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.

U.S. Natural Gas Dropped to 4-Week Low as Temperatures Warm

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Rising temperatures brought the price of LNG futures down in the United States to a four-week low of $2.82 per million British thermal units.

LNG rates swung upward on Tuesday before the afternoon as large withdrawals were reported.

U.S. natural gas fell on Tuesday as warm weather forecasts rolled out and the temperature across the States warmed further. The price hit a low for the month but did not stay down for long. A 2.8% increase swept through the market and brought the price back up to $2.96.

Now, the natural gas price remains very close to its $3 level that it has maintained for much of the past month. This quick uptick may be due to changing factors in the Iran war which have mildly influenced the U.S. LNG market.

The United States As a Gas Island

The war in Iran has pushed gas and oil prices much higher around the world for weeks now. The price of oil has climbed to over $100 per barrel and stayed above that level for most of the four weeks the war has been going on. As prices rise sharply in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, LNG rates have stayed close to $3 in the United States. That is because the country has its own ample supply of LNG and is not reliant on outside sources for this resource.

The United States has operated as a gas island for much of the war, providing its own LNG and not needing supplies from the Middle East. As the world wrestles with limited gas and oil while Iran, Israel, and the United states attack each others’ shipping vessels and oil plants, the U.S. gas market has moved along almost as normal.

The biggest factor affecting the price of LNG in the U.S. for now is the weather. With springtime comes warmer temperatures, and with winter now over, the market is expected to dry up and see lower prices. Decreasing demand is driving LNG futures lower and should continue to do so for the coming months. Weather forecasts call for more warm weather, and production levels are high across the United States.

Temperatures are above average at the moment and should stay that way until the middle of next month, according to forecasts. Heating needs will be severely limited, and reserve levels are expected to rise rapidly. The EIA reported that last week’s withdrawal was larger than expected, but it may be the last such large withdrawal for a while, since last week closed off winter.

The U.S. LNG market is only marginally affected by the war in Iran, but that conflict could be ending soon. A new report say that Trump is discussing plans to bring the fighting to a close, even without the Strait of Hormuz and its crucial shipping lanes back up and open.

Google Quantum AI White Paper Sinks Bitcoin below $67K

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Timothy St. John

A new white paper from Google’s Quantum AI laid out the threat of encrypted wallet cracking that could jeopardize dormant bitcoins, and the BTC price fell 1.61% on Tuesday.

Bitcoin is losing ground while the stock market is climbing Tuesday.

Digital cracking technology has dramatically improved lately, according to a new report from Quantum AI. That means that 1.7 million bitcoins, now lying dormant, could be at risk. Dormant Ethereum coins are at risk as well, with estimates at 20.5 million Ethereum coins. The news caused the crypto market to sink on Tuesday morning.

[[BTC/USD]]

Bitcoin (BTC) dropped to $66,565 (BTC/USD), and Ethereum (ETH) fell 1.19% to $2,039 (ETH/USD). This news came at a time when the stock market is rising. A report came out of the Wall Street Journal that President Donald Trump has been telling his aides he will end the war in Iran soon, and U.S. equities rose on hopes of lower oil prices.

Bitcoin Price Prediction Calls for $50,000

This quarter has been a trying one for Bitcoin and the wider cryptocurrency market. By March 31st, Bitcoin had lost about $20,000 per coin for the quarter, and that marks one of the worst quarters for the coin in its history with about 23% in losses. Constant selling pressure from the ongoing Iran war has hurt crypto coins, particularly Bitcoin, which has struggled to regain its lost ground since October of last year.

Now below $67K, Bitcoin has fallen under the demarcation inline that indicates a structural breakdown. It is unlikely that Bitcoin will be able to make up all its lost ground so far in 2026 by the middle of the year, if its current trajectory is any indication. An end to the Iran war will help, and if the U.S. government moves quickly on its in-progress cryptocurrency bill, that could boost the coin’s value as well.

A primary downside target has been placed around $50,000 now, with Bitcoin moving quickly toward that level. The coin is down 6.12% for the last seven days already, and it would only take a loss of 24% for the coin to hit that psychologically catastrophic level. That could happen in the next few months if Bitcoin continues to suffer one defeat after another.

Even if Iran and the United States stop fighting, the situation in the Middle East has been volatile for a long time. It is likely that new fighting will break out in the next few months and hurt Bitcoin’s prospects even more.

