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.

Chinese Bitcoin Miners Still Make up 65% of Global Operations Despite Ban

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Timothy St. John

The Chinese government recently updated and strengthened their cryptocurrency ban, but that has not stopped Bitcoin (BTC) miners from mining coins in the country.

Bitcoin mining is still strong in China.

About 65% of all Bitcoin mining takes place in China, and that is in spite of the strict ban the government has placed on cryptocurrency holdings and trades of all kinds. Much of this mining takes place in the rural regions, however, where there is far less enforcement of cryptocurrency laws.

[[BTC/USD]]

In these parts of China, the law enforcement agencies are more concerned about traditional crimes than white collar or internet crimes. So, mining operations in China continue to account for a large portion of the global crypto mining efforts.

When news of the strengthened ban broke, the price of Bitcoin fell sharply, but that did not last long. Such price drops tend to be temporary as investors realize that government regulations do very little to curb the supply of new bitcoins. Most Chinese crypto miners work under the radar, staying out of sight of government workers so that they can continue to add to the total Bitcoin supply.

Bitcoin Supply Continues to Grow

Currently valued at $109,434 (BTC/USD) per bitcoin, BTC has a circulating supply of 19.88 million BTC. Its max supply is 21 million, though, so the coin is nearing its natura potential. As the number of bitcoins grows, the time and effort it takes to create new bitcoins increases. This is part of the halving measure that doubles the workload required for new bitcoins to be formed at various intervals in Bitcoin’s supply history.

Bitcoin mining has not abated because of strict regulations in China and Russia, but instead it has only grown. Many of those miners who were making their money by producing Bitcoin in China have fled to other countries, but most stayed and then many more have taken the place of those who have left the country.

This is a lucrative market with the potential for incredible profits even on the individual scale. With more than $52 billion in Bitcoin traded every 24 hours the need for bitcoin is very high, and these miners are meeting a pressing demand. When bans first went into effect in Russia and China back in 2021, many mining operations slowed down, but they have since ramped up. Now, more bitcoin production is taking place than ever before, with a large printing of that originating in China.

The Threat to End EV Tax Credits Causes Tesla Stock to Drop

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Timothy St. John

Elon Musk and President Donald Trump continued their feud as Trump threatened to take away tax credits on electric vehicles (EVs), and Tesla (TSLA) stock fell more than 5% Tuesday as a result.

No tax breaks for electric vehicles could eb Tesla's future. — No tax breaks for electric vehicles could eb Tesla’s future.

Tesla may have lost plenty of stock value on Tuesday as its CEO Musk battled in a war of words with Trump, but the company made a comeback as trading opened on Wednesday. At the time of writing, Tesla stock had jumped 4.73% and had regained most of its recently lost value.

What helped Tesla stock recover so quickly? It looks like this week’s reports of EV sales shifted the investor sentiment. As sales numbers came in for China and Europe, they showed that EV sales were better than anticipated. In some markets, Tesla sales are still dropping compared to earlier in the year, but there are a number of areas where Tesla sales are up significantly.

Tesla Sales Reports Promises Rosy Future

The figures are in for Tesla’s second quarter, and it appears that the company has beaten the naysayers who doubted that Tesla could overcome shifting public opinion. Sales are still down compared to last year and the year before, but they are higher than anticipated.

In the second quarter of the year, Tesla managed to deliver just over 384,000 vehicles. The expectation for sales numbers was closer to 340,000 or 360,000 on the optimistic end. Since Tesla has dashed sales expectations in a good way, their stock has shot up and their outlook for the future is much better than it was last month.

Tesla is developing a new vehicle platform, and it is for that reason ah the company says its sales are lower than they were in previous years. But thanks to these recent figures, Tesla might actually be able to match its total sales for 2025 to those of the last two years. That would be around 1.8 million, where the company has stayed for several years now.

If Tesla can pull a similar number off this year and still make progress on its new vehicle platform, they should be well positioned to grow their stock. Even though Musk and Trump are still fighting and EV tax breaks might disappear, the company could still continue to please its stockholders.

