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.

Ethereum Price Prediction Following Crypto Market Tumble

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The cryptocurrency market experienced minor losses on Thursday after a bullish week, and Ethereum (ETH) fell 1.34% over the last day while the stock market slipped on rising oil prices.

The cryptocurrency market is down today but retains most of its gains from recent days.

Ethereum is down to $2,050 (ETH/USD) as a downward trend sweeps the crypto market. Bitcoin (BTC) fell 1.03% on Thursday along with XRP (XRP), which lost 2.05%. Widespread decline erased some of the gains from the previous day and most of the gains from the last week across the crypto market.

[[ETH/USD]]

Selling pressure climbed as oil and gas prices jumped globally. Many regions are expecting gas shortages in the near future as the war in Iran continues. Most of the crypto market experienced increases early on in the week, and Ethereum ETF inflows were recorded at $57 million for March 11^th.

Ethereum Back above $2,000

Even though Ethereum slipped on Thursday, it remained above the psychologically significant $2,000 level, which it passed on Monday. As long as Ethereum can keep from slipping below there, it will likely enjoy strong investor support and excellent consumer sentiment. The ETH rate has continuously dropped below $2K throughout March but shows support around that level that is promising.

On the whole, the crypto market is mildly bullish and is moving from gain to gain over time in 2026. Bitcoin is behaving similarly with repeated gains and losses, but with higher lows achieved each week. That means that when ETH and BTC fell in recent weeks, they did not fall as much as the time before and have kept from slipping back into long-term bearish trends.

Over the last year, Ethereum has gained 8%, which is not as much as most analysts predicted. However, 2026 has been a slow year for the market, and for Ethereum to hold onto its gains and remain above $2K for any length of time bodes well for the coin’s future prospects.

Ethereum remains mildly bullish and yet precarious at the same time. If a strong enough factor hits the market, it could drive Ethereum down with incredible force and bring it back to its 2026 lows, but the current economic climate is healthy for crypto. Ethereum may enjoy a boost from the recent CPI report that showed that inflation is still at 2.4%. It may also get a boost from this week’s jobs report that demonstrated that unemployment claims have fallen in the United States. These factors could help propel Ethereum to $2.1K very soon and strengthen the support level above $2K.

Promising News from February Jobless Claims Report

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Stock market indices in the United States fell on Thursday despite low unemployment numbers from the latest Labor Department report.

Unemployment numbers are lower in the Labor Department's report. — Unemployment numbers are lower in the Labor Department’s report.

The U.S. Labor Department announced this week that there were 213,000 jobless claims for the most recent week of reporting, which is a drop of 1,000 from the previous week. That is great news for the economy, but it was not enough to keep the Dow Jones from losing 1.08% for the day while the Nasdaq dropped 1.28% and the S&P 500 fell 1.04%.

Selling pressure on the stock market today came from higher oil and gas prices and fear that those prices may climb even higher as fighting escalated in the Middle East. With energy resources diverted, destroyed, and blocked, an energy crisis has erupted globally.

Unemployment Pairs with CPI for a Positive Outlook

The U.S economy is looking better than it did last month thanks to promising reports on inflation and jobs. The Consumer Price Index report was released on Wednesday and showed that inflation had not changed and was still sitting at 2.4%. Couple that with the decent jobs report and investors can rejoice in the strengthening economy.

CPI numbers changed very little in February compared to January, and while not as low as the Federal Reserve would like the inflation number to be (around 2%), it is still better than analysts feared after recent tariff changes. President Donald Trump’s emergency power tariffs have been most overturned by the Supreme Court, but then he enacted new global tariffs of 10% with plans to raise those to 15%.

The jobs report for this week was even more positive than the CPI report. It showed that unemployment is down and the economy is growing. If there was no war going on in Iran at the moment the stock market would likely be hitting record highs right now.

Wall Street predicted that unemployment claims could increase in the latest report, calling for a jump to 215,000. The numbers were about 3,000 lower than that though, indicating a better than expected economy that is headed toward strength and growth. Comparing the claims from this report to the same time last yet, on an unadjusted basis, these claims are lower. Continuing claims are lower too, with a drop of 21,000 for people who are collecting unemployment benefits on an ongoing basis.