White Paper Delineates Danger

Quantum computing could break into Bitcoin wallets and crack encryption of cryptocurrency assets. Google has been monitoring this growing area of concern and has issued a warning in their white paper titled “Safeguarding cryptocurrency by disclosing quantum vulnerabilities responsibly.” In just 10 minutes, quantum computing is capable of cracking encrypted wallets and stealing dormant bitcoins.

Current quantum computers can break the ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) encryption fast and leave assets exposed. The latest report says that could happen in 9 minutes instead of the previous recorded 12 minutes. If millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency is stolen, that could devaluate the market, putting everyone’s coins at risk.

Stocks Up on Report That Trump May End Iran War Soon

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Timothy St. John

President Donald Trump may stop the fighting in Iran even without the Strait of Hormuz open, according to a report this week that pushed U.S. stock futures higher.

Trump may be ending the war in Iran soon, and stock futures are climbing on the news.

On Tuesday, the U.S. stock market climbed on news that Trump may be bringing an end to the war in Iran soon. The Dow jumped 0.8%, and the Nasdaq and S&P 500 indices increased by the same amount.

An end to the war could mean lower oil and gas prices soon, even if the Strait of Hormuz has not reopened. At the very least, oil production facilities and oil fields will become safer. A report from the Wall Street Journal said that Trump has been telling his aides his is looking for closure in Iran very soon.

Stock Futures Expected to Climb Even with Higher Crude Oil Prices

Oil prices remain elevated despite the potentially good news, with West Texas Intermediate futures increasing by 1.5%. Brent crude futures rose 2.4% and have now reached $115 per barrel. The higher oil prices have not been enough to dissuade traders on the stock market from getting their hopes up.

In premarket trading, tech futures climbed across much of the market, with Nvidia (NVDA) gaining 0.8% and moving in step with the stock indices. Microsoft (MSFT), which has been under pressure since the war began (along with many other tech stocks), rose 1.65% in premarket trading. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), coming off Monday’s sharp losses rose 1.14% Tuesday morning.

With tech stocks on the rise, it appears that investors are growing bolder and more confident in where the market is headed. Tech stocks have declined for most of the days of the Iran war since February 28th, leading to long-tail bearish trends that have sunk investor sentiment.

The sharp swing from yesterday’s downturn indicates market volatility. Investors should be careful about expecting the current upswing to remain in place and should anticipate quick movements until actual peace is established in the Middle East.

The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and with that closure, about 20% of the world’s oil supplies have been rerouted or stopped. As long as that waterway is shut down, oil prices will be elevated and stock futures will have a hard time regaining lost ground due to strong inflation worries.

U.S. Stock Futures Slide Friday on $104 Oil

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Friday, the U.S. equity market dipped further from the previous day’s drop and pushed the Nasdaq down 0.6%, while the Dow and S&P 500 both fell 0.4%.

Stocks are falling on escalating oil prices and increased economic fear.

Stocks decreased sharply on Thursday, with the Dow losing 470 points, and Friday kept the bearish trend going with a further drop. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell to their lowest closing points since September, and analysts point toward rising oil costs and ongoing Middle East conflict as the culprits.

Investors are scared to play the market at a time when inflation may be rising and oil prices are now more than $100 a barrel. Brent crude rose to $104 on Friday and West Texas intermediate climbed 2.4% to hit $96.75 per barrel.

Middle East Uncertainty Makes the Stock Market a Hard Sell

There are conflicting signals coming out of Washington this week. President Trump wrote on Truth Social that he would not be attacking energy plants in Iran for now. However, the Pentagon is reported as looking into sending 10,000 more troops into the area. This does not look like a deescalation but perhaps a change of course for the war that has now been going on for a month.

Consumers are worried about the price of gas and oil, which have been steadily rising since the conflict began. There have been days when the price fell briefly, but the overall cost of oil has climbed 45% since the fighting began.

Leading stock futures, particularly the Magnificent Seven stocks, were all looking bearish on Thursday at the closing bell. These stocks have struggled since the fighting started, with Nvidia (NVDA), Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOGL), and Microsoft (MSFT) all taking a plunge in recent days. Nvidia lost 4.16% on Thursday and will likely fall further on Friday as selling pressure worsens. Investors are less likely to feel confident in the stock market when oil prices are high and the risk of inflation rising is elevated.

