Market Signal Briefing

NEW YORK, March 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Picard Medical, Inc. (NYSE American: PMI) between September 2, 2025 and October 31, 2025, inclusive (the “Class Period”), of the important April 13, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Picard Medical securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Picard Medical class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=52263 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than April 13, 2026. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved, at that time, the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and failed to disclose material adverse facts about Picard’s business, operations, and the true nature of its securities trading throughout the Class Period. Specifically, defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) Picard was the subject of a fraudulent stock promotion scheme involving social media-based misinformation and impersonated financial professionals; (2) insiders and/or affiliates used offshore or nominee accounts to facilitate the coordinated dumping of shares during a price inflation campaign; (3) Picard’s public statements and risk disclosures omitted any mention of the false rumors and artificial trading activity driving the stock price; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants’ positive statements about Picard’s business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

To join the Picard Medical class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=52263 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor’s ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.
Phillip Kim, Esq.
The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-1060
Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
Fax: (212) 202-3827
[email protected]
www.rosenlegal.com

, /PRNewswire/ --

Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of common stock of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) between February 25, 2025 and February 2, 2026, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important April 20, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline.

So what: If you purchased PayPal common stock during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

What to do next: To join the PayPal class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=53653 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than April 20, 2026. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

Why Rosen Law: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved, at that time, the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

Details of the case: According to the lawsuit, defendants provided investors with material information concerning PayPal's expected financial targets for 2027 alongside the growth trajectory for its core branded checkout segment ("Branded Checkout"). Defendants' statements included, among other things, confidence in PayPal's ability to capitalize on its growth potential through new initiatives to facilitate Branded Checkout growth both in the U.S. and internationally. According to the lawsuit, defendants provided these overwhelmingly positive statements to investors while, at the same time, disseminating materially false and misleading statements and/or concealing material adverse facts concerning the true state of PayPal's salesforce; notably, that it was not truly equipped to execute on PayPal's perceived growth potential and were "too optimistic" as to how easily and expeditiously its staff could change customer adoption. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the PayPal class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=53653  or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

     Laurence Rosen, Esq.
     Phillip Kim, Esq.
     The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
     275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
     New York, NY 10016
     Tel: (212) 686-1060
     Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
     Fax: (212) 202-3827
     [email protected]
     www.rosenlegal.com

SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A.

Key Takeaways MTZ Pipeline segment revenue jumped 50% YoY in Q4 2025 to $644M, the highest level in two years.MasTec said delayed projects advanced and execution gains lifted EBITDA margin to 18.5% in Q4.MTZ expects segment revenue to rise 17% in 2026 and sees potential to reach or exceed $3.5B around 2027. MasTec, Inc.’s (MTZ - Free Report) Pipeline Infrastructure segment has entered a significant rebound phase, characterized by a 50% year-over-year revenue increase in the fourth quarter of 2025. After ramping up sequentially throughout the year, the segment achieved $644 million in quarterly revenue—its highest level in two years—and finished 2025 with $2.1 billion in total revenues, comfortably beating the initial guidance of $1.8 billion. Management indicated that project flow has stabilized as the business improved positively earlier in the year.

This segment revenue surge was supported by stronger project activity and improved operational execution. Performance strengthened as previously delayed projects advanced and visibility improved. The company noted that current projects benefit from a positive business mix and solid operational execution, allowing MasTec to maintain margin stability. This recovery in volumes was evidenced by fourth-quarter EBITDA margins reaching 18.5%, representing a 310-basis-point improvement from the third quarter. Management highlighted this as a "steady-state" margin level for the segment during an expansion cycle.

Looking ahead, leadership confirmed that the industry cycle is turning upward, providing visibility that is "as good as it's ever been". While MasTec forecasts a 17% revenue increase for the segment in 2026, the company is even more optimistic about 2027, where it anticipates reaching or surpassing historical revenue highs of approximately $3.5 billion.

The key question is whether this rebound represents the early stage of a sustained upcycle. Growing demand for infrastructure and increased customer capacity planning discussions support a renewed investment cycle. If project approvals continue to advance and verbal awards transition to backlog, MasTec’s Pipeline segment appears well-positioned for a multi-year growth trajectory after several years of subdued activity.

MasTec’s Competitive PositionWithin energy and infrastructure construction markets, MasTec competes with several well-established engineering and construction providers, including Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. (STRL - Free Report) and Quanta Services, Inc. (PWR - Free Report) .

Sterling’s recent performance has been driven by the exceptional results of its E-Infrastructure and Transportation segments, both of which delivered substantial growth in revenues and adjusted operating income. This success was fueled by robust organic progress, the successful integration of strategic acquisitions and disciplined project execution. Sterling's adjusted EBITDA surged 70% year over year to $142.1 million, while its gross margin reached a record 21.7% in the fourth quarter, reflecting an improved project mix and heightened operational efficiency.

Quanta Services, by contrast, maintains its strongest competitive position in electric power infrastructure, supported by unmatched transmission and distribution capabilities and long-standing relationships with major North American utilities. Quanta Services gross profit increased to $1.22 billion in the fourth quarter from $1.06 billion in the prior-year period, a trajectory supported by higher revenue volume and consistent project execution.

MTZ Stock’s Price Performance & Valuation TrendShares of this Florida-based infrastructure construction company have surged 57.4% in the past six months, outperforming the Zacks Building Products - Heavy Construction industry, the broader Zacks Construction sector and the S&P 500 Index.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

MTZ stock is currently trading at a premium compared with its industry peers, with a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 33.02, as shown in the chart below.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

EPS Trend Favors MTZFor 2026 and 2027, MTZ’s earnings estimates have trended upward in the past seven days. The revised estimated figures for 2026 and 2027 imply 31% and 26.9% year-over-year growth, respectively.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

MasTec stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Key Takeaways GE HealthCare received FDA 510(k) clearance for View within Genesis Radiology Workspace.GEHC's cloud-native viewer enables browser-based diagnostic image access.AI tools and visualization features aim to streamline radiology workflows. GE HealthCare Technologies Inc. (GEHC - Free Report) recently announced that the FDA has granted 510(k) clearance for View, a next-generation diagnostic imaging viewer within its Genesis Radiology Workspace.

For investors, the clearance strengthens GE HealthCare’s enterprise imaging portfolio and reinforces its push into cloud-based healthcare IT solutions. The development could support broader adoption of the Genesis Radiology Workspace across healthcare systems, potentially driving recurring software and services revenue.

As hospitals increasingly prioritize workflow efficiency and digital imaging platforms, this regulatory milestone may also enhance GEHC’s competitive positioning in the medical imaging software market.

Likely Trend of GEHC Stock Following the NewsFollowing the announcement, shares of GEHC gained 1.8% at yesterday’s closing. Over the past six months, shares of the company have lost 0.5% compared with the industry’s 17.5% decline. However, the S&P 500 has risen 4.1% during the same time frame.

In the long term, the FDA clearance for View could strengthen GE HealthCare’s position in the fast-growing enterprise imaging and healthcare IT market. By enabling cloud-native, anywhere-access diagnostic imaging with integrated AI and advanced visualization, the solution can make GEHC’s Genesis Radiology Workspace more attractive to hospitals seeking to modernize radiology workflows. Greater adoption of this platform could expand GEHC’s installed base and drive higher-margin recurring revenue from software, upgrades, and related digital services, supporting more stable and scalable growth over time.