For years, the continuing claims number has been growing, but it is dropping now and pointing toward a reinvigorated labor market. The jobs market is stable, although perhaps slightly sluggish, but is looking better on the unemployment side of things.

Latin American LNG Supply at Risk Due to Iran Diversions

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The transportation of oil and gas throughout the world has been disrupted by ongoing fighting in the Middle East, with the latest casualty being Latin American and its LNG supply.

LNG gas has been diverted from Latin America to other, higher paying customers.

Vessels carrying natural gas bound for Latin America have been sent to other countries where the payout is higher as the fighting in Iran continues to disrupt the transport of energy supplies. Natural gas levels are now threatened throughout the region as Iran is threatening the supply lines and European and Asian customers are pledging to pay more.

The gas is going where the money is, following the demand for LNG in areas where supplies are in danger due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Iran has already destroyed one oil transport ship and threatened the supply routes of many others.

U.S. LNG Rates Climb on Supply Problems

With the Latin American supply of natural gas at risk for now, LNG prices in the United States are increasing. LNG futures for the U.S. market rose from $3.1 to $3.3 per MMBtu on Thursday. There is concern that Latin America customers will need to have their gas imported from the United States to make up for the lack of supply from Middle East suppliers.

Oil production companies may also ship to Europe and Asia where supplies are dwindling and demand is rising at the moment, diverting away from their regular customers to chase the higher paying clients. All of the regions around the Middle East are feeling the pinch of restricted oil and gas supplies, since Iran holds the keys to about 20% of the world’s available oil and gas resources.

Global energy supplies are in constant fluctuation as Iran conducts fierce fighting with both Israel and the United States. There are even reports that Iran is engaging in cyberattacks on U.S. soil and may be planning drone strikes there as well. The EIA has promised to release 400 barrels of emergency oil reserves to needy markets, but even that may not be enough to keep inventories high if the fighting is protracted.

The U.S. LNG market reported a withdrawal of 41 billion cubic feet recently, and that is down from the average for this season, however, with dwindling supplies around the world, U.S. LNG may be in high demand soon. There is a severe risk that Iran will use any means necessary to disrupt oil supplies around the world as the fighting continues, which could raise U.S export sales and create a strong demand for U.S. inventories in other areas.

Bitcoin Finds Support Close to $70K; New BTC Price Prediction

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

After a dip on Wednesday, Bitcoin regained its $70K level but is still down 3.5% for the past week, and Thursday will be a proving ground for its hold on this level.

Bitcoin appears broadly positive with strong ETF inflows.

Bitcoin (BTC) has been fluctuating around the $70K mark and is now at $70,611 (BTC/USD) at the time of writing. The coin lost 12% of its trade volume over the last 24 hours, slipping to $42.6 billion in daily trades, but Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $115 million in inflows.

[[BTC/USD]]

That makes three consecutive days of gains for ETFs, supporting predictions that the coin is regaining lost ground and may have exhausted its downward momentum. Ethereum (ETH) ETFs are likewise seeing positive movement with a combined $172 million in inflows with Bitcoin.

Bitcoin Achieves Higher Lows

Over the past few weeks, Bitcoin has oscillated within a range of $64,000 and $74,000. What we have noticed is that the coin is still having trouble keeping its gains, but at the same time it is achieving higher low points. In other words, when the coin does dip, it does not fall back to the bottom of the range but instead stays higher than its previous low.

This indicates that the coin is working its way back up to $85K and beyond and may regain its all-time high in a few months. We are not seeing the great upward strides for the coin that it has had in the last few years, and 2026 appears to be a rest year from the coin’s bullish trajectory in the past decade.

Bitcoin movement is faltering, unsteady, and fiercely fluctuating, but it is also more bullish than what the coin went through from November through February. There is a definite improvement brought on by the changing legislative landscape for cryptocurrency and the confidence of whale investors to buy the dip and support Bitcoin’s reversal.

