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.

Solana below Psychologically Important Level as Bears Control Market

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The cryptocurrency market is trending bearish with weeks of downward movement that has pushed Solana (SOL) below $100.

Solana reached its lowest point in over a year.

Solana has been caught up in the wider cryptocurrency market trend that is causing billions of dollars in losses. Bitcoin (BTC) is below $70K and Solana is now down to $83.60 (SOL/USD).

[[SOL/USD]]

The Solana rate has dropped more than 7% over the last 24 hours and is well below the psychologically important $100 level. That means that investor support could dry up as coin holders panic.

Lengthy Liquidations Create Strong Bear Market for Solana

For months, the bears have been pulling not just Solana down but also the wider cryptocurrency market. Investors have lost confidence in digital coins, and Solana has suffered from tremendous, extended liquidations. Short-term and long-term investors alike have bailed on Solana for weeks, getting rid of primarily coins purchased in the last 12 months but also those purchased earlier as the market continues a lengthy bear trend.

The weeks of decline could lead to buyers stepping in turning things around for Solana. There was supposed to be a bullish divergence near $96, according to Chaikin Money Flow, but the Solana rate fell much too quickly for that to happen at the $96 level, and now SOL is priced lower than it has been in over a year.

The low price could be attractive for buyers, but the lengthy decline points to a problem that may not be solved by a few whales stepping in to buy up large masses of Solana. The coin has reached a critical juncture where now spot ETF outflows are above $2.45 million for the first time, and investors have lost faith in the coin and the larger market.

Economic factors are certainly at work here, with one of the strongest factors being President Donald Trump’s hawkish pick for the Federal Reserve in Kevin Warsh. Investors are losing faith in digital tokens and are looking for less volatile assets to invest in. The stock market indices remain close to all-time highs, indicating that the problem is not solely the economy but is, in part, a problem with the crypto market.

Solana is not stuck in a temporary bear trend that could simply reverse anytime soon. Instead, it is part of a long trend that is affecting the entire market and that will likely persist for weeks to come, at the very least. Even if Solana manages to make some recovery, it will have trouble holding onto its gains with such low investor confidence plaguing the market.

Huge Natural Gas Withdrawal Could Impact Futures

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Timothy St. John

There is little change for Thursday in U.S. natural gas futures as investors wait for the next EIA report to release, but early data indicates a massive withdrawal from gas reserves for the week.

Natural gas futures are holding steady as the market waits for the newest EIA report.

Forecasts estimate that about 379 bcf was withdrawn from U.S. natural gas reserves this week, which would be up from last week’s 242 bcf. That late January withdrawal was already above estimates, but the U.S. reserves still sit about 5% above the 5-year average.

Natural gas futures are now at $3.38, with a decrease of 2.3% over the last day. The weekly EIA report could change things, though, and withdrawal estimates may have been undervalued by how much the gas reserves have diminished. With over a week of harshly cold weather for much of the United States, reserves have been drastically reduced, and that could bring the price of gas futures back up from recent lows.

Weather Forecasts Fight with Reserve Levels to Control Gas Prices

The largest LNG export plants in the United States have averaged 18.3 bcfd for February so far, and that is an increase of about 2.8%. This data indicates that the demand for natural gas is very strong around the world, and buyers are dipping into the gas reserves that have been bult up over months of irregularly high gas injections throughout 2025.

The forecasts call for warm weather next week for much of the United States, but the Northeast is expected to develop colder weather over the same period. Production is still down in most of the U.S. as gas plants try to ramp back up operations after freezing cold weather brought a halt to work. Production levels should be back to normal by next week, according to industry reports, and that will help the country to meet the still-high demand from other nations around the world where cold weather has prevailed.

Natural gas futures are down considerably from their January highs. The price had reached more than $5 for the first time since 2022, and demand spiked for a short period. Now that the market is settling down to normal, investors should watch reserve levels and withdrawal data, as these will be some of the strongest price drivers until the weather forecast changes.

Amazon to Release Quarterly Earnings Today as Stock Falls 2%

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Amazon (AMZN) is set to reveal their quarterly earnings for Thursday during a contentious earnings season that has seen several other Magnificent Seven stocks plummet.

Amazon revenue and EPS could climb this quarter but their capex may be high as well.