GEHC currently has a market capitalization of $33.85 billion.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

More on the NewsView is a next-generation diagnostic imaging viewer developed as a core component of GE HealthCare’s Genesis Radiology Workspace. Designed as a zero-footprint, cloud-native solution, the platform allows radiologists to access diagnostic images directly through a web browser without the need for specialized on-site hardware or software installations. This architecture enables clinicians to securely review imaging data from virtually any location, supporting remote collaboration and faster clinical decision-making. The system is built to handle high-performance 2D and 3D image visualization, enabling radiologists to analyse complex scans efficiently while maintaining diagnostic accuracy.

Technologically, View integrates AI-enabled tools and advanced visualization applications within a unified workflow, allowing radiologists to move seamlessly between image viewing, analysis and reporting. The platform is also designed to reduce time spent on non-interpretive tasks, such as loading images or navigating multiple interfaces, which can significantly improve radiology productivity.

The FDA clearance is expected to strengthen GE HealthCare’s Enterprise Imaging and digital healthcare solutions portfolio, an increasingly strategic area as healthcare providers shift toward cloud-based imaging infrastructure. By enhancing the capabilities of the Genesis Radiology Workspace, the company can deepen its footprint in hospital IT ecosystems and expand opportunities for software-driven, recurring revenue streams.

Industry Prospects Favoring the MarketGoing by the data provided by Mordor Intelligence, the global enterprise imaging market is valued at $2.02 billion in 2026 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 11.5% through 2031.

Factors like the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, advancements in imaging quality and high-strength applications, the growing adoption by medical professionals, the rising R&D investments and the new product launches are boosting the market’s growth.

Other NewsGE HealthCare recently introduced the latest generation of its LOGIQ general imaging ultrasound portfolio, including the LOGIQ E10 Series, LOGIQ Fortis and LOGIQ Totus. The systems feature the company’s Verisound Digital architecture and AI-enabled capabilities designed to enhance image clarity, streamline workflows and strengthen diagnostic confidence across a wide range of clinical applications.

Additionally, GE HealthCare secured FDA 510(k) clearance for three MRI innovations: SIGNA Sprint with Freelium, a sealed 1.5T magnet system; SIGNA Bolt, a high-performance 3T scanner; and SIGNA One, an AI-powered workflow platform that optimizes MRI processes. The company also expanded its partnership with BARDA through a $35 million contract focused on advancing AI-enabled ultrasound and next-generation imaging solutions for trauma care and mass-casualty preparedness.

GEHC’s Zacks Rank & Other Key PicksCurrently, GEHC has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Some other top-ranked stocks from the broader medical space are Intuitive Surgical (ISRG - Free Report) , Phibro Animal Health (PAHC - Free Report) and Cardinal Health (CAH - Free Report) .

Intuitive Surgical, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present, reported fourth-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.53, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 12.4%. Revenues of $2.87 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.7%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

ISRG has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 15.7% compared with the industry’s 14% rise. The company beat earnings estimates in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 13.2%.

Phibro Animal Health, currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1, reported fiscal second-quarter 2025 adjusted EPS of 87 cents, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 26.1%. Revenues of $373.9 million beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.7%.

PAHC has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 21.5% compared with the industry’s 12.6% rise. The company beat earnings estimates in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 20.1%.

Cardinal Health, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2, reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS of $2.63, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 10%. Revenues of $65.6 billion beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.9%.

CAH has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 15% compared with the industry’s 9.1% rise. The company beat earnings estimates in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 9.3%.

SAN DIEGO, March 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that purchasers or acquirers of Driven Brands Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: DRVN) common stock between May 9, 2023 and February 24, 2026, inclusive (the “Class Period”), have until May 8, 2026 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff of the Driven Brands class action lawsuit. Captioned Clark v. Driven Brands Holdings Inc., No. 26-cv-01902 (S.D.N.Y.), the Driven Brands class action lawsuit charges Driven Brands and certain of Driven Brands’ top current and former executives with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

If you suffered substantial losses and wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the Driven Brands class action lawsuit, please provide your information here:

https://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases-driven-brands-holdings-class-action-lawsuit-drvn.html

You can also contact attorney J.C. Sanchez of Robbins Geller by calling 800/449-4900 or via e-mail at [email protected].

CASE ALLEGATIONS: Driven Brands is an automotive services company.

The Driven Brands class action lawsuit alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) there were errors relating to the recording of leases which primarily impacted the right of use assets and right of use liabilities recorded in the consolidated balance sheet as of December 28, 2024, and September 27, 2025; (ii) there were errors in reporting opening and ending cash balances and operating cash flows, which resulted in overstatements of cash and revenue and understatement of selling, general and administrative expense in consolidated statement of operations for fiscal years 2023 and 2024; and (iii) supply and other expenses were improperly presented as company-operated store expenses in fiscal years 2023 and 2024; (iv) other errors were identified relating to income tax provision, supply and other revenue, fixed assets, cloud computing, lease cash applications, balance sheet and income statement misclassifications, improperly recognized revenue in Driven Brands’ ATI business primarily related to fiscal year 2025.

The Driven Brands class action lawsuit further alleges that on February 25, 2026, Driven Brands disclosed that its Audit Committee of the Board of Directors “concluded there were material errors in our previously issued consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2024 (‘fiscal year 2024’) and the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023 (‘fiscal year 2023’) contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 2024, and in our previously issued unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for each of the quarterly and year-to-date periods within fiscal year 2024 as well as the quarterly and year-to-date periods for the periods ended September 27, 2025, June 28, 2025 and March 29, 2025, and concluded that such financial statements should not be relied upon and required restatement.” On this news, the price of Driven Brands common stock fell nearly 40%, according to the complaint.

THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased or acquired Driven Brands common stock during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the Driven Brands class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the Driven Brands class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the Driven Brands class action lawsuit. An investor’s ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff of the Driven Brands class action lawsuit.

ABOUT ROBBINS GELLER: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP is one of the world’s leading law firms representing investors in securities fraud and shareholder rights litigation. Our Firm ranked #1 on the most recent ISS Securities Class Action Services Top 50 Report, recovering more than $916 million for investors in 2025. This marks our fourth #1 ranking in the past five years. And in those five years alone, Robbins Geller recovered $8.4 billion for investors – $3.4 billion more than any other law firm. With 200 lawyers in 10 offices, Robbins Geller is one of the largest plaintiffs’ firms in the world, and the Firm’s attorneys have obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history, including the largest ever – $7.2 billion – in In re Enron Corp. Sec. Litig. Please visit the following page for more information:

https://www.rgrdlaw.com/services-litigation-securities-fraud.html

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. 
Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices. 