Bitcoin is not collapsing after each obstacle, though, like it did earlier in the year. Instead, it is building upward progress and looking stronger with each passing week. We anticipate that the coin may climb to $72K by Friday and perhaps swing as high as $75K by Monday thanks in part to this week’s in-line CPI report that showed inflation holding at 2.4%.

Stock Markets Slip on 2.4% Consumer Price Index Reading

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Wednesday, the Consumer Price Index report showed that prices rose to 2.4%, in line with expectations, but the stock market still decreased slightly on Thursday morning.

Stocks fall on news that inflation remains at 2.4% for now.

Core CPI increased by 0.2% for the month to hit 2.5% annually, and that was exactly what Wall Street expected. The Dow fell to a four-month low on the news, likely feeling pressure from rising oil prices and global economic tightening caused by fighting in the Middle East.

The stock market retreats on Wednesday were relatively small but added to weeks of decline due to the war between Iran and the United States and the impact that has had on the energy sector primarily. There is concern that oil shortages are going to hurt the global economy even with the EIA planning to release 400 barrels to countries in need.

AI Stocks Continue to Impress

It looks like technology stocks are still somewhat bullish and AI stocks in particular are performing well right now. At the top of the upswing is Oracle (ORCL). After reporting quarterly earnings that beat expectations, the company’s stock climbed 9%. They were able to increase their forecasted revenue for 2027 as well.

Nvidia (NVDA) is still the company with the highest market capitalization, and they have held on to some minor gains this week. Their reasonably strong performance during the Iran crisis has helped to dispel fears that AI companies are floundering in debt and are going to crash and burn on heavy capex spending. At $184 per share, they are above where they were three months ago in mid-December but are not climbing at the exceptional rate we have seen for much of the past few years.

Other tech stocks that performed very well this week included Micron Technology (MU) and Intel Corp (INTC). These companies added 3.86% and 2.57% respectively over the last 24 hours. The tech boom that we saw last week is still ongoing and is boosting the positions of formerly struggling AI-related technology stocks. This sector as well as the energy sector are likely to be where the biggest gains happen over the next few weeks.

Inflation is holding for now, remaining above the Federal Reserve’s target of 2% but not worsening. That is good news during a time when investors fear that changing tariffs and Middle East unrest will drastically alter inflation rates. Even though stocks dipped late Wednesday and early Thursday, they may correct slightly in the next 48 hours.

U.S. Gas Futures Hover above $3 ahead of Major Oil Release

Posted on March 11, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Natural gas futures in the United States remained close to $3 on Wednesday after the IEA announced it would be releasing emergency oil reserves to make up for limited supplies.

The conflict in Iran is holding back new injection of oil into inventories, but the IEA is trying to make up for that loss with the release of emergency oil supplies. LNG futures held around $3.155 on Tuesday and climbed 4.5% while Brent Crude Oil prices jumped 4.3% as well.

Natural gas futures may slow down soon due to the incoming emergency reserve injection. The introduction of new oil into global supplies will limit the need for U.S. gas to be exported, also limiting price movement in the United States.

Massive Oil Reserve Injection Incoming

The IEA (International Energy Agency) is planning to release the largest ever oil reserve supply, providing 400 million barrels of oil to countries in need during the ongoing Iran crisis. That conflict has resulted in the closure of a major production plant and the destruction of an oil tanker. The Gulf of Hormuz has also been closed off to transport vessels.

The planned release is still waiting on approval, but it would beat out the 2022 oil release that provided 182 million barrels back when Russia invaded Ukraine and oil reserves were in jeopardy in that region at the time. Even though the massive release is likely to be approved, there is still worry over an impending oil shortage. With close production facilities in the Middle East as a result of the fighting and blockades set up in major transportation routes, a single release may not be enough to cover the deficit for long.

U.S. LNG Pricing Factors

The big news in LNG pricing markets over the past few months has been the weather. With inventory levels mostly stable but rising slightly in recent weeks and cold weather disappearing quickly, LNG prices in the U.S. have dipped slowly

Those prices have risen since the conflict in the Middle East started, but not by much. That conflict has had little impact on the U.S. LNG market and will likely continue to have little effect there. Warming weather and rising inventory levels are likely to keep pressure to decrease prices while Middle East fighting creates global demand for gas to be exported from unusual sources. The U.S. may soon see exports increase as the gas supply on the continent remains steady.