Alphabet May Be the One Undervalued Magnificent Seven Stock

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Timothy St. John

As Google’s parent company, Alphabet (GOOG) is one of the big movers on the stock market, but this stock could still be priced below its value.

Alphabet stock may be lower than it should be right now.

The Magnificent Seven stocks all took a hit this year as a result of President Donald Trump’s tariff actions. GOOG fell from $196 at the beginning of 2025 to $146 in early April when the tariff fears were at their worst. Now, Alphabet’s stock is back up to $176.59, and some analysts think it is currently undervalued.

This stock did not take the kind of hit that some of its tech rivals did, and that is partly due to how much less tariffs on technology would have affected the company compared to a company like Microsoft which deals more in physical goods.

Alphabet Q1 Performance and Competition

Alphabet has also managed to beat estimates for its revenue performance. For its first fiscal quarter of 2025, the company brought in $50.7 billion in revenue, which was above the predicted $50.4 billion. This revenue is primarily from search-advertising on the internet where Google dominates. How much longer the company will corner this market is debatable, since they have some strong competition coming from ChatGPT.

In May, ChatGPT boasted 800 million users, which was double the numbers from just two months prior. With more people using ChatGPT for searches online, Google may lose some of its market share and struggle to adapt. Google has integrated AI into its searches, providing its users with an AI summary of their search results at the top of the page and creating a direct competitor to ChatGPT.

How Might Alphabet Stock Be Undervalued?

Why do some experts think that Alphabet is undervalued for now? The stock price is currently 10% below its 2025 high, and with the current state of the economy, Alphabet may be able to regain that lost ground. Trump has placed a pause on many of his tariffs that would have affected Alphabet, and the stock market is at one of its strongest points in years. The stage is set for Alphabet stock to do very well over the coming weeks and months.

Even though this stock has been on the rise for the last week and has an overall bullish trend for the past few months, it could still climb higher. Investors looking for a steady, strong stock with a good track record could do much worse than GOOG.

Because this is one of the Magnificent Seven stocks that typically have a big impact on the course of the entire stock market, it is worth noting that the stock may be undervalued now. That leaves lots of room for growth and significant profits for traders that invest at this relative low point.

Why Bitcoin May Reach $135K Later This Year

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Timothy St. John

Bitcoin (BTC) climbed 0.82% on Wednesday in early morning trading, and it could be on its way to $135K in this quarter of 2025, says the Standard Chartered bank.

Investors are watching closely for Bitcoin to set a new record soon.

Can Bitcoin really hit $135,000 in the next few months? That is very likely according got global banking company Standard Chartered. They predict that the digital currency token will achieve a value of $135K by the completion of the third quarter and then climb as high as $200K before the year is through.

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That is a bold set of predictions since Bitcoin is currently at $107,245 (BTC/USD) and has not exceeded $112K so far in its lifespan. For Bitcoin to hit a value of $135K, it would have to gain 26%. While Bitcoin has made major strides this year, it has had trouble moving the goalpost on its record high very much. The coin tends to retreat after setting a high, sometimes very far.

What Could Push Bitcoin So High?

There are a few factors that may be able to elevate Bitcoin to these kinds of levels. Foremost among them will be the economy. Inflation does appear to be holding steady, which is better than rising, but inflation will likely need to fall somewhat before Bitcoin can achieve these sky-high numbers.

There is also the new regulatory framework for cryptocurrency that needs to be considered. Stablecoins are benefitting from new legislation that makes them safer and gives them more freedom. Decentralized currency like Bitcoin could benefit as well since President Donald Trump has vowed to prioritize sensible regulations for cryptocurrency and to set up a Bitcoin reserve.

Bitcoin has seen some very healthy investor flows, and the coin has benefitted from whales holding onto their investments. This has allowed Bitcoin to stay above $100K for weeks and retain excellent consumer sentiment. The coin looks very stable at the moment, especially compared to other crypto coins which are nowhere near their all-time highs, like Ethereum (ETH), which is currently at about 50% of its record high.