A few software stocks have held firm amid the bear trend. Salesforce (CRM) climbed 2% Thursday, and Snowflake (SNOW) added 1% while Figma (FIG) gained 5%. Investors are more worried about the bigger stocks that tend to be market movers rather than these somewhat smaller software equities that are less visible but perform steadily even during times of economic pressure. If the fighting continues long enough, even these may start to give way. So far, inflation has held mostly steady since the fighting in Iran started, but the constantly rising gas prices could increase the cost of other commodities in the weeks to come.

Bitcoin Price Prediction after Iran Conflict Sends the Rate Below $67K

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Friday, Bitcoin fell to $66,643 (BTC/USD) as weeks of Middle East fighting finally put serious pressure on the coin and wiped out recent gains.

Bitcoin is under selling pressure that has wiped out this week's gains. — Bitcoin is under selling pressure that has wiped out this week’s gains.

Bitcoin (BTC) plunged into the red on Friday, losing nearly 4% of its value in 24 hours and wiping out most of last week’s increases in one fell swoop. Corporate BTC holders have abandoned the crypto token except for Strategy, according to reports, and market sentiment has tanked.

[[BTC/USD]]

Institutional investors showed their bearish bent as continued fear over the Iran conflict produced intense selling pressure. Consumers are worried about the price of gas and other necessities as the fighting drags on- now extending into a month of conflict.

Bitcoin Risk Sentiment Is High

Through much of 2026, Bitcoin has been seen as a relatively stable cryptocurrency with sluggish but steady upward momentum. That has changed after weeks of fighting in the Middle East, and with oil now above $100 per barrel, many investors do not have room in their portfolios for risky crypto tokens.

Bitcoin appears to be heading into a volatile stretch, weighed down by ongoing conflict that is driving economic fears higher and painting the crypto market as a riskier venture. U.S. stocks and the crypto market have swung wildly between highs and lows this week, climbing on Monday, then dropping on Tuesday. They have moved back and forth throughout the week and are showing extended bearish behavior as the weekend starts.

Mixed signals are coming out of Washington and Iran, with both sides unsure of when the conflict will end and neither side willing to give in very much to make a ceasefire happen. Iran says that they have no plans to meet with the Trump administration, but Trump said that productive talks have already taken place. The uncertainty has made it hard for the market to retain its stability, and we are left with a volatile crypto environment that will likely remain that way until a ceasefire happens.

Until then, Bitcoin will likely be increasingly volatile and risky and may have trouble holding onto its gains. Bitcoin is down nearly 6% for the week now and could plunge further, especially if news out of Iran points to a further extension of the fighting.

Ethereum Loses 6% Value in Bear Session

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The Ethereum (ETH) supply has fallen to lows not seen since 2016, and the coin is down 6% as the crypto market feels pressure from rising oil and gas prices.

Ethereum has fallen from its Wednesday high as oil prices escalate.

Thursday has been a bearish session for the cryptocurrency and stock markets thanks to sharply rising oil prices. As the Iran conflict appears to be extending further, pressure is being placed on investors to tread carefully, and inflation is a looming problem for the crypto market.

[[ETH/USD]]

Now, Ethereum is down to $2,048 (ETH/USD) and has lost much of this week’s gains. The coin had hit a high of $2,196 earlier this week but then faltered on Thursday as the Iran conflict changed once again.

New Ethereum Price Prediction

Because the coin’s upward progress has been halted, investors may worry if the coin can recover from its losses and keep moving higher to hit some of those earlier ETH price projections that were spurred by bullish trends. The entire crypto market took a hit Thursday, but that does not mean that all of the upward momentum has been lost.

Ethereum retreated today, and the ETH rate is back to where it was before this week’s gains, but at least the coin has not fallen below $2,000. That is crucial for market sentiment to remain high. That psychologically important level means so much for Ethereum’s investors right now. Since the crypto market spent much of the last few months trending bearish and losing most of its 2025 gains, the market needs to stay above key levels to retain strong market sentiment.

Ethereum is still in a good place to be able to hit some of the predicted highs later this year. It is on track to hit the crucial $2,393 level later this year, which has been a stronghold of resistance. If Ethereum can do that, it will be less likely to slip back close to the $2K level and may be able to set a new record high by 2027.