Bitcoin Retreats from $70K Level; New BTC Price Prediction

Posted on March 11, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Bitcoin (BTC) dropped below $70,000 on Wednesday, hitting $69,261 (BTC/USD) as the markets wait for inflation data from the Consumer Price Index report later in the day.

Bitcoin has been pushed down below $70K as new inflation data prepares for release.

Early morning investor movements caused the stock indices in the U.S. to remain flat and brought Bitcoin below the psychologically important $70K level. The crypto token only fell 1.63% for the day, so there is a strong chance that it will recover quickly, as long as Wednesday’s inflation data looks promising.

[[BTC/USD]]

The Consumer Price Index for February could show that the economy shrunk and fluctuating tariffs caused escalating fears, but the inflation level in January was at 2.4%- the lowest in months. The probability is that the latest reading will show a slight increase that will do little to move markets.

Bitcoin Working Back toward $100K

The trend across the cryptocurrency market lately has been gradual growth. We have not seen the tokens jump by leaps and bounds, for the most part, but the leaders Bitcoin and Ethereum (ETH) have shown promising upward movement. Their broad bullish trends have been hindered periodically, stumbling on rising oil prices, crypto selling pressure, and other factors, but we are no longer seeing a continuation of the previous months’ long bear trend.

Bitcoin may have exhausted its downward momentum, and the token appears to be recovering. Its recent move above $70K showed some promise, and analysts are now looking at the coin’s prospects of moving back above $100K. The last time Bitcoin was priced that high was back in the middle of November. For Bitcoin to surge that high again would be a tremendous win, but it still has a long way to go.

The whales seem confident that Bitcoin will regain its former value, as Strategy and other major investors have bought in on the dip recently and held off from selling further tokens. Spot Bitcoin ETFs are also showing promise with inflows of $250 million on Tuesday. That now marks two consecutive days of positive movement for the coin amid an ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

Bitcoin has performed well during the Iran conflict, outpacing much of the stock market during this period. That bodes well for its bullish prospects, and if the inflation data looks positive this week, then the coin could get a boost that helps to establish a higher support level. Good news from the CPI report may push Bitcoin close to $75K this week, while bad news could suppress its growth and keep it under $70K through the end of the week.

Stock Markets Stall while Waiting for Inflation Data

Posted on March 11, 2026March 11, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Wednesday, the U.S. stock market indices mostly remained flat as they tread water and expected that this week’s inflation reports would inject some momentum into investors.

Dow Jones and other indices are mostly flat today.

This week will see the release of the Consumer Price Index for February, which could push the inflation numbers from the current 2.4%. After a month of changing tariffs, AI stock selling pressure, and economic tightening, there is concern that the latest inflation reading will be high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq Composite, and S&P 500 indices all hovered close to flat readings Wednesday morning.

Inflation is currently at one of its lowest points in months, slowly recovering from post-covid highs. However, weeks of conflict and economic instability could have taken their toll on the CPI level. March’s rising oil prices and Iran conflict will not factor into the reading, but February was a month where many of the early 2026 market gains disappeared.

AI and Energy Stocks Soared This Week

While much of the stock market remained flat, several niches performed well, and perhaps the most impactful gainer has been Oracle (ORCL). The AI company gained 9% on Wednesday following their quarterly earnings report. Oracle soundly beat expectations, bringing in more revenue for its third quarter than Wall Street and shareholders anticipated. They further excelled by increasing their financial forecast for 2027.

Nvidia (NVDA) gained 1.16% and continued to make back what it lost in February. This AI stock performed poorly during its earnings report recently but has since begun a process of recovery that has grown investor confidence and helped take pressure off of the AI niche as a whole.