Contact:
        Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP
        J.C. Sanchez
        655 W. Broadway, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA 92101
        800-449-4900
        [email protected]

Q4: 2026-03-09 Earnings SummaryEPS of $0.16 misses by $0.03

 |

Revenue of

$125.57M

(-8.81% Y/Y)

misses by $19.39M

FreightCar America, Inc. (RAIL) Q4 2025 Earnings Call March 10, 2026 11:00 AM EDT

Company Participants

Nicholas Randall - President, CEO & Director
Matthew Tonn - Chief Commercial Officer
Michael Riordan - VP of Finance, CFO & Treasurer

Conference Call Participants

Chris O'Dea
Mark La Reichman - NOBLE Capital Markets, Inc., Research Division
Iva Prcela
Brendan Michael McCarthy - Sidoti & Company, LLC

Presentation

Operator

Welcome to FreightCar America's Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Please note, this conference is being recorded. An audio replay of the conference call will be available on the company's website within a few hours after the call.

I would now like to turn the call over to Chris O'Dea with Riveron Investor Relations.

Chris O'Dea

Thank you, and welcome. Joining me today are Nick Randall, President and Chief Executive Officer; Mike Riordan, Chief Financial Officer; and Matt Tonn, Chief Commercial Officer.

I'd like to remind everyone that statements made during this conference call relating to the company's expected future performance, future business prospects or future events or plans may include forward-looking statements as defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Participants are directed to FreightCar America's Form 10-K for a description of certain business risks, some of which may be outside of the control of the company that may cause actual results to materially differ from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any duty to provide updates to our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

During today's call, there will also be a discussion of some items that do not conform to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or GAAP. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to their most commonly -- directly comparable GAAP measures are included in the earnings release issued yesterday afternoon. Our earnings

Shares of Omega Flex, Inc. (OFLX - Free Report) have declined 20.4% since the company reported its earnings for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025. This compares to the S&P 500 index’s 1.2% decline over the same time frame. Over the past month, the stock has declined 21.2% compared with the S&P 500’s 3% decrease.

Omega Flex reported fourth-quarter 2025 earnings per share of 34 cents, which dropped from 46 cents in the prior-year period.

Net sales totaled $25.2 million, down from $27 million in the same quarter of 2024, representing a decline of roughly 6.5%. Net income attributable to Omega Flex fell to $3.4 million from $4.7 million a year earlier, marking a 27.1% decrease.

2025 UpdateFor the full year, the company generated net sales of $98.3 million compared with $101.7 million in 2024, a decrease of about 3.3%. Net income for 2025 was $14.8 million versus $18 million in the previous year, a decline of 17.7%, while earnings per share declined to $1.47 from $1.78.

Sales Performance and Volume TrendsOmega Flex’s revenue decline during the quarter and the full year was primarily attributed to lower sales unit volumes. According to management, the company’s overall market environment remained under pressure, which weighed on demand for its flexible metal hose and gas piping products.

The company noted that a significant contributing factor to the reduced sales levels was a decline in housing starts. Since Omega Flex products are widely used in construction-related applications — particularly in residential and commercial gas piping systems — changes in construction activity can materially influence demand.

The 6.5% drop in fourth-quarter net sales reflects these market conditions. While the decrease was modest on a full-year basis, the contraction in volume underscores a continued slowdown in end markets that rely heavily on construction activity.

Profitability and Expense PressuresThe decline in profitability during the quarter and the full year was more pronounced than the drop in revenues. 

Management indicated that the reduction in net income was driven not only by lower sales but also by higher operating expenses related to product development, certification and consulting activities. These costs contributed to the sharper decline in earnings relative to revenue.

For the fourth quarter, the impact was particularly evident. Net income decreased year over year, suggesting that both lower volumes and elevated expenses weighed on operating performance during the period.

Management CommentaryChief executive officer Dean W. Rivest stated that the company’s net sales decline was largely the result of lower sales unit volumes in a market environment that remained subdued. The company cited broader market weakness — especially tied to declining housing starts — as a key factor suppressing demand.

Rivest also pointed to increased expenditures related to product development and certification efforts. These initiatives, along with consulting-related expenses, contributed to the overall decline in profitability during the year.

While such spending can be associated with product innovation and compliance requirements, it added to cost pressures during a period when revenue growth slowed.

Factors Influencing ResultsSeveral factors influenced Omega Flex’s financial performance in the quarter and the full year. The most prominent driver was weakening demand tied to the housing market. As construction activity softened, demand for gas piping and related products declined.

At the same time, the company increased investment in product development and certification-related activities. These initiatives raised operating expenses and contributed to the larger percentage drop in net income compared with the relatively smaller decline in sales.

The combination of lower sales volumes and higher development-related costs created margin pressure across the reporting periods.

Key Takeaways UHS agreed to acquire Talkspace for $5.25 per share in a deal valued at $835M, expected to close in Q3 2026.Talkspace runs a virtual behavioral health platform with 6,000 clinicians and access to about 200M people.Talkspace generated $229M revenues in 2025 and delivered more than 1.6M therapy and psychiatry sessions. Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS - Free Report) recently agreed to acquire Talkspace, Inc. (TALK - Free Report) , a provider of virtual behavioral health services, for $5.25 per share. The transaction carries an enterprise value of around $835 million and will be financed through borrowings under UHS’ existing credit revolver.

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026. A limited supply of therapists and mental health professionals has been constraining UHS’ ability to achieve its targeted growth in adjusted patient days. Through this acquisition, the company aims to overcome these staffing limitations, reinforce its behavioral health platform, a significant contributor to the company’s revenues, and broaden its footprint in the expanding digital mental health services market.

Talkspace operates a nationwide virtual behavioral health platform, providing therapy and psychiatry services through a network of more than 6,000 licensed clinicians. Its services are accessible to more than 200 million people through health plans, employers and government programs. Talkspace generated $229 million in revenues in 2025 and delivered more than 1.6 million therapy and psychiatry sessions during the year.

By integrating Talkspace’s digital capabilities with its behavioral health facilities, UHS aims to create a hybrid care model combining virtual, outpatient and inpatient services. Universal Health has a return on invested capital (ROIC) of 11.75%, which is higher than the industry average of 9.33%, reflecting stronger capital utilization. This initiative could improve patient access and care continuity.

At the end of 2025, the company’s long-term debt stood at $4 billion, down from $4.46 billion at the end of 2024. Cash and cash equivalents totaled $137.8 million, increasing from $126 million a year earlier, indicating an improved liquidity position. Under its $1.3 billion revolving credit facility, UHS had available borrowing capacity of $889 million at the end of the fourth quarter. Investors are likely to monitor the integration progress and the impact of additional borrowings on the company’s leverage profile.

UHS’ Price PerformanceUHS shares are up about 10.5% over the past year, underperforming the overall industry, which has gained 39.3% during the same period.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Zacks Rank & Key PicksUHS stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Medical sector are Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CPRX - Free Report) and Globus Medical, Inc. (GMED - Free Report) , each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Catalyst Pharmaceuticals’ current-year earnings is pinned at $2.82 per share, which moved 35 cents up over the past seven days. CPRX beat earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 35.2%. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues is pegged at $630.3 million, suggesting 7% year-over-year growth.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Globus Medical's current-year earnings is pegged at $4.34 per share, implying a 9.1% increase from the year-ago reported figure. GMED’s bottom line moved 6 cents up over the past seven days. The consensus mark for current-year revenues is pinned at $3.2 billion, indicating 8% year-over-year growth.

