is performing incredibly for Monday with Uni-Fuels Holdings Ltd. (UFG) up 87% on the promise of opening trade in Venezuela’s massive oil market.

Uni-Fuels Holdings is climbing rapidly after news of Maduro's arrest. — Uni-Fuels Holdings is climbing rapidly after news of Maduro’s arrest.

The Nasdaq rose 0.69% on Tuesday and Uni-Fuels surged to nearly 90% gains from the previous day. The company recently released its plans for expansion into key markets after a very successful 2025 expansion into Shanghai, Dubai, and Limassol. The company is looking to grow its partnerships and relationships and to add to its teams already in place around the world.

The entire energy sector is somewhat bullish this week after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Uni-Fuels was already on a meteoric rise when the news hit that Venezuela may be open to trade with countries that had sanctioned it previously.

Energy Stocks Outperformed This Week

Even though the week has just started, it has already been a very busy one for the stock market, particularly the energy sector. U.S. President Donald Trump has been speaking about subsidizing oil majors that are willing to invest into Venezuela and the developing market there. His administration has been speaking to multiple energy companies about the possibilities of rebuilding in the area and opening the market in Venezuela after lengthy sanctions.

Schlumberger (SLB) stock is one of the other top-performing energy stocks this week with a 2% increase on Friday and then a 9% jump on Monday. The company’s stock spending signals point to incredible potential, and investors are jumping on this particular stock more than they are with Exxon Mobil or Chevron right now.

Haliburton (HAL) added 7.84% on Monday and Baker Hughes (BKR) climbed 4.09% on the news that Maduro had been captured and the oil market in Venezuela could be drastically changing.

Trump said that it was not right for a dictator like Maduro to hold such key oil resources when the United Nations criticized his move to go after the Venezuelan President. Maduro has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of terrorism and drug trafficking and says he is still the president of Venezuela. He and his wife are currently being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Meanwhile, Uni-Fuels Holdings remains at its highest level since September of this year and has held onto much of its gains from the previous day. In premarket trading for Tuesday, the company only lost 4% of its nearly 90% increase in stock value.

Four Consecutive Sessions of Losses for Natural Gas

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Natural gas futures in the United States continued their four-session losing streak on Tuesday to $3.39 USD/MMBtu as weather forecasts called for slightly milder and warmer patterns to emerge in the coming week.

The natural gas market is low right now thanks to warmer weather forecasts but could jump in late January.

On Tuesday, natural gas dipped 3.67% and started day four of a bear trend that was unexpected this late in the winter season. New forecasts for the week are calling for slightly milder weather to progress through the eastern parts of the United States starting from Wednesday and continuing until Sunday the 11th.

Warmer weather is also expected to move through the central and northern parts of the States from January 12th until the 16th. At the same time, the analysts and investors are attempting to process the ramifications of the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. This could open the oil market there to neighboring countries and make it easier for the United States’ trade partners to obtain oil in the region.

A Change in the Region

The new Venezuelan government led by interim president Delcy Rodriguez has already called for the release of Maduro, and many of Maduro’s allies are still in charge there. That could create some hindrances for the U.S. and its partners as they try to open up trade with Venezuela.

Venezuela is sitting on 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, which accounts for about 73% of all the natural gas in South America. They are a very attractive trade partner for any nation that is looking to increase its natural gas reserves, especially during the winter months when supplies tend to run low.

An upside is expected for the natural gas market, as more than half of the winter season remains. Forecasters expect cold weeks ahead that should result in higher prices for gas futures. The market is showing signs of fatigue in waiting for cold weather. This has, for the most part, been an unusually warm winter and not quite what the market expected. Gas reserves have fallen from historic highs, but the reserve levels still remain elevated from months of slow usage and heavy injections.

Dow Hits Record High after Maduro Capture

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) soared to a new high on Monday following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the Trump administration.

The Dow is up this week as volatility disappears on Maduro's capture. — The Dow is up this week as volatility disappears on Maduro’s capture.

The Dow rose 1.23% Monday, or nearly 600 points, as President Trump called on trade partners to invest in Venezuela’s oil-rich resources. The U.S. plans to stay in the country until the government is running smoothly, but they have made it clear they are not occupying the South American nation.

The Dow fell 0.3% on Tuesday in early morning trading but still remains close to an all-time high. All three major U.S. stock indices are trading around their record highs this week after a minor end-of-year rally that positively impacted already elevated stock market levels.

No Bear-Trend Detected So Far

When there are major geopolitical events taking place, the stock market tends to become very volatile, especially in the following days. The effects of these major events tend to dissipate over time, but the short-term impact is usually severe.

That is not the case so far with the capture of Maduro and the change of government in Venezuela. Analysts and investors would expect the stock market to become bearish and experience increased volatility when there is a major shift in political power. The transition so far for the new government in Venezuela has been mostly smooth and well received, however.