The price of Amazon stock fell 2% on Thursday in premarket trading ahead of the release of the company’s quarterly earnings. Investors may be worried that Amazon will fail to impress due to the high cost of artificial intelligence investments.

Amazon may be reporting a record quarterly high of around $211 billion, but concerns over $125 billion in AI spending are likely to put a damper on any celebrations. What investors and shareholders will be looking at as well is the company’s guidance moving forward. Will they continue to sacrifice profits for AI development or assuage shareholder fears by changing their focus?

Amazon Stock Slips

Before the company released their Q4 earnings statement Thursday, their stock slipped from $232 to $225. January was uneven for the company, with little upward progress early on and a steep decline as the month closed off. This may indicate that investors are not very confident that Amazon can impress with their earnings report.

The market will be looking at the company’s capital expenditures and how much their investments have cut into their profits. Their free cash flow and margins are also vitally important, especially in the wider scope of the tech earnings season. So far this season, only Meta Platforms (META) has managed to impress investors from the round of major tech earnings releases.

Amazon stock has been trading sideways for months, and they have to make an excellent showing today if they are going to turn the tide of investor sentiment back in favor of tech stocks. But Wall Street analysts consider this stock a buy. That could be because it has been slipping lately and is due for a comeback as a generally strong performer. However, investors need to be aware that tech stocks are volatile at the moment, especially close to earnings reports.

Revenue predictions for Amazon this last quarter are between $211.3 and $211.6 billion, and if that holds true, then the company will have experienced about 13% growth from year to year. The company is also expected to produce EPS around $197, and that would be a big step up from last year’s Q4 EPS of $1.86. If the past two weeks of earnings reports are any indication, Amazon needs to really impress its investors with more than just revenue numbers in order for their stock to climb this week.

BTC Price Prediction after Fall below $70K

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Timothy St. John

For the last three sessions, cryptocurrency markets have fallen, and Bitcoin (BTC) is now at $69,357 (BTC/USD) in an alarming turn for investors who hoped the coin would rebound after weeks of sharp decline.

Bitcoin is now below $70,00 and is still falling.

Bitcoin is now below the crucial $70K level, and each $10,000 level it drops is another psychologically impactful hit to the confidence that investors have the digital token. In the last 24 hours, Bitcoin’s price has dropped 8.34%, and it may continue its plunge throughout the rest of the week.

[[BTC/USD]]

Billions of dollars of Bitcoin value has been wiped out by a bearish trend that does not appear to be stopping. The BTC rate is now at its lowest point since November, and some analysts say it could plunge much lower.

Bitcoin’s Lengthy Decline

The BTC price hit an all-time high on October 6^th, 2025, reaching $126,198. From there, the coin has fallen sharply. By mid-November, the price of Bitcoin fell below $100K and never reached back above that level. The coin tested the $90K level a few times since then but struggled to keep above that psychologically important mark.

In late January, Bitcoin entered into a freefall, and it has lost $20,000 in value since the end of last month. Now, investors are wondering where the bottom is for the coin. Can Bitcoin regain its record high and establish new records this year? Some indicators point to an extended bear run that lasts through much of the year.

The Bull Score Index from CryptoQuant indicates how bullish or bearish a coin is. For about six weeks, Bitcoin has been as bearish as possible, hitting the 0 score on the index consistently. Investors are left to ask how long the bear trend will extend.

Extensive liquidation of digital assets have pushed Bitcoin lower, with both whales and smaller investors jumping on the trend of dumping their assets when they saw the value of Bitcoin was dwindling. If the coin falls to $68K, which it is likely to this week, then we may see a demand reaction. That is where Bitcoin’s price would hit the 200-week exponential moving average.

But other indicators place the bottom for Bitcoin even lower than that, with some analysts predicting that the BTC rate will fall to $10Kas investor sentiment diminishes rapidly. On the other end of the spectrum is Michael Saylor, the executive chairman of Strategy. He says that Bitcoin’s volatility is a feature that keeps short-term investors away and that the coin could easily climb to $10 million if investors agreed with his views.

AI Spending Plagues Stock Market, Causes Alphabet to Drop 3%

Posted on February 5, 2026February 5, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Just one day after releasing their quarterly earnings report, Alphabet (GOOIGL) stock fell almost 3% as investors worry about how AI spending is outstripping profits.

