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.

Price Slump Continues for Natural Gas Futures

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Heating demand in the United States has decreased lately, and the price of natural gas futures is down as well, with a dip to $3.20/MMBtu on Monday.

Declining natural gas futures have been caused by warming weather forecasts.

The previous trading session ended low, and Monday continues that losing streak, bringing the price of gas futures to a three-week low point. With warm weather predicted and declining demand, the market expects prices to continue to fall for now.

Much of the United States is expected to receive above normal temperatures, and that is especially true of the southern and the central parts of the U.S. Gas prices should keep dropping as a result, but gas reserves are unusually low as well, which could keep prices from falling very quickly and very far.

There May Be an Oversupply Problem on the Horizon

LNG production may be about to dramatically increase for the United States. A new plant will open soon in Texas, and an additional one near New Orleans will be opening another production line. Apparently, supplies of natural gas are going to expand soon.

LNG projects are expected to take off in 2026, with six new projects approved last year by U.S. companies. There are more LNG facilities going up in Qatar and Canada as well, which raises concerns that the industry may be faced with an oversupply of natural gas. The U.S. LNG industry could be facing financial headwinds in 2026 as the export arm runs into challenges finding willing customers. Some of the U.S. current trade partners may choose to get their gas closer to home since new facilities are opening up.

Last year, oversupply was a serious issue that held back gas prices for months as larger than normal injections were repeatedly made into the gas reserves. That could be a problem throughout 2026 as well, and some estimates point to the November midterms in the U.S. as the next time that prices may spike. With winter winding down and warm weather ahead for much of February, gas rates could very well drop continuously for the next few months.

Demand for natural gas only drops as the weather gets warmer, and investors may have already seen the high point of gas for the first half of 2026. Unless another cold front moves through, we anticipate the recent ice storm created the highest prices the industry will experience in the United States for a while.

Bitcoin Price Prediction after 10% Loss

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Over the last week, Bitcoin (BTC) has fallen 10.45% and is now at $70,625 (BTC/USD), experiencing strong selling pressure and low investor confidence.

Bitcoin is back above $70K, but for how long?

The price of Bitcoin is well above the recent low of $60K but still not back to where it was a week ago. The question many investors are asking is whether the BTC rate can hold above $70,000 or if it is due to dip again?

[[BTC/USD]]

Bitcoin simply has not been able to hold onto its value throughout late January and early February. There has been a small surge in the BTC rate since the middle of last week, but any mid- or long-term ranges are going to show that Bitcoin is dangerously low.

Which Direction Is Bitcoin Headed?

Outside of last week, the last time Bitcoin dropped this low was in 2024, and the coin has lost a lot of ground and a lot of good will that it accumulated last year. The BTC rate is about 44% off from its record high and is in a dangerous area where selling pressure remains high. Even the historically low rate is not proving attractive for investors, and it could be that they have seen the coin drop too far for too long to have much confidence in it.

There is widespread bearish activity across the cryptocurrency market, and Ethereum is down nearly as far with a loss of 9.4% over the last week. That coin is 57% below its record high as well.

BNB (BNB) and Solana (SOL) are even worse off, with decreases of more than 18% over the last week. This market-wide decline is serious enough that many investors are simply selling off their crypto tokens and switching over to the stock market or to gold and silver.

In recent weeks, the stock market has hit record highs and remains bullish. Gold is close to a record high, but silver just experienced a 14% selloff. Still, these markets appear more promising for investors right now, and until the bears release their grip on the crypto market, it seems unlikely that Bitcoin will start to recover its significant losses from the past few months.

Bitcoin is just above $70K at the time of writing, and there is a high risk that it will slip below that level like it did last week. Economic factors are not positive enough or promising enough to give the coin much of a boost right now, and we anticipate bearish behavior to continue for the coming weeks.

Technology Stocks Give Market a Boost as Nasdaq Gains 0.95%

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Tech stocks are off to a good start this week, with Microsoft (MSFT) up 2.8% and helping the Nasdaq Composite have one of its best days for the year so far.

Nasdaq is near its high point after Nvidia and other tech stocks soared.

The S&P 500 climbed on Monday with a gain of 0.51%, although the Dow Jones remained nearly flat. Technology stocks are taking center stage and with major gains for the day, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) which gained 2.47% so far.

Earnings reports poured in over the last two weeks, revealing strong revenue for many of the leading technology companies but poor profit margins thanks to heavy spending on AI technology. This week is another major earnings period that could help move the stock market dramatically as Coca-Cola (KO) and Ford Motor (F) both prepare to release quarterly statements.

Indices Soar as Tech Stocks Offer Mixed Results

All three major U.S. stock indices are near their record highs once more after an exceptional earnings week. However, several tech companies failed to impress in the area of capital expenditures. Those with investments in the AI niche are having difficulty making enough profit to justify their excessive spending. Shareholders showed their impatience last week with sinking stock values for some of the top tech companies.