Investors should note that the United States government has indicated it may make further political moves in Latin America, perhaps setting its sights on Cuba as the Trump administration works to make conditions more favorable for it and its people in the region. As well, China and Russia have spoken out against Trump’s move to arrest Maduro and replace him. Whether any of these warnings lead to geopolitical instability has yet to be seen, but for now, the region is settled and the stock market is healthy.

On Monday, global defense stocks rose, and over the weekend, it was AI-related tech stocks that performed well. Now, the focus is on energy stocks. There was a minor uptick from several key energy stocks like Haliburton (up 0.2%), Exxon Mobil (up 0.5%), and Chevron (up 0.8%). However, SLB (Schlumberger) rose 2.2% with Evercore ISI upgrading the oilfield company’s rating to “Outperform” from the previous “in Line” rating.

Trump Administration Says Cuba Is “in a Lot of Trouble”

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Timothy St. John

After the U.S. government captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Cuba is in their sights.

Marco Rubio says that Cuba could be the next target for the United States government.

When asked what the next step in Latin America is after Venezuela, Rubio said that it is no secret that they are not big fans of Cuba and that the country is in a lot of trouble for the support of the Maduro regime.

Does this mean that the Trump administration has plans to target Cuba next? Could their efforts to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the United States extend to Cuba, Colombia, and other nearby countries?

Rubio Warns Cuba

On Saturday, Rubio sent a warning to Cuba’s leadership saying, “I’d be concerned if I were them.” Nothing concrete has been stated against Cuba and surrounding Latin America countries, but it is obvious that the United States government is not happy with Cuba’s support in particular of the Maduro administration.

The justification that Trump used to arrest Maduro is that the illegal drug trade Venezuela engages in is a direct threat to the United States. It is for this reason that Colombia feels threatened, since they have been repeatedly accused of allowing drug trade to persist unchecked. The Colombian President Gustavo Petro says he has reinforced the country’s border with Venezuela and he will “take up arms again,” if necessary.

Rubio added about the situation: “One of the biggest problems Venezuelans have is they have to declare independence from Cuba.” He stated that this government wants to help the people of Cuba as well as those who have been forced out of the country.

It is obvious that the Trump administration has a long-term plan with Latin America that does not end with Maduro’s capture. For now, the U.S. is helping stabilize Venezuela until the new government can run it successfully, but even that is not the endpoint. Cuba has declared the U.S. missile strikes on Venezuela to be an act of terrorism, and Rubio says that America wants friendly neighbors in the region. There could be more conflict to come.

So far, the recent news of Maduro’s capture and threats among world leaders has not been enough to slow down trading. U.S. stock indices remain near all-time highs, and the Bitcoin is looking bullish for the first time in weeks.

New Bitcoin Price Prediction after BTC Holds above Resistance Level

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Timothy St. John

For months, Bitcoin (BTC) has struggled to break free of its $90K resistance level, and now it has held above that mark for the past three days, inspiring confidence in investors.

Bitcoin surpassed its three-week high today.

It may be time for investors to take another look at Bitcoin since it has surpassed its resistance level and is holding at $92,697 (BTC/USD). As some analysts predicted, the coin might be reaching the end of its bearish cycle and could be ready to set a new record high in the near future.

[[BTC/USD]]

Bitcoin is now above its three-week high and is climbing higher. The token has gained 1.51% over the last 24 hours and is up by more than 6% for the week, indicating what could be the start of a bull run. Those who have counted the coin down and out for now may want to give it another look since this latest move demonstrates its resilience.

No Panic from Bitcoin Market

There was concern that if the United States government acted decisively in Venezuela that the crypto market would go into a tailspin. That fear has turned out to be unfounded now that the Trump administration has captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The worry was that the United States would embroil itself in along, drawn out, and costly war with the country instead of moving in and taking action. Now that Maduro is in U.S. custody, though, it appears that the military action is mostly over for now. Instead of panicking, the crypto market has shown strength and fortitude. Bitcoin is high as the week starts, performing better than it has in weeks, and a few other key crypto tokens are marginally up as well.

Typically, risk assets like Bitcoin will become shaky during major news developments, especially when there is some concern that the situation could turn to protracted conflict. There is the possibility that China or Russia will step in as an ally of Venezuela and take action against the United States, and yet Bitcoin is ticking upward still. Investors may want to take note of how the coin is behaving and attribute this to its renewed strength and the strong likelihood that a bull run is beginning.

Bitcoin could easily hit $100K this week and be back in record high territory before the month is over. The length downturn for the coin might have played itself out, leaving the crypto token with a strong foundation from which to springboard to new highs early in 2026.