Google's stock is dropping as investors worry about the profits following a high capex outlook. — Google’s stock is dropping as investors worry about the profits following a high capex outlook.

The U.S. stock market indices were mostly flat on Thursday, but investors should note that Alphabet is feeling backlash from its exceptionally high AI spending with a quick stock decline after posting decent earnings on Wednesday.

All three major indices- the Dow Jones, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 climbed around 0.1% higher on Thursday following earnings reports from Alphabet. Investors are still waiting on Amazon’s (AMZN) quarterly earnings report to be released later this week, and the company’s profits will be under scrutiny since they too spend heavily on AI technology.

Tech Stocks In Danger

The stock market is currently in a major earnings season where Magnificent Seven companies and other leading businesses report their quarterly earnings, but the stock movements are telling a story about how investors feel about slim profits. Tech giants like Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Alphabet have all prioritized artificial intelligent investments, and their profits have taken a hit as they race to have the most cutting edge AI tech.

Meta is one of the few companies to come out of this earnings season ahead after posting excellent revenue numbers and demonstrating remarkable growth. Because Alphabet, Microsoft, and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) have all seen their stock fall as a result of tight profit margins, the rest of the tech industry is in a dangerous place. The Nasdaq Composite index, with its focus on tech stocks, is down 1.51% at a time when it should be soaring.

We are seeing a repeat of what happened back in November of 2025, with investors, analysts, and shareholders worried about the focus on AI and not on profits. As investors lose their confidence in tech companies, the stock market is experiencing a crisis in the making, and mega-cap stocks are hurting, according to Reuters.

With AMD down 17% and Microsoft dropping from a share price of $481 to $405 in a few days, it is obvious that technology stocks are bearish. Once earnings season is over, the tech stocks may start to stabilize and get some breathing room before the next quarterly report, but the pressure is on this part of the stock market for excellent performance, high profit margins, and proof that AI investments are paying off.

Alphabet posted earnings that were better than anticipated, but its capital expenditures for 2026 are expected to be twice what it invested in 2025- in the region of $180 billion. That cuts into their profits and is likely to alarm shareholders, as we have already seen their stock price drop for Thursday.

Amazon Stock Dips 2.5% ahead of Earnings Report

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Investors seem skittish about Amazon’s (AMZN) upcoming earnings report this week as the stock price fell 2.55% on Tuesday, two days before the earnings report is due.

Amazon stock dips before they release their earnings report.

Amazon stock may be down, but Swiss investment service UBS raised their price target for this stock from $310 to $311, and they say investors should buy. After all, this stock has grown more than 7% over the last month.

On Thursday, Amazon will report for their most recent fiscal quarter during a very busy earnings report season for Magnificent Seven stocks like this one and other major players. Alphabet (GOOGL) is releasing their earnings report this week as well, following last week’s reports from Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), and Meta Platforms (META).

Why Amazon May Impress Slightly

Data coming from Wall Street for Amazon says that the ecommerce giant improved their revenue from Amazon Web services and increased capital expenditures. Like many of the big tech companies, they are putting millions and even billions into the development of artificial intelligence and other cutting edge technology, which has taken a serious bite out of their profits.

Amazon needs to impress its shareholders this week and show that they can be profitable while still keeping ahead of tech trends. Artificial intelligence was supposed to save companies money on resources and payroll, but for now, the needed chips are incredibly expensive and development costs are sky high. Throughout November and December of last year, investors and shareholders began to demand more profitability from tech companies that were investing heavily into AI and other bleeding edge technology, causing a bearish stock trend.

Amazon is expected to report around $344 billion for capital expenditures for the fourth quarter, up from the previously expected $300 billion. If Amazon can demonstrate excellent free cashflow and strong profitability, they will help to shift the tide of negative sentiment against AI-related tech companies. The stock market indices are near all-time highs, but investors are pulling back from tech stocks during a mixed earnings season. It is partly up to Amazon to change things for the tech niche.

Wall Street estimates say that Amazon will post earnings per share of around $1.98. If they do, that would mean a growth from the same time last year of about 6.5%. For revenue, the estimates call for $211 billion, which is a jump of about 12.6% compared to the same fourth quarter from 2025. Even though the retailer’s stock is pulling back right now, it could climb on Wednesday ahead of the earnings report.