Heavy stock value drops hit Microsoft, Apple, and Oracle after investors saw that large capex spending was outpacing profitability. Even double digit revenue growth was not enough for some of these companies to appease shareholders.

Tech stocks peaked last year in October, and that is also when Bitcoin hit its all-time high. However, since then, tech stocks have fallen anywhere from 29% to 50%, according to Reuters. That is not true across the board, as several tech companies have managed to stand out.

On Monday, both Broadcom (AVGO) and Nvidia (NVDA) surged, adding 4.3% and 3.2%, respectively. Their upward movement is mirrored by several others, and they are giving hope to tech investors that all is not doom and gloom for this niche of the stock market. Investors are obviously worried that AI spending is getting out of hand, and it does not appear that the issue will go away soon, since several key tech companies have committed to even greater capex investments for 2026. These companies will need to start to demonstrate that their investment into AI is paying off for them.

Stocks Surge as S&P 500 Closes in on Best Day in Months

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Stocks are climbing rapidly for Friday and helping push the S&P 500 to its best day since November with 1.46% in gains already thanks to many high performing stocks.

Stocks are climbing as earnings seasons reveals numerous high performers.

Super Micro Computers Inc. (SMCI) added 10% on Friday while Robinhood Markets (HOOD) gained 15.5% in a stellar showing for the stock market after a week of volatility. The bullish day of trading has helped the S&P 500 near its November highs, and other major indices are gaining as well.

The Dow increased by 990 points, or 2.03%, and the Nasdaq Composite added 1.70% thanks to a mostly positive earnings season. Several key tech companies reported excellent revenue and EPS increases for the quarter, but their stock growth was hampered by tight profits. However, the wider stock market has performed incredibly well through the last quarter, and investors are reaping the rewards of that performance this week.

Rally for Market Led by Tech and Blue Chip Stocks

Even though some tech companies suffered on the stock market side over the last two weeks, a few of them exceeded expectations for their earnings reports and saw incredible gains on the stock indices. SCMI’s strong performance this week indicates that the AI market is very healthy despite criticism for tech companies who invest much of their cash into that niche.

Super Micro Computers released their Q4 earnings this week and their stock jumped 14% on Wednesday. Their earnings per share came in at $0.69 and beat the Wall Street predictions. They also experienced a revenue increase of 123% from 2025 and reported $12.68 billion for the quarter.

While their stock is one of the top performing ones this week, it joins the ranks of many others who are nearing double digit gains in the first week of February. Robinhood Markets, Coinbase (up 10.87%), and United Airlines are all enjoying massive stock increases for Friday.

The Dow Jones tends to be more reserved when it comes to stock gains compared to its counterparts, but on Friday, Nvidia (NVDA) rose 7.33%, and Caterpillar (CAT) added 6.11%. These are just a sampling of the excellent stock performances we are seeing from numerous companies, so it is no wonder that the stock market is surging across all three leading U.S. indices. The impressive gains, though, could lead to greater AI spending. Because that market is doing so well, major tech companies are looking to stay on the cutting edge and are hurting their own profits, but that is also a niche with plenty of room for growth. We are likely to continue to see the back-and-forth movement on the stock market that has plagued tech companies since late last year over the issue of overspending for technology investments.

Natural Gas Futures Not Moving Despite Tightening Supply

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Timothy St. John

A massive withdrawal of 360 Bcf from natural gas storage has kept the price of gas futures flat as warm weather forecasts pull rates in the opposite direction.

Warm weather and large withdrawals make gas prices steady.

The EIA (Energy Information Administration) reported large withdrawals for Friday from natural gas storage, creating a deficit of 27 Bcf when compared to the 5-year average. As supply decreases, warmer weather is expected across the lower half of the United States. Gas prices moved up just 1.32% for the day so far as both factors pull at each other and stabilize the market.

The latest EIA report showed that gas reserves are dwindling after months of excessive storage reports. This may allow the market to see higher gas prices through next week, but for now, the market price is mostly flat. The Henry Hub price is slightly higher than the market average, at $3.56 to $3.54.

Gas Deficit Shifts the Market Narrative

For much of 2025, the gas market wrung its hands over high storage levels that were well above the 5-year average. As large injections continued to pour in and demand remained low through an unusually warm year, it did not look like the reserves would be cut enough during the winter months to make much of an impact.

However, last week’s ice storms caused demand to shoot up and also slowed down production. It is only since late this week that production is back to normal and gas transportation is resuming as scheduled. During the entire cold front, LNG exports remained high for the United States, and even though warmer temperatures are setting in across much of the United States, foreign trade partners are still seeing very cold weather.