PEPE price rebounds slightly as analysts watch the $0.00000323 support. A bullish move could push the token toward $0.00000346 and $0.00000379.

The Pepe price shows a modest recovery after a recent decline. The token briefly dropped near $0.0000031 before gradually rebounding. Buying momentum strengthened toward the end of the session. PEPE is trading around $0.00000347, up 4.76% in the last 24 hours. The rebound suggests short-term stabilization, although the price still remains below earlier highs.

Pepe Price Eyes $0.00000346 if Key Support HoldsAccording to analyst Pepewhale, the Pepe market is approaching a critical support zone. Price currently tests the $0.00000323 level after an extended downward trend. Buyers must defend this level to prevent additional bearish continuation. If support holds, traders should watch for a bullish engulfing candle or strong momentum confirmation. A decisive reaction here could signal a return of short-term market strength.

If bullish confirmation appears, Pepewhale expects the price to move first toward 0.00000346. Continued buying pressure could then push the token toward $0.00000379. However, failure to hold $0.00000323 would significantly weaken the bullish scenario. A drop below 0.00000312 may confirm further downside continuation. Traders should wait for a strong move above $0.00000334, followed by a clean retest before considering long positions.

Pepe Holds Near $0.00000312 as Bearish Trend PersistsThe Pepe daily chart shows a clear bearish trend after a strong rally toward $0.00000700. Price then formed consistent lower highs and lower lows, confirming sustained selling pressure. The decline gradually pushed the token toward the $0.00000330–$0.00000340 range. Recently, the price briefly bounced near $0.00000312, suggesting buyers are attempting to defend this support level.

The Bollinger Bands show price trading near the lower band around $0.00000301, indicating continued downside pressure. The middle band near $0.00000369 now acts as immediate resistance. Meanwhile, the Relative Strength Index remains near 39, below the neutral 50 level. This suggests weak momentum, although the market has not reached deeply oversold conditions.

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Solana logged another week of modest gains as markets latched onto signs of easing geopolitical tensions and as on-chain activity hit fresh milestones.

Solana (SOL) logged another week of modest gains as markets latched onto signs of easing geopolitical tensions and as on-chain activity hit fresh milestones.

New research showed Solana posted record stablecoin transfer volumes in February and overtook Ethereum in the number of wallets holding tokenized real-world assets (RWAs).

Still, traditional investors turned cautious. Solana exchange-traded funds (ETFs) posted their first net outflows since February, shrugging off the network’s healthy metrics.

Tepid RecoverySOL gained this week, but lagged other majors. Source: CoinMarketCap

Crypto markets broadly pushed higher after U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that he expects the conflict in the Middle East to end “very soon.”

The CoinMarketCap 20 Index (CMC20), which tracks a basket of major cryptocurrencies, gained about 4.5% week-over-week (WoW).

Solana, however, underperformed its peers.

According to CoinMarketCap data, SOL rose about 2% WoW, trailing Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), which gained roughly 4% and 3%, respectively.

The broader Solana ecosystem looked softer still.

Total ecosystem market cap fell about 5% WoW to roughly $128 billion, in part because World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a Trump-affiliated project closely linked to Solana, shed around 2.5% of its market capitalization over the same period, according to CoinMarketCap.

Solana also continues to trail rival smart contract platforms BNB (BNB) and XRP (XRP) in total market capitalization, the data shows.

TradFi Flees SOL ETFsSolana ETFs saw net outflows for the first time in weeks. Source: Farside Investors

Weaker confidence in SOL also showed up in fund flows.

SOL ETFs posted their first net outflows since February, shedding roughly $17 million collectively since March 5, according to Farside Investors data.

That marks a reversal from recent weeks, when Solana ETFs consistently outperformed funds tied to other cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Still, analysts said a closer look at the holder base offers reasons for optimism, with more established institutional investors continuing to crowd into SOL ETFs.

Bloomberg Intelligence analyst James Seyffart said the top holder base across SOL ETFs reads like “a who’s who of market makers and crypto investment firms” in a March 9 post on X.

On-Chain Activity StrengthensSolana stablecoin transfers hit $650M in February. Source: X/Solana

Despite cooling trader interest, Solana’s network activity continued to strengthen.

Grayscale Investments research showed Solana processed about $650 million in on-chain stablecoin transfer volume in February, the highest of any blockchain network and roughly double the previous monthly record.

RWA adoption also kept climbing this week.

In posts on X this week, Solana cited RWA.xyz data showing the network had overtaken Ethereum for the first time in the number of wallets holding RWAs, while Token Terminal said Solana’s RWA market cap had increased about tenfold over the past year.

Solana-native Kamino Finance said in a March 9 post on X that it is now the largest RWA platform in decentralized finance, citing a $570 million market size.

Tokenized equities infrastructure expanded as well.

According to a March 6 X post, Kraken’s tokenized equities unit xStocks launched xChange, an on-chain trading engine for tokenized stocks across Solana and Ethereum.

Kraken said the venue supports more than 70 tokenized equities backed 1:1 by shares held in custody, with prices designed to track the underlying public stocks.

Standard Chartered analysts reportedly said in a February research note that Solana is shifting away from meme coin trading toward an on-chain economy increasingly driven by RWAs and institutional users.

Still, retail-driven on-chain trading remained strong in February, reaching roughly $100 billion in total volume, according to Solana Foundation marketing chief Vibhu Norby.

By the NumbersTotal Solana Ecosystem Market Cap: $128.48B

Source: CoinMarketCap

Top 5 Solana Coins by Market Cap:

Solana (SOL): $48.80BChainLink (LINK): $6.3BWorld Liberty Financial (WLFI): $2.80BUniswap (UNI): $2.45BAave (AAVE): $1.70BSource: CoinMarketCap

Most Visited Solana Coins:

Solana (SOL)WAR (WAR)ChainLink (LINK)Terra Classic (LUNC)Official Trump (TRUMP)Source: CoinMarketCap

This article contains links to third-party websites or other content for information purposes only (“Third-Party Sites”). The Third-Party Sites are not under the control of CoinMarketCap, and CoinMarketCap is not responsible for the content of any Third-Party Site, including without limitation any link contained in a Third-Party Site, or any changes or updates to a Third-Party Site. CoinMarketCap is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by CoinMarketCap of the site or any association with its operators. This article is intended to be used and must be used for informational purposes only. It is important to do your own research and analysis before making any material decisions related to any of the products or services described. This article is not intended as, and shall not be construed as, financial advice. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s [company’s] own and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinMarketCap.

XRP price is rising today, March 10, after the recent 13F filings showed that some of the top Wall Street companies, including Goldman Sachs, are some of the biggest buyers of the spot exchange-traded funds (ETF). Ripple jumped by over 5% to $1.4325, and is slowly showing bottoming signs.

XRP Price Rises After Report on Top ETF Holders  Some of the biggest players in Wall Street have become the top holders of the spot XRP ETFs, which were launched last year.

Bloomberg’s James Seyffart noted that Goldman Sachs was the biggest holder of spot XRP ETFs with an exposure worth over $153 million. This is important as all these funds hold over $971 million in assets, meaning that the bank holds about 15% of all of them.