Natural Gas Futures Remain Low as Forecast Calls for Warm Winter

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Tuesday, natural gas futures in the United States remained below $4 after a sharp drop on Monday that marked the biggest decline since 1995 for the market.

Gas futures are dropping this week after warm weather was forecasted for next week.

The price of natural gas is now below the 200-day moving average as well as the 50-day average. Warm weather forecasts are bringing prices down and creating a massive selloff this week.

The 10-15 day forecasts determine what price gas futures are trading for, which means that next week’s outlook directly determines today’s prices. Even though temperatures are still low and demand is relatively high for natural gas, the market is looking ahead to next week’s warmer temperatures.

Gas Futures Not Going to Remain Bearish

Now down to $3.348/MMBtu, gas futures are dropping even as production picks back up. After nearly a week of frozen roads and heavy snow, gas production across the United States recovered, reaching 111.6 bcf/day.

The market is moving in a downward trend that is expected to stabilize soon. That is because LNG exports are up, ensuring that the excessive supplies are being used and demand is being found outside the United States even as the country warms. Even though gas futures remain below the lengthy moving averages, the bearish trend should slow down soon, and the market should level off.

Multiple headwinds are keeping prices low, and they dropped around 27% on Monday. But we are seeing indications of recovery, and the price of gas futures actually rose throughout Tuesday. The prices increased by 1.74% by Tuesday afternoon, and that minor improvement shows that the market is not headed for a lengthy bear trend.

The weather report for the coming weekend showed that February’s second week will likely be warmer than its first one. This resulted in a bearish outlook for the market, driving prices down after fierce ice storms caused historic highs for the market.

The weather forecasts coming out of NatGasWeather are calling for relatively cool temperatures for the rest of the week but moderate weather after that. The market should expect mild temperatures starting after the weekend and mostly dry 50-degree weather for the southern United States. The Northeast should see temperatures ranging from the 10s-30s in that same period, ensuring demand remains high across the northern half of the country.

While foreign exports of LNG are decreasing, they are not dropping as quickly as local demand. Natural gas exports remain a strong arm of the market, ensuring reserves are used up and gas futures could climb higher as we head into the weekend.

Bitcoin Price Prediction Calls for $10,000

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Bitcoin (BTC) is down to $76,694 (BTC/USD), but one Bloomberg analyst says the coin may hit the bottom around $10K due to alarming current trends.

Bitcoin is in danger of an extreme drop.

Bitcoin has lost a lot of ground in January and February, but it could lose a whole lot more, says Bloomberg Mike McGlone. He predicts an 87% decrease that will lead to a price of $10,000. It should be noted that Bitcoin is down nearly 14% over the last week.

[[BTC/USD]]

The coin has also lost about 40% of its value from its October record high, and the lengthy bearish trend has caused investor confidence to crater. Bitcoin had one of its sharpest drops very recently when President Trump chose a new chair for the Federal Reserve in Kevin Warsh, and the BTC rate dropped from $83K to $76K very quickly as a result.

Bitcoin Downtrend to Continue

Bitcoin was already on shaky ground when last week’s Federal Reserve shakeup happened. Warsh as a pick for the Fed chair may be hawkish in his decisions, and analysts fear that if he is put in Jerome Powell’s position, he will approve numerous interest rate cuts in short order. That is what Trump has been calling for since he came into office for the second time, and that type of monetary policy has the potential to rapidly increase inflation.

The worst scenario for Bitcoin is that inflation skyrockets and investors pull back from volatile, risky assets. Instead, they may switch their focus to stalwart, proven stocks and to silver and gold. Bitcoin does very well when people have plenty of extra money to spend and do not have to worry too much about unexpected expenses and rising costs. In other words, when the economy does well, Bitcoin and the crypto currency market do well.

The crypto market is dropping rapidly, with losses of around $2.7 trillion for Monday alone. The broad crypto market is seeing a drop of about 40% from record highs right now, indicating worried investors and a skittish market.

Bitcoin has lost more than 4% over the last day and continues to drop. How far it will go will be determined mostly by economic factors, but even if the economy is doing well, if there is fear over the future because of a potentially hawkish pick for the Fed, then investors may shy away from BTC.