The combined weight of a diminishing reserve supply and large export numbers should shift the market price higher very soon, even with warm weather forecasts keeping prices down. The market seems little affected by the report of a supply deficit, but the impact of that should start to show by early next week.

The withdrawal numbers reported were less than expected but still very high compared to recent weeks. That lower than anticipated withdrawal may have hampered price movement slightly, but as the numbers are processed by the market, we predict the price of LNG will climb in the coming days. That is particularly likely as the price of gas has already corrected after a swift decline following the last warm weather forecasts. A slight bull market is therefore possible under these conditions.

New BTC Price Prediction after Bitcoin Loses 20%

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Timothy St. John

Bitcoin (BTC) fell 20% from the previous week and nearly 50% from its October high as it hit $66,309 (BTC/USD) on Friday in a further bearish move prompted by intense selling pressure.

The BTC rate fell further on Friday as the stock market climbed.

Investors have lost billions of dollars in Bitcoin value over the last two weeks as the coin slid further from its January high of $96.9K and fell below $67K in a dramatic bear trend that shows no signs of stopping.

[[BTC/USD]]

Bitcoin rebounded in January but then fell again in recent weeks as investor confidence in the crypto market diminished. Now, Bitcoin is struggling to find any support, and price predictions are calling for a bottom near $60K and lower. This is an unprecedented bear market for not just Bitcoin but for the wider cryptocurrency space.

Market Volatility Grows, Kills Hopes for Rebound

There are few short-term positive price predictions for Bitcoin or the larger crypto market right now. Market sentiment is incredibly low, and volatility is high. We expect that if Bitcoin were to make some upward progress, it would be quickly lost by intense selling pressure.

Bitcoin dropped to a low of $60,074 on Thursday evening, which is the lowest that the coin has fallen since September of 2024. The quick rebound to $66K is promising, but that does not necessarily mean that $60K is the support level. The coin has been trapped in too strong of a bear trend for too long for a solid support level to be established.

The market is in what is known as a confidence-shaking period. This started back in October and has only worsened in February. What little hope the market had for Bitcoin in January has been eradicated by strong downward movement that has failed to find support for any length of time. We will have to wait and see if next week establishes a support level around $60K or if Bitcoin continues to fall.

Right now, the volatility is so great that any decent price predictions will have to wait it out. There is simply no strong reason to think that Bitcoin is done spiraling downward yet, but investors who can risk it may want to jump in as the coin made a small rebound late Thursday. However, the coin has not returned to its 24-hour high of $70,626, so there is little expectation that it will pick up bull support already.

Nasdaq up 0.58% as Stock Market Ends Three-Day Downtrend

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Timothy St. John

After three days of losses, the stock market indices showed signs of improvement on Friday, with the Nasdaq Composite index gaining 0.58%.

Amazon's stock fell quickly after their Q4 report worried investors about overspending. — Amazon’s stock fell quickly after their Q4 report worried investors about overspending.

The Dow rose 0.25% and the S&P 500 added 0.41%, with tech stocks performing better on the Nasdaq for Friday morning after a tough earnings season. Alphabet (GOOG) stock fell in premarket trading by 0.68% despite strong cloud storage growth. Amazon (AMZN) was down 4.4% on Friday after releasing earnings for the previous quarter and worrying investors with steep capital expenditures.

Amazon reported revenue of $35.6 billion on their Amazon Web Services, which converts to growth of 24% year over year. That was not enough to calm the fears of investors who noticed that the company was increasing their capex spending to $200 billion for 2026.

Market Volatility Decreases

As premarket trading began on Friday, the stock market ended a three-day losing session with its first positive start across the board. All three indices were up on Friday and may continue to climb despite a poor showing from Amazon and a few other tech giants who failed to impress their shareholders over the last two weeks.

At its lowest, Amazon stock fell 11% after their earnings report released. It is obvious that their data did not assuage market-wide fears over AI overspending by tech companies, and investors should pay careful attention to the trend of stock price decline after earnings reports for companies that invest heavily into artificial intelligence. Even with tremendous growth in the cloud and web services divisions, Amazon was not able to placate shareholders about their profit margins.

However, AI-related tech companies did not carry the market on Friday. Rather, an excellent showing from Roblox Corp (RBLX) and Envista (NVST), gaining 12% and 13% respectively, lifted the market as both companies shared Q4 earnings that exceeded expectations. Roblox managed to ease parents’ concerns over child safety, and Envista impressed with 100% free cash conversion.

Tech companies should realize that shareholders and investors are worried about more than simply revenue or earnings per share. They want to see the issues addressed that have been bothering them, particularly profits for those companies that have been spending millions or even billions on tech investments. While the stock market may continue to climb for Friday, profitability concerns from Magnificent Seven stocks like Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet are holding back the Nasdaq and S&P from all-time highs.

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.