Energy prices have been climbing for weeks, with the Venezuelan action briefly spiking rates and then conflict in Iran pushing them even higher. One of the biggest earners has been West Texas Intermediate, which saw its futures rise 4% and the price of a barrel of oil moved up to $87. Brent crude oil reported $91 per barrel and a 4% futures bump as well.

The price of oil may be declining soon, since the International Energy Agency announced this week that it will be releasing reserves of emergency oil. This should boost inventory at a time when reserve levels are at risk and ease fears that there will be a dwindling supply while conflict continues in the Middle East.

Nvidia up 4.5% This Week on Thinking Machine Labs Investment

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Timothy St. John

On Tuesday, Nvidia (NVDA) added 0.92% to its stock price and achieved a year-over-year increase of 70% with its latest investment in Thinking Machine Labs making waves.

Nvidia stock gained 70% over the last 12 months in a powerful performance.

Nvidia is looking toward the future with an investment in Thinking Machine Labs, and its stock price is rising on a tech surge that is sweeping the U.S. stock markets. Now, Nvidia has gained 70% in stock value over the last 12 months and is performing better than many other Ai-related stocks.

Many of these stocks have suffered severe selloffs since November, but Nvidia was already considerably out in front at that time. Even though the stock has not done as well since late 2025, it is still up substantially from where it was a year ago. As investors fear that AI profits will dwindle even more than they already have, Nvidia has been able to keep its stock price relatively stable for the past few months.

Nvidia Invests during Chip Shortage

In the last 12 months, the AI component manufacturer Nvidia has performed better than many of its competitors, including Texas Instruments, Zacks Semiconductor, Qualcomm, and more. Some of those top-performing competitors have only managed 34% or less in gains over the same period.

Nvidia recently invested in the company Thinking Machines, entering into a multi-year partnership with them. As Nvidia prepares to launch their Vera Rubin platform, they will use Thinking Machines’ training programs to help prepare the platform. Thinking Machines will design serving and training systems to operate for Nvidia and provide AI open models that can be used by numerous institutions.

The company is facing a chip shortage for gaming systems, and a Nvidia spokesperson said that the shortage should last until the end of this year. This shortage does not affect the majority of Nvidia’s core business, but it is enough of a hindrance to their sales that it may cut into their earnings estimates during the next quarterly report. For now, their stock is at $184 per share, down slightly from January’s $188 starting point.

U.S. Natural Gas Slips with Falling Oil Prices as Market Shifts

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Timothy St. John

The oil and gas markets experienced a widespread change on Tuesday as investors heard reports that the Iran war may be ending soon, causing prices to dip.

Gas futures are down a little today on news of possible closure for the Iran war.

U.S. natural gas futures fell to $3.03/MMBtu as the gas industry reacted to a suggestion from President Donald Trump that the fighting in Iran could stop very soon. Trump’s comments created a shift in the economic markets and allowed cryptocurrency and U.S. stocks to surge while gas and oil fell.

The energy market is still at risk, though, especially with the destruction of an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman this week. Even though prices are falling today, that could change drastically tomorrow as this situation in the Middle East fluctuates daily.

LNG Market at Risk outside the U.S.

One of the biggest factors influencing LNG prices globally is the temporary shutdown of the world’s largest LNG export hub. That has limited the global LNG supply at a time when shipments are in danger in the idle East and to areas as vast as Europe and Asia.

The U.S. supply of natural gas is not in jeopardy at this time, so price fluctuations should remain minor there for now. Investors should expect the current price to drop over the coming days as inventory levels continue to climb and export numbers from the United States keep dropping. LNG exports are close to capacity and inventory levels are nearing the five-year average, which should result in decreasing prices in the United States for natural gas futures.

What may cause LNG rates to climb is if the fighting in Iran intensifies and goes into extended weeks and months of conflict. Then, the crisis could extend to the local LNG market as export demand dramatically climbs when countries around the world cannot meet their LNG demands.

This possibility is why LNG rates are still slightly elevated in the United States. But the potential for the conflict to end soon has brought prices down for today. We anticipate rates will climb tomorrow, however, as there is no indication that the war is actually stopping just yet. Once there is definitive action to bring fighting to a close, the prices may drop once more.