We anticipate a further drop for Bitcoin this week, and investors should be aware that a drop below the psychologically important $70K level could be catastrophic. It may make long-term investors ready to cash out as soon as the coin starts to recover, keeping Bitcoin from getting back to $100K or a new record anytime soon.

Dow Jones Manages a Record High as Investors Move Away from Technology Stocks

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The Dow notched a new high this week as the investment trends shifted from tech stocks over to the health sector, financial stocks, and consumable goods.

Stock traders are shifting from tech to health and finance.

The tech sector is taking a back seat on the stock market as investors set their sights on stocks that tend to do well during times of economic boom. This has allowed the Dow to hit a new high, since that stock index is less focused on tech stocks than the S&P 500 or the Nasdaq Composite.

The Nasdaq dipped 0.83% on Tuesday as technology stocks took a hit. The S&P 500 was also down 0.40%, but the Dow climbed 0.06% from Monday’s high. Tian Ruixiang Holdings Ltd. (TIRX) is the leading Dow stock right now with gains of 184% as the company announced plans to buy $1.5 billion in bitcoins and make an investment into AI.

Earnings Season Piques Investors’ Interest

This is yet another big week for business earnings, and PepsiCo (PEP) had an excellent earnings report to share. The company enjoyed sales growth with a net revenue of $29 billion. Their earnings per share for the most recent quarter was $2.26, and their stock rose nearly 4% as a result.

Merck and Co. Inc. (MRK) impressed on the healthcare front with strong earnings for the quarter as well. Their stock rose more than 3% as they issued earnings guidance for 2026 of around $66 billion. They were the Dow’s top gainer for Monday, and they continued their stock gains Tuesday with another 1.12% increase.

Financial stocks are doing well this week, with Citigroup (C) up 1% while Wells Fargo (WFC) and JPMorgan (JPM) gained 2%. Investors should expect these types of stocks to continue to perform well this week and for tech stocks to continue taking a back seat. The focus of the market right now is on stocks that indicate a strengthening economy.

Economic pressure is easing as President Donald Trump announced he would be cutting tariffs for India by 18%. This decision came after months of negotiations, so investors should not expect further tariff cuts to happen anytime soon.

The Dow was at a record high of 49,374 and climbing at the time of writing, and it is likely to set more records as the week progresses. Still to come this week are earnings statements from Amazon (AMZN) and Alphabet (GOOGL).

Huge Reversal for Natural Gas Prices

Posted on February 2, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Natural gas futures are falling rapidly as warm weather approaches, and this may be the biggest decline in nearly three decades for the industry.

Gas prices are falling off after warmer weather sets in.

U.S. natural gas prices are not just stabilizing but are actually retreating and are down 22%, hitting $3.396/MMBtu after soaring above $5 recently. The cold weather is abating, leaving the gas market to face declining demand and warm forecasts ahead.

The gains made in recent weeks have nearly been wiped out as the bearish gas market comes crashing back down. Meanwhile, those gas production facilities that were frozen out and inoperative last week are now fully operational.

Huge Inventory Withdrawals Last Week

Even though prices are returning to normal once more, the natural gas industry is not the same as it was a few weeks ago. While ice storms swept the United States and citizens were snowed into their homes, heating demands skyrocketed. During that time, the gas reserves were sufficiently drained that much of the excess that afflicted the industry all throughout 2025 has been used up.

The next EIA report will shed more light on the status of gas reserves, but it is likely to paint a rosier picture of the supply and show levels that are close to normal. Gas prices hit a three-year high last week but are now dropping to lows not seen since December of last year.

The industry is now looking ahead to the end of winter and the stabilization of the market. By the time the U.S. comes out of winter, supply levels may be closer to normal than they have been for a while. The market will have to work to make up for lost deliveries caused by frozen roads and heavy snow, but deliveries (for Nymex, at least) are also expected to drop nearly 20% in March, allowing time for the market to steady.

Milder weather is already spreading across the U.S., chasing away a series of incredibly powerful ice storms that set records for the country. In some areas, snow and ice levels reached a point not seen in decades. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that even warmer weather is on its way, and that means that heating demand should drop.

The volatile pricing conditions we have seen for the last couple of weeks should settle down, and the market should start to see the price of gas rise slightly. As we get further into the week, investors should anticipate some price correcting that ticks the rate upward as market fears subside.