Millennium Management, a hedge fund owned by billionaire Izzy Englander, holds XRP tokens worth $25 million. As with Goldman Sachs, this is a significant holding because Millennium is one of the most successful hedge funds globally, measured by performance and assets under management. It holds over $83 billion in assets.

Ken Griffin’s Citadel, another top hedge fund, holds Ripple ETFs worth over $4.5 million. Other top holders are companies like Jain Global, Logan Stone, Gallagher Capital Management, and Jane Street Group. There are 83 institutions with an exposure to these funds.

XRP ETF holders These numbers mean that there is strong institutional demand for crypto ETFs. Additionally, as we reported earlier, Goldman Sachs owns $2.3 billion worth of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP funds.

The momentum in XRP ETFs has waned recently as the coin has remained in a bear market after falling by double digits from its all-time high. Data shows that the funds have shed over $22 million in assets this month, the first month in which they have lost assets. They added $58 million in inflows last month.

XRP price also rose after Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple’s CEO, noted that the company was planning to have a big year after visiting key offices. Ripple Labs’s focus will be on artificial intelligence and other payments-related activities.

Ripple Price Prediction: Technical Analysis  The daily timeframe chart shows that the XRP price has been stuck in a tight range in the past 30 days. It found substantial support at $1.3363, where it has failed to move below since last month. 

On the positive side, the coin may have entered the accumulation phase of Wyckoff Theory, characterized by sideways movement and low volume. Also, it has formed a double-bottom pattern, a common bullish reversal sign.

XRP Price Chart Therefore, the most likely Ripple price forecast is bullish as long as it remains above the key support level at $1.3363. If this view is correct, the coin will likely surge, with the next key resistance level being at $1.6703, the neckline of the double-bottom pattern.

On the flip side, a drop below the key support level at $1.3363 will confirm the bearish outlook and point to more downside, possibly to the year-to-date low of $1.1200.

TLDR Table of Contents

TLDRSTRC Issuance Drives Estimated 1,420 BTC PurchaseBitcoin Purchase Expands Treasury HoldingsRevised ATM Rules Expand Sales AccessGet 3 Free Stock Ebooks Strategy recorded its largest STRC issuance day and bought an estimated 1,420 Bitcoin. The company sold about 2.4 million STRC shares through its at-the-market program. Strategy reported around $378 million in STRC proceeds in its latest SEC filing. The company disclosed a total Bitcoin purchase worth 1.3 billion dollars. Strategy amended its ATM sales rules to allow a second agent to sell shares outside regular hours. Strategy executed its largest recorded STRC issuance day and used the proceeds to acquire an estimated 1,420 Bitcoin. The company amended its at-the-market sales rules and expanded agent access before and after regular trading hours. It then reported $1.3 billion in total Bitcoin purchases in its latest SEC filing.

STRC Issuance Drives Estimated 1,420 BTC Purchase Strategy sold about 2.4 million STRC shares through its at-the-market program in one day. Data from STRC.live estimated that the company bought 1,420 Bitcoin following the sales. The estimate marked the largest daily STRC issuance and related Bitcoin purchase on record.

Previously, STRC.live recorded a daily purchase of 1,069 Bitcoin as the highest issuance-linked total. However, the latest transaction exceeded that earlier figure based on the same data source. STRC functions as Strategy’s variable-rate perpetual preferred stock launched in July 2025.

The company uses STRC alongside Stride, Strife, Strike, and common stock to fund Bitcoin acquisitions. Strategy sets monthly variable cash dividends for STRC holders. It fixed the March annualized dividend rate at 11.5 percent.

Bitcoin Purchase Expands Treasury Holdings Strategy disclosed in its SEC filing that it sold about $378 million in STRC. The company also reported nearly $900 million in proceeds from common stock MSTR sales. Together, those transactions supported a $1.3 billion Bitcoin purchase.

STRC.live had estimated that weekly STRC proceeds would fund around 4,300 Bitcoin purchases. However, the reported total exceeded that estimate based on disclosed sales figures. Strategy confirmed the Bitcoin acquisition as one of its largest on record.

The company reported an average cost basis of $75,862 for its Bitcoin holdings. At the time of reporting, Bitcoin traded at $71,279. Strategy continued purchases despite the market price remaining below its average cost.

Revised ATM Rules Expand Sales Access Strategy amended its at-the-market program rules on Monday. The company now allows a second sales agent to sell securities outside regular market hours. Previously, it limited sales to one agent per trading day.

The updated structure permits sales before the US market opens and after it closes. Market observer Ragnar stated, “A lot more capital will be raised, and a lot more Bitcoin will be purchased.” The company has not issued further operational changes beyond the filing.

STRC remains one of several securities used to fund Strategy’s Bitcoin treasury approach. The company continues to report sales and purchases through SEC filings. The latest filing detailed the $1.3 billion Bitcoin acquisition and expanded ATM structure.

Journalist

Posted: March 10, 2026

Bitcoin [BTC] has shown signs of recovery over the past day as the market pushed past the $70,000 mark, with sentiment pointing to renewed capital flowing into the market once again.

However, on-chain activity does not align with the ongoing rebound and instead offers a different perspective on what is happening with the leading crypto asset.

On-chain signals point to weakness Adjusted on-chain volume, which tracks the cumulative buying and selling activity of Bitcoin, suggests underlying weakness in the market.

At the time of writing, this volume has declined to one of the lowest levels in its history, indicating weak on-chain usage of Bitcoin.

A comparison between volume and price trends reveals a clear relationship. When volume rises or shows consistent usage with occasional spikes, Bitcoin’s price has historically moved upward in strong rallies.

Source: Alphractal

The opposite tends to occur when volume declines. Yet Bitcoin has rallied into the $70,000 range even as volume continues to weaken.

Nonetheless, crypto on-chain analyst Joao Wedson believes the second quarter, beginning in April, could influence Bitcoin’s volume activity.

“A significant surge in volatility is needed to reignite the crypto fire. And I believe this will start to happen from the second quarter of 2026.”

On-chain usage declines There has also been a drop in usage on the Bitcoin blockchain. At the time of writing, data from Artemis showed that daily active users fell to 375,700 over the past day.

This drop marks one of the lowest levels recorded this year. A continued decline below the 343,000-user threshold would place network activity at its lowest point since April 2024.

Source: Artemis

A similar pattern has appeared in transaction fees, which have dropped to roughly $127,000.

This trend is notable because declining users and falling fees confirm that the weakness reflected in volume remains present.

Lower network activity also implies reduced demand for Bitcoin from circulating supply in the market.

Liquidity clusters suggest downside risk remains While on-chain activity provides useful insight into Bitcoin’s potential trajectory, it does not offer a complete picture.

Unlike Ethereum, which supports extensive decentralized finance activity, Bitcoin’s ecosystem operates differently. This makes it necessary to examine additional market indicators.

One of those indicators is volatility and liquidity positioning. For this reason, the liquidation heatmap was analyzed, as it highlights probable directional bias and areas of concentrated market volatility.

Source: CoinGlass

The heatmap suggests that the market has stronger liquidity incentives for Bitcoin to move lower than to move higher.

This observation is based on liquidity clusters, represented by shaded areas on the chart, which appear more concentrated below the current price.