The ETH trade volume has suffered little this week, now sitting at a healthy $17.6 billion and down just 3.6% from the previous day. This tells us that even though the coin is down substantially today compared to Wednesday’s high, investor interest remains elevated and a quick recovery is very likely. Swift fluctuations in the crypto market and in Ethereum in particular have been mostly caused by volatile gas and oil prices lately. We anticipate that the conflict in Iran will continue to cause these fluctuations, but the coin is showing signs of strength that tell us it may come out the other side of the conflict higher than when it went in.

The Iran conflict has lasted for about three weeks now, and Ethereum has gained more than 10% in the last month. Investors may want to jump on this current ebb and profit from the inevitable surge to come.

Micron Stocks Tumbles after $25 Billion Capex Commitment

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Micron Technology (MU) has vowed to spend $5 billion more this year in capital expenditures, bringing its total capex costs to more than $25 billion for 2026.

MU stock is falling after they reveal their $25 billion capex spending plan.

Falling 7.33% on Thursday, Micron Technology’s stock has taken a big hit after a very promising quarterly report. They reported Q2 earnings of $23.86 billion on March 18th and recorded a 196% increase in revenue from the previous year. However, the company is now pledging to spend more on capital expenditures in 2026 than they made in the previous quarter.

Their stock is down sharply during a bearish session for the stock markets and for technology stocks in particular. As gas and oil prices rise to once again hit more than $100 per barrel, investors are cautious about going in on technology stocks from companies with out of control capex spending.

Bad Timing for Stock Decline

Today’s stock drop looks dangerous for MU at a time when technology stocks are suffering severe scrutiny for how money is being spent. There is also a supply chain shortage caused by increasing AI data center building. Micron Technology helps to provide AI memory supplies, and they are part of the three-way near monopoly that includes SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics.

While Micron Technology has profited substantially in recent months as demand for their products remains high, they may have trouble keeping up with demand. They are also at risk of losing contracts to other, smaller suppliers who may be able to meet demand better for some of their customers. The growing AI market needs high bandwidth memory, and Micron Technology is forced to keep developing new technology and double down on investments to ensure they meet consumer demand.

However, as they pour their profits back into development and infrastructure costs, they are looking less appealing to their shareholders. The stock is down to $356 per share, well below their March high of $461 per share that they achieved right around the time of their Q2 report. If their capex costs continue to rise, they may lose investors even while growing their customer base.

US Natural Gas Hovers Near $3 before EIA Storage Report

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Thursday, U.S. natural gas futures rose to $2.99 per MMBtu as oil prices also increased around the world, but the new EIA report could send the price back down.

LNG production is expected to increase this year.

Iran has denied the U.S. plan for a ceasefire in the Middle East, but they are considering a path toward resolution. The development caused oil prices to spike this morning and gave the U.S. LNG futures a boost as well, sending them close to $3 once more.

The incoming EIA report is expected to show a 51 Bcf withdrawal. If so, that would be the last weekly withdrawal before winter is over, and inventory levels are still elevated. They will likely continue to remain that way through the springtime.

Storage Report to Send Futures Lower

Weather forecasts call for rising temperatures all the way through April 9th, and the warmer temperatures should drive down the already low domestic demand for natural gas. The upcoming storage report from the EIA will tell the market how much gas was withdrawn last week, and when the inventory totals are calculated, we expect higher than normal levels to be reported.

Elevated inventory has been a problem for the domestic LNG market for over a month, and with demand dropping, the prices are sure to go down in the coming weeks. We may even see a 2026 spring and summer stretch similar to what happened in 2025. Last year, inventory levels were very high and demand remained low through the hot months, leading to very low market prices for LNG.

Production is expected to ramp up later this year, with several production facilities adding new lines and others opening up to increase supply to the United States market. These developments will likely raise inventory levels even higher and keep market prices subdued until late fall of 2026.

Several new gas-run power plants are expected to open in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, and a new trade deal with Japan should result in a new gas-fired power plant in Appalachia as well. These power plants will be designed to meet increasing power needs and could help spur growth in the LNG market. Meanwhile, the world is watching developments in Iran that have an effect on the global LNG market but little impact on US prices.

Oil Increase Pushes Dow down 200 Points

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Timothy St. John

U.S. stock markets fell on Thursday as oil prices rose 4% and caused the Dow to lose 233 points after Wednesday’s upswing, erasing most of the gains.