With these factors working in its favor, Bitcoin may be able to achieve those estimated prices through the end of the third and fourth quarters, as it has already had a stellar year so far.

Why the S&P 500’s Bullish Trend May Be Finished

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Timothy St. John

For several days, the S&P 500 ended high, but as Tuesday trading closed off, the stock market index had dropped by 0.11% compared to the previous day.

Tech stocks are replaced by healthcare stocks as the leading stock niche.

The stock market had a mixed day Tuesday with the Dow Jones marking an increase of 0.91%. The Nasdaq fell 0.82%, and the S&P 500 lost 0.11%. The investor focus pulled away from tech stocks that had been leading the market for a while and transitioned over to healthcare stocks.

Microsoft (MSFT) and Nvidia (NVDA) both ended the day lower after having record high closings for several days. Microsoft lost 0.48% by the end of the day Tuesday, and Nvidia closed off at a 2.97% loss. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical and health stocks took up their gains, with UnitedHealth (UNH) adding 4.54% for the day and Merck (MRK) gaining 3.35% before trading closed off.

How Wednesday Trading May Shift

Some of the stocks that climbed very high and very fast on Tuesday are likely to pull back as Wednesday trading begins. We are already seeing that kind of behavior from some of the healthcare stocks. They are stabilizing after their surge rather than climbing much higher.

In premarket trading, we are also seeing some of those tech stocks continue to fall, coming down from their days of record highs but not losing all of their gains. This is a shift from where the market has been recently, but what is the cause for this reversal?

The payrolls report for June has confirmed that the hiring sector has contracted. This is a greater contraction than expected, and the market has responded accordingly, with investors fearing the results of slightly higher inflation and a tighter economy.

The payroll processing firm ADP released its report Wednesday, with its chief economist Nela Richardson saying that companies are reluctant to replace the workers they have let go. There appears to be some hesitancy from companies that fear dropping profits, incoming tariffs, and higher inflation.

Nonfarm payrolls are coming on Thursday, and they could show further economic contraction. That is the concern right now, which is why investors are pulling away from numerous stocks, particularly tech ones that are more likely to be hit by economic tightening.

Trump and Musk Fire Shots; Tesla Stock Plummets

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Timothy St. John

President Donald Trump and Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk are fighting once more with social media posts attacking one another, causing Tesla stock to drop more than 5% on Tuesday.

Tesla is losing support from Trump's fans, and their stock is suffering. — Tesla is losing support from Trump’s fans, and their stock is suffering.

Trump called out Musk on the Truth Social media platform, saying that Musk is making big profits from subsidies. He accused Musk of obtaining more subsidies “than any human being in history.” Trump further stated that the country could be saving big money if DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency) looked into Tesla and SpaceX’s rocket launches and electric car manufacturing.

Musk has been posting angrily on X against Trump and his administration as well, saying that Congress members who voted for Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” should “hang their head(s) in shame!” Musk has promised that he will make them lose their primary next year.

The fight is on between the two former partners since Musk has stepped down from DOGE to go back to work as the head of Tesla. Since he returned to the company, they have launched a self-driving taxi service in Austin, Texas.

How Tesla Is Faring

Will Trump go after Tesla because of his ongoing feud with Musk? That may be what has investors worried as the company’s share price dropped dramatically on Tuesday after the two fired off angry posts at one another on their respective social media platforms.

They both have massive audiences and plenty of resources at their disposal, and it may be Musk who has the most to lose by their fighting. Public opinion has already swayed against Tesla in a big way over the last few months, and if the company loses support from Trump’s fans, then it may be in dire trouble.

Tesla sales have been dropping around the world in 2025, causing their stock to fall to $301 per share. At the start of 2025, Tesla stock was valued at $379 per share, so there is a lot of lost ground to make up.