On the downside, these clusters extend toward the $66,000 region.

On the upside, liquidity concentration appears weaker and only stretches faintly toward the $72,000 level.

This structure suggests that although current momentum could still push Bitcoin higher, the downward pull remains present. As a result, Bitcoin could still face another short-term decline before establishing a stronger trend.

Final Summary Bitcoin rallies despite declining on-chain usage, fees, and volumes. Liquidity clusters show the downside pull for Bitcoin still exists and remains on the bears’ radar.

TL;DR:

Bybit integrated Mantle Chain into its Alpha platform, allowing users to trade native Mantle assets without performing additional cross-chain operations. The first batch includes four tokens from the Mantle ecosystem: $BSB, $SCOR, $ELSA and $VOOI, with more listings planned on a progressive basis. To celebrate the launch, Bybit Alpha introduced a Puzzle Hunt with a $200,000 prize pool open to eligible ecosystem users. Bybit officially integrated Mantle Chain into its Alpha platform. The announcement was made from Dubai and aims directly at expanding its multi-chain infrastructure, which until now had relied primarily on assets from the Solana ecosystem.

With this integration, Bybit Alpha users can trade native Mantle assets directly on the platform, without the need to perform additional cross-chain operations. Mantle serves as a high-performance distribution and liquidity layer oriented toward real-world assets.

The first batch of enabled assets includes four tokens: $BSB (Block Street), $SCOR (Scor Protocol), $ELSA (HeyElsa AI) and $VOOI (Vooi). The platform indicated that more tokens from the Mantle ecosystem will be added on a progressive basis.

Bybit and Mantle Break the Boundaries Between DeFi and CeFi The integration is backed by two ecosystem partners of Mantle. Fluxion, the network’s native full-stack DEX, provides the liquidity needed to trade assets backed by real-world assets. Birdeye, in turn, supplies real-time data analytics with onchain metrics designed for decision-making in high-speed environments.

Joshua Cheong, Head of Product at Mantle, noted that the goal is to “dissolve the barriers between DeFi and CeFi” and allow capital to flow freely, securely and efficiently to Bybit’s more than 80 million users. Emily Bao, Head of Spot at the exchange, noted that the integration eliminates cross-chain limitations outright and creates new trading opportunities for the community.

According to Messari’s most recent report, the Mantle protocol recorded a 37% growth in its TVL during the fourth quarter of 2025. In January 2026, Mantle Vault —a structured yield product available on Bybit— accumulated a 50% increase in assets under management.

To accompany the launch, Bybit Alpha announced a Puzzle Hunt with a total prize pool of $200,000, open to eligible ecosystem users. Its goal is to drive growth across both platforms.

18h05 ▪ 5 min read ▪ by Evans S.

Summarize this article with:

Vitalik Buterin pushes a simple idea in appearance, but heavy with consequences for crypto. He proposes making Ether staking almost as easy to start as software. Behind this ambition, there is a clear objective. To bring more institutional players into staking without reinforcing the technical concentration of the network.

In brief Vitalik Buterin wants to make ETH staking much simpler for institutions. The Ethereum Foundation has already tested DVT-lite with 72,000 ETH. Staking demand remains strong despite a still hesitant market. A streamlined version of distributed staking Vitalik Buterin therefore wants to simplify staking of the crypto ETH for institutions thanks to an approach called DVT-lite. The Ethereum Foundation has already used this model to stake 72,000 ETH, with the idea of reducing operational complexity while maintaining a more distributed logic than classic solo staking.

The core of the matter is here. Institutional staking often remains too technical. For a large ETH crypto holder, managing nodes, redundancy, outages, and security still requires real expertise. This is precisely what Buterin wants to address.

With DVT-lite, multiple machines can share the same operating logic around a validation key, with a configuration much lighter than a full DVT system. The idea is not to reinvent Ethereum. The idea is to remove the frictions that block crypto adoption.

Buterin’s message is clear: if distributed staking remains reserved for a handful of experts, decentralization only advances halfway. He thus advocates an approach where infrastructure should no longer be experienced as a technical labyrinth but as an almost invisible layer.

Why this approach can appeal to crypto institutions For an institution, the problem is not only to hold ETH crypto. The real issue is execution. A poorly configured node, an outage, or unavailability can result in loss of yield, even penalties. Ethereum also reminds that crypto staking involves putting funds at risk, with a deposit of 32 ETH per validator in the native model.

In this context, DVT-lite plays a pragmatic role. It brings incident tolerance without imposing all the heaviness of a full DVT. For institutional desks, crypto treasuries, or foundations that want to stake properly, it is a more credible compromise than a simple isolated node.

Buterin goes even further in product logic. He talks about a future where a Docker container, a Nix image, or an equivalent would allow deployment in almost one click, or with a simple command line per node. Put differently, he imagines much more standardized institutional staking.

The Ethereum Foundation moves from talk to real test This point changes everything. The Ethereum Foundation does not just theorize. It has already used this approach to commit 72,000 ETH in its crypto staking program. This large-scale test gives special weight to Buterin’s message because it shows that the project is progressing on the ground.

This signal also matters for the market. When the Foundation itself experiments with a simplified distributed staking method, it sends a message to the ecosystem: the next wave of Ethereum infrastructure will need to be simpler, more robust, and less intimidating.

In January 2026, Buterin had already mentioned the idea of a native DVT integrated more deeply into the network. DVT-lite thus seems like a transitional but concrete step. It is not yet the final destination. It is already a getting underway.

Meanwhile, ethereum.org shows about 37.5 million ETH staked and nearly 947,000 active validators. This shows that confidence in the yield and security of the network continues to hold even when the market remains less bullish than during euphoric phases.

While Cardano faces criticism for its lack of utility, Vitalik Buterin’s vision goes far beyond a simple technical adjustment. It is a strategic bet for crypto. If Ether staking truly becomes more accessible to institutions, Ethereum could attract more productive capital without tipping excessively towards centralization. That is where the issue becomes major.

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Evans S.

Fascinated by Bitcoin since 2017, Evariste has continuously researched the subject. While his initial interest was in trading, he now actively seeks to understand all advances centered on cryptocurrencies. As an editor, he strives to consistently deliver high-quality work that reflects the state of the sector as a whole.

DISCLAIMER

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.

Ethereum is still trading within a broader bearish structure, but the recent price action shows signs of short-term stabilization above a key support zone. After the sharp selloff seen in early February, ETH has managed to base around the $1,800 area, and buyers are hoping for another push higher, although the market still needs a stronger breakout to confirm a more meaningful recovery.

Ethereum Price Analysis: The Daily Chart On the daily chart, ETH remains below the 100-day and 200-day moving averages, which keeps the higher timeframe trend tilted to the downside. The asset is also still trading inside a descending channel, while the $2,400 and $2,800 zones continue to act as the main resistance barriers on any larger rebound.

At the same time, the market has been holding above the blue demand region around $1,800 to $1,700, which is currently the most important support range. As long as ETH stays above this area, the structure can remain constructive in the short term, but a daily reclaim of the $2,400 region is still needed to suggest that the broader bearish pressure is starting to weaken.