Energy stocks jump while tech stocks fall on Thursday.

Swiftly changing developments in Iran led to oil price increases on Thursday and pushed stock values back down. The Dow fell 0.5%, and the Nasdaq lost 0.8%. The S&P 500 was hit the hardest with a drop of 1.2% as Brent crude oil prices climbed to $106 per barrel.

These fluctuations are the result of Trump’s peace plan stalling as he announced on Truth Social this week that Iran needs to “get serious soon.” He threatened decisive action that could prolong the conflict or result in serious consequences.

Energy Stocks Remain Volatile

Those expecting a quick end to the fighting in Iran are disappointed by the turn of events and Iran’s seeming rejection of Trump’s peace plan. According to President Donald Trump, Iran’s negotiators are considering the plan, but Iran’s foreign minister said that while a proposal for resolution is being considered, no plans are in place to talk with the United States.

The bullish session that the stock market enjoyed Wednesday has been dramatically and decisively countered by Thursday’s sharp downturn. As Iran and the United States offer different accounts of what is happening, the market is not sure how to react.

One of Thursday’s big winners so far is Greenland Energy Co. (GLND) on the Nasdaq Composite index, which posted gains of 114%. The newly formed company is the result of a merger between Greenland Exploration Limited and Pelican Acquisition Corporation.

Over on the S&P 500, one of the top gainers there was the Valero Energy Corp (VLO) with gains of 3.42%, and their modest gains are indicative of how many energy companies are performing today. Rising fuel prices are pushing energy stocks higher while tech stocks fall lower after strong gains the previous day.

Nvidia (NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are both down Thursday, falling 1.95% and 2.99%, respectively. These stocks may snap back if fuel prices swing down again this week, but for now, these leading AI stocks are struggling to hold their ground against poor consumer sentiment and fears of a tightening economy.

Ethereum Price Prediction after Launch of Bitmine Staking Service

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Wednesday, Ethereum (ETH) gained 2.89% to hit $2,163 (ETH/USD) as Bitmine launched their Ethereum staking service that they say is the largest in the world.

Ethereum is bullish after the Bitmine platform launch and possible peace in Iran.

Bitmine Immersion Technologies launched the MAVAN (Made in America Validator Network) staking platform on Wednesday, creating what is being called the largest platform of its kind for Ethereum. The ETH rate jumped nearly 3% in 24 hours, and trade volume was up to $18.16 billion (per 24 hours) at the time of publication.

[[ETH/USD]]

Ethereum’s gains can also be attributed to a bullish crypto market that saw Bitcoin (BTC) add 2.5% on Wednesday and Solana (SOL) gain 3% from the previous day. The cryptocurrency market made impressive gains after pulling back Tuesday amid fluctuations in the Iran-U.S. conflict. Now that a plan for peace there has been laid out, oil prices are dropping and stocks and crypto tokens are on the rise.

New ETH Price Prediction Anticipates Strong Growth

The MAVAN platform is designed to be one of the leading staking operations in the world, and Ethereum users who stake there can earn digital rewards. The crypto staking platform gives holders a way to essentially earn interest by keeping their assets locked to the blockchain as it pays out to incentivize holding onto coins.

Bitmine has $6.8 billion in USD staked on Ethereum now, and that makes them the largest Ethereum staking entity globally. They could earn around $300 million each year from their investment. They are demonstrating tremendous confidence in the cryptocurrency, and this may be the right time for them to launch their platform.

Ethereum has gained 18% from its early February low for 2026, and the token is still looking bullish. The coin and the wider market have both stabilized since dropping dramatically from record highs in October, and we may soon see the market surge to tremendous heights as several factors start to work in favor of digital assets.

The stock market’s recovery in recent days has helped push the crypto market higher. With many global tariffs repealed and a possible end in sight for the Iran conflict, we could see a bullish market for stocks and crypto tokens. Ethereum and other crypto assets are set to climb rapidly later this year if the new cryptocurrency regulatory act is approved. This bill has been in progress for a while and made tremendous steps forward earlier this year.

Ethereum has been showing indications of upward trajectory with the ability to retain gains in recent weeks. Even with Middle East conflict occurring, the coin has demonstrated resiliency and growth, and that bodes well for its long-term prospects.