That major stock decline is partly due to falling sales and partly due to the company’s poor public image created by the political divisiveness of its CEO. Tesla sales fell 10% in June of this year and have declined from six consecutive months in Denmark and Sweden. It is not all bad news for the electric car manufacturer, though, as their car sales have risen in Norway by 54% in the last six months. Tesla sales are also up in Portugal 7.3% for the month of June.

Natural Gas Falls from Peak as Demand Weakens

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Timothy St. John

After hitting $4.11 last week, natural gas futures are down 19%, losing nearly 3.5% on Tuesday alone as the demand for natural gas lessens amid summer heat.

The price of natural gas has fallen from its recent high as supplies remain very high.

Supplies of natural gas are high at the moment, with weeks of impressive injections into gas reservoirs, and at the same time, there is a decreased demand for gas, leading to a falling market price. Down to $3.30 from its recent high of $4.11, Natural Gas (NGQ5) are at a one-week low.

The price is about on par with where it has been for the last three months, however, and it is slightly below the average for the entirety of 2025. The price shot up recently as a peace agreement was reached in the Middle East between Israel and Iran, but the combined problems of oversupply and limited demand are making it hard for investors to see profits right now.

Heat Wave Only Necessitates Limited Reserves

While a heat wave is hitting some areas of the United States and India, this is a fairly localized phenomenon, and it may not warrant pulling much of the gas reserves to provide air conditioning for these affected areas. Parts of the United States reported some of their hottest summer temperatures ever, but others have reported colder than usual temperatures.

The localized heat wave is not enough to dip deeply into the massive supplies of natural gas, leaving the price relatively low for now. We may not see an extended price increase until winter sets in.

The seasonal trends indicate a bearish movement for natural gas, limiting its demand for the coming months. Air conditioning usage is still low and will not reach its peak until further in July, meaning that the demand for gas could increase in the next few weeks.

Gas prices in Europe are retreating as well, in line with U.S. prices. The numbers indicate the supply is plentiful, even with the weeks of fighting in the Middle East now coming to an end. Strategic military strikes in that region targeted nuclear missile bases and energy stations rather than oil reserves, keeping global oil and gas supplies high.

Bitcoin Grabs 64% Market Share in 2025

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Timothy St. John

As Bitcoin (BTC) hovers between $106K and $107K, near its record high, the token continues to take the market share away from other altcoins.

More market share for Bitcoin means many other coins are left to collect dust.

2025 has marked the year Bitcoin set a new high at $111,970 (BTC/USD), but the coin has done more than that. It has also increased its total market share of the decentralized finance market, increasing to 64%, which is a nine-point increase in this year alone.

[[BTC/USD]]

Bitcoin’s Market Domination

Looking back at Bitcoin’s market share over the years, the last time its share was this high was back in 2021, when there were hundreds fewer coins to compete with. Even though the market is now saturated with competitors, the majority of them are doing poorly, experiencing steep losses in 2025 despite having a pro-crypto President in the White House.

In 2025 alone, the overall cryptocurrency market has lost $300 billion in value. That means that a lot of coins that have only been around for a couple years or even a few months have been left floundering at the bottom of the pile. Investors may know about the high profile coins that crash and burn, like the Hawk Tuah (HAWK) coin that was at the center of a pump and dump controversy. For every coin of that magnitude, there are dozens more that come and go with hardly a whimper or a news article written about them.

The co-founder of the Zodia Market trading platform, Nick Philpott, says that these coins are “Just going to die.” He says that many coins will gather dust and make no impact on the market.

Disturbing Market Trends

What we used to see with the cryptocurrency market is that Bitcoin would rise and pull up the rest of the market with it. As Bitcoin climbed in November after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency, much of the crypto market surged as well. That has not been the case recently.

As 2025 has progressed, Bitcoin has managed to set new record highs and retain much of its gains, but the remainder of the market has not done so well. Ethereum, which is the second-highest ranking crypto coin, is about 50% below its all-time high. That coin surged recently as an update was made to the token’s ecosystem, but it was not enough to propel ETH back up to its record highs.