ETH/USDT 4-Hour Chart On the 4-hour chart, ETH is gradually moving higher from the late February lows and is now pressing toward the $2,150 resistance level once again. The formation of a rising short-term trendline from the recent swing lows also points to improving momentum, while the RSI has pushed back above the midline and supports the case for a stronger recovery attempt.

Still, the price has not broken out yet, and the $2,150 level remains the key trigger in the near term. A clean move above it could open the way toward the $2,400 supply zone, while another rejection would likely keep ETH stuck inside its current range and send it back toward the $1,800 support levels.

On-Chain Analysis From an on-chain perspective, Ethereum’s exchange reserve continues to trend lower and has now dropped to around 16.1 million ETH, which is a notable long-term bullish signal. The persistent decline suggests that more coins are being moved away from exchanges, typically reflecting lower immediate sell pressure and a stronger preference for holding rather than distributing.

That said, the exchange reserve trend is a supportive background factor rather than a direct timing signal. In the short term, ETH still needs price confirmation through a breakout above nearby resistance, but the continued drawdown in exchange balances does strengthen the idea that downside pressure may be more limited than before if demand starts to improve.

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U.S.-based Spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $167 million in inflows on Monday, breaking last week’s two-day outflow streak. While Altcoin ETFs experienced outflows for the third straight day, even as spot prices of these cryptos rose. U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds have started the week with positive inflows and broke last week’s two-day outflows streak, while exchange-traded funds tracking other major altcoins, such as Ethereum, XRP, and Solana, saw outflows on Monday,  even as the underlying cryptos posted gains in spot markets.

According to SoSoValue data, spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in $167.03 million on Monday, and the cumulative total net inflow stands at $55.54 billion. As the inflows were led by iShares Bitcoin Trust(IBIT) with $109.31 million.

Then, Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) with $60.09 million, and VanEck Bitcoin ETF(HODL) with  $4.87 million.  Meanwhile, Bitwise and Ark & 21Shares together posted $7.23 million in outflows, and other funds showed no movement. 

Altcoin ETFs Fall for Third Day as Prices Rise While U.S.-Based spot Ethereum ETFs recorded $51.32 million in outflows, with BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) and Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE) leading the way. Even though Fidelity and 21Shares ETFs saw slight inflows, the bigger withdrawals from the major funds offset these gains. While no other funds changed. 

Whereas, spot XRP ETFs and spot Solana ETFs also saw outflows of $18.11 million and $2.48 million, respectively. So the demand on altcoin liked ETFs was weaker compared to Bitcoin ETFs. Also, these altcoin ETFs have been experiencing outflows over the past three trading sessions.

Among XRP ETFs, all funds experienced outflows, with the exception of the Canary XRP ETF (XRPC), which remained flat. For Solana ETFs, withdrawals occurred only in Fidelity and VanEck funds, while all other Solana ETFs showed no change.

Spot trading showed an overall gain over the previous day despite outflows in altcoin ETFs. While writing the article, Bitcoin traded at $70,433, up 3.8%, while Ethereum reached $2,055, rising 2.99%. Then, XRP and Solana also gained, trading at $1.38 and $86.45, respectively, with increases ranging between 2% and 4%, as per CoinMarketCap.

Writer with roots in journalism and international relations, actively exploring blockchain and crypto, with curiosity for the field and a passion for simplifying complex ideas.

Bitcoin climbed back above $70,000 Tuesday as crude oil staged a sharp reversal, easing near-term fears of accelerating inflation and giving digital asset markets room to recover.

According to CryptoSlate's data, the largest digital currency jumped over 5% in the last 24 hours, peaking at around $71,164 after slipping below $68,000 earlier in the session.

Brent crude fell more than 6% to around $90 a barrel, retracing much of the previous day's surge that had briefly pushed the international benchmark to nearly $120. West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US benchmark, fell by a similar margin as traders reassessed how long a geopolitical premium in energy markets could hold.

The synchronized moves in crude and crypto reflect how tightly Bitcoin's short-term price action has become linked to macro liquidity signals.

When oil surged on March 9, investors began pricing in the possibility that renewed energy inflation would delay Federal Reserve rate cuts, tightening the financial conditions that have supported risk assets throughout this cycle.

However, the current oil selloff unwound a portion of that positioning and gave Bitcoin buyers a cleaner entry point.

Why did oil price fall today?Oil’s sharp reversal followed fast-moving developments in the Middle East that reshaped expectations for how long the geopolitical premium would last.

Traders pointed to President Donald Trump’s comments to CBS that the Iran conflict is “very complete, pretty much,” a language that markets took as a potential signal of de-escalation.

Trump also said the US may seek to take control of the Strait of Hormuz and warned that if Iran disrupts flows through the corridor, the United States would respond with far greater force.

He wrote on Truth Social:

“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.”

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for energy markets. About 20% of global oil consumption, 27% of global seaborne oil trade, and 20% of global LNG trade pass through it.

In light of those Trump's remarks, traders were left calibrating between two competing timelines: one in which the geopolitical premium in crude dissipates quickly and inflation fears fade, and another in which the disruption persists long enough to feed into price pressures and central bank policy.

Outside of Trump's remarks, G7 finance ministers also discussed the possibility of releasing oil into the market to cool the rally in crude prices. The group includes France, Japan, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In their March 9 virtual meeting, they said:

“We stand ready to take necessary measures, including to support global supply of energy such as stockpile release.”

Reports said the volumes under consideration ranged from 300 million to 400 million barrels.

Taken together, those developments pushed traders to reassess Middle East risk and unwind part of the geopolitical premium embedded in crude

How did Bitcoin price recover?The oil reversal gave traders room to regroup, and some crypto market plumbing began to look less strained, even as energy markets remained volatile.

Data from SoSoValue showed significant institutional interest in the top crypto, with $167.03 million net inflows flowing into the 12 spot Bitcoin ETF products.

This represented a reversal of the 12 funds' weak performance in the last two trading sessions, which pulled more than $500 million from the investment vehicles.

At the same time, CryptoQuant noted that stablecoin liquidity has started rising again after a tepid performance earlier this year.

Stablecoins Exchange Reserve (Source: CryptoQuant)According to the firm, this kind of shift is often treated as an indirect gauge of demand that dry powder is entering the market. Notably, DeFiLlama data showed stablecoin supply recently reached a fresh all-time high of $313 billion.

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Meanwhile, BTC options positioning data from Coinbase-owned Deribit also showed that BTC traders had significant call buying concentrated near the $75,000 and $80,000 strike before the oil shock.

This was corroborated by blockchain analysis firm Glassnode, which stated:

“Options markets have become less defensive. The volatility spread narrowed meaningfully as implied volatility moves closer to realised conditions, while 25-delta skew declined, pointing to softer demand for downside hedging and a more balanced near-term backdrop.”

US CPI data will determine whether BTC's recovery holdsThe next test for Bitcoin's recovery arrives with US inflation data due later this week.

Headline consumer price growth has been moderating in recent months, and survey-based measures of short-term inflation expectations had eased before oil's sudden spike, reinforcing a broadly held view that disinflation remained the dominant trend.

Moreover, market-based measures, including Treasury breakeven inflation rates, rose in the days surrounding the crude shock, indicating that bond investors were pricing in some probability of renewed energy-driven price pressure even as they waited for confirmation.

That divergence frames BTC's recovery as conditional. If the coming inflation readings remain consistent with the disinflation narrative, the macro backdrop that has supported Bitcoin's recovery would strengthen, and the options market's positioning near $75,000 to $80,000 could begin to act as a gravitational pull on spot prices.

Notably, oil's fundamentals ahead of the US-Iran geopolitical flare-up also pointed in that direction.

Major energy agencies, like the International Energy Agency (IEA), had forecasted production growth outpacing demand through the remainder of the year, and global inventories had been building before the disruption hit.

So, a crude market that settles back toward pre-conflict levels would reduce the inflation risk premium and give the Fed room to proceed with the rate cuts investors had been anticipating.

However, the adverse path runs through a scenario in which crude fails to extend its reversal.

A renewed rally in oil prices back above $100 would likely push breakeven inflation rates higher, harden expectations of Federal Reserve policy, and compress the valuations of broadly rate-sensitive risk assets.

In that environment, Bitcoin would trade in step with high-beta equities, and the focus would shift back to whether spot prices can hold the support levels that failed briefly in previous sessions.

Put simply, analysts at Bitfinex told CryptoSlate that:

“If ETF flows stabilise and macro conditions remain neutral, BTC could grind toward the low-$70,000 region. However, if oil-driven inflation pushes yields higher again, a retest of the $60,000 support region becomes increasingly likely.”

Mentioned in this articlePosted in

TL;DR

Strategy sold roughly 2.4 million STRC shares in one day, funding an estimated purchase of 1,420 Bitcoin and setting a daily issuance record. The company changed its ATM rules to let a second agent sell STRC before the open and after the close, expanding fundraising flexibility. Recent filings showed about $378 million in STRC sales and a $1.3 billion Bitcoin purchase, signaling investor demand despite Bitcoin trading below cost. Strategy delivered a milestone on Monday as its fastest STRC issuance day yet translated into an estimated 1,420 Bitcoin purchase in a session. The company sold roughly 2.4 million shares of its perpetual preferred equity, Stretch, through its at-the-market program. That estimated BTC haul surpassed the prior daily record of 1,069 Bitcoin. The move followed a rule adjustment that broadened how the securities can be sold, giving Strategy a route to raise capital tied directly to its treasury plan. The result was speed at larger scale.

Rule changes opened a wider funding window The structure behind the jump matters because Strategy changed the mechanics of its ATM program before the record issuance arrived. The company said a second sales agent can now sell STRC before the US market opens and after it closes, easing the earlier limit that allowed only one agent per trading day. That adjustment may sound procedural, but it potentially creates more room to issue shares across more trading hours. For a company using multiple securities to finance Bitcoin purchases, the extra flexibility could make capital formation faster and more continuous when market conditions cooperate.

STRC itself has become increasingly central because it now stands as one of the main engines of Strategy’s Bitcoin accumulation model. Launched in July 2025, Stretch is a variable-rate perpetual preferred stock that sits alongside other fundraising vehicles including STRD, STRF, STRK and common stock. Strategy says STRC pays monthly variable cash dividends, with the annualized rate for March set at 11.5%. That helps explain why observers see the updated sales structure as more than a technical change. It strengthens one of the company’s most active tools for converting investor demand into additional Bitcoin exposure.

The scale of recent fundraising underscores why investor appetite remains strong even below Strategy’s average Bitcoin cost basis. According to the report, last week’s estimate suggested STRC proceeds would support about 4,300 BTC, or roughly $303 million, in weekly buying. But actual reported activity came in higher, with Strategy disclosing around $378 million in STRC sales in its Monday SEC filing. The company also reported a $1.3 billion Bitcoin purchase, one of its largest on record, while common stock MSTR generated nearly $900 million in proceeds. Together, those figures point to accelerating financing momentum.

Elon Musk confirms X Money launches in April. Direct deposits, yield, and Visa-backed payments, but Dogecoin integration remains unconfirmed.

X Money, the payments platform developed by Elon Musk's social media company X, is set to enter early public access in April 2026. Musk confirmed the timeline directly on X. The platform is designed to rival established financial apps such as Venmo and Cash App by consolidating payments, deposits, and yield features into a single interface.

The announcement comes as early beta testers have begun sharing glimpses of the platform on social media. Among them is actor William Shatner, who was personally invited by Musk to test the product. Shatner is auctioning beta access to his followers. A $1,000 donation to the Hollywood Charity Horse Show, a children's charity initiative, grants donors early entry to the platform.

Core Features and Financial InfrastructureX Money allows users to set up direct deposits, earn yield on balances, and make peer-to-peer payments without leaving the app. The platform is backed by a growing regulatory framework. Via its subsidiary X Payments, the company has secured more than 40 money transmitter licenses across U.S. states.

In January 2025, X unveiled Visa as a partner for secure and instant account funding. The deal gives users a familiar and trusted payment rail, lowering the barrier to adoption. It also signals X's intent to operate within established financial norms rather than circumvent them.

X has also introduced "smart cashtags" on its platform, enabling users to analyze traditional equities and digital assets directly within the app. However, X Product Lead Nikita Bier has clarified that X is not acting as a brokerage. It does not execute trades on behalf of users. The feature is analytical in nature, not transactional.

The Crypto Question: Speculation Outpaces ConfirmationDespite widespread anticipation, X Money has yet to announce any concrete cryptocurrency integration. Musk has long been a vocal supporter of Dogecoin, frequently referencing it as his preferred digital currency. That history has fueled speculation that DOGE could find a place within X Money's ecosystem. The coin rose more than 8% in a single day around the time of Musk's announcement, widely attributed to market speculation rather than any confirmed development.

At the time of writing, Dogecoin is trading at around $0.09966, up 9.20% in the last 24 hours.

X has not issued any official statement confirming the functionality of crypto. Musk did re-post a third-party forecast projecting future features, including loans, money market accounts, and crypto integration. That was not an official company announcement. 

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Newton Gitonga covers cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and digital finance. He specializes in breaking down complex trends with clear, data-driven reporting. His work focuses on market analysis, technical insights, and the evolving role of altcoins in shaping global markets.

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DIA Value provides intrinsic on-chain pricing for illiquid DeFi assets, reducing liquidation risks and boosting transparency for institutions.

Market Sentiment:

Bullish Bearish Neutral

Published: March 10, 2026 │ 5:15 PM GMT

Created by Kornelija Poderskytė from DailyCoin

DIA, a trustless blockchain oracle provider serving more than 250 dApps, announced Tuesday the launch of DIA Value, a new oracle designed to compute the intrinsic fair value of digital assets that lack liquid secondary markets. 

The launch targets a sector currently holding over $100 billion in on-chain capital, including tokenized treasuries, yield-bearing stablecoins, and liquid staking tokens.

Market oracles price what trades. Institutional DeFi doesn’t.

The value of tokenized treasuries, fund NAVs, and yield tokens lies in smart contracts and reserves, not thin order books.

Introducing DIA Value: Intrinsic valuation oracle for institutional DeFi. pic.twitter.com/Ff4E9xnZWA

— DIA Oracles (@DIAdata_org) March 10, 2026 DeFi Exposed by Market