Thousands of crypto coins are gathering dust right now, left to do nothing on what are known as “ghost chains.” Before 2025 is up, we may see thousands more in the same state as Bitcoin continues its domination of the market.

Strong Stock Market Finish for Second Quarter

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Timothy St. John

The stock market indices started their second quarter off in steep decline caused by Donald Trump’s severe tariffs, but they have all finished the quarter with significant improvements.

Stocks keep climbing thanks to Middle East peace.

Both the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 recorded all-time highs over the last few days. The S&P 500 continues to climb as trading begins on Tuesday morning. This index is up 0.52% for the day, having just passed $6,200 at the time of writing. The Nasdaq Composite remains above $20,000, continuing a bullish week that saw the index hit a new record, buoyed by pharmaceutical stocks.

The Dow Jones, on the other hand, is not as high as it was back in February but is still relatively high, with a value of $44,094 and an increase of 0.63% for the last 24 hours. All three indices closed off the second quarter much higher than when they started it. Trump’s tariffs caused a steep drop in market values for much of April, but as those tariffs went on pause, the market started to recover.

What Investors Should Expect This Week

Recent highs among the market indices could be sustained throughout the week. As there is talk of further pauses on Trump’s newest and steepest tariffs, the market could have more room to breathe. The Federal reserve is looking to issue an interest rate cut in the near future- one of two scheduled for this year. In addition, a kind of peace has settled over the Middle East with Iran and Israel agreeing to stop hostilities.

All of these positive market factors create a superb environment for solid stocks to perform well and underperforming stocks to get back on their feet. Both Microsoft (MSFT) and Nvidia (NVDA) continue to set new records, finishing high on Monday after setting recent all-time highs. This is the environment the stock market is in where strongly performing stocks can achieve record-breaking numbers.

Investors should expect further bullish trends this week, especially as news has just broken that China and the United States are negotiating a deal that would allow fewer restrictions on electronics coming into China. That opens up more of the market for businesses and reduces the burden of fines and tariffs on them that would limit their profits for sales in that region.

GameStop Stock Slides after Bull Trend

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Timothy St. John

GameStop (GME) stock rose 3.39% through Monday as favorable market conditions helped this unpredictable asset to grow. As premarket trading opens for Tuesday, the stock is falling.

GameStop stock could keep up its bullish trend thanks to some positive market factors.

GME stock is down 0.70% for the day so far as early morning trading commences, but it has still retained much of its recent gains. It was not just on Monday that this stock climbed, gaining more than 3%. It has been climbing for days thanks to several factors that have helped much of the stock market to regain recent highs.

Both Microsoft and Nvidia have posted record highs over the last few days, and the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 are both at their peaks as well. This has created a positive environment for GameStop stock to do well.

Over the last five trading sessions, GameStop’s value has risen by 5.30%. That is markedly better than the market average, as the Nasdaq index has only risen by 2.79% in that same period. Is GameStop worth investing in right now or is it a novelty stock that will soon depreciate?

GameStop- Invest, Hold, or Sell?

This is a stock that has fluctuated wildly between extreme highs and lows over the past few years, becoming one of the most unreliable stocks, particularly because many of its high points have been the result of social media and message board pumping rather than the result of a real value increase. This makes it a risky stock to invest in, despite the company being the largest retailer of video games in the world.

In recent years, GameStop has improved their public image and improved their financial situation, moving from being on the verge of bankruptcy to become relatively profitable.

However, over the last month, this stock has dropped significantly, falling from $30.34 per share to $22.14. The stock price has been on a steady increase since then, but it is far from making back its June losses. For those investors who bought the stock when it was valued higher, it would not make much sense to sell at this point. The stock has proven it can surge unexpectedly periodically. It could be weeks or months before it does so again, though.

GameStop is not a solid long-term stock, but it can prove very profitable over the short term because of its quick bullish trends. It is once again bullish, but is coming out of a significant drop, so investors need to treat it with extreme caution. Since we are seeing it already start to retreat in early morning trading, GME may be done with its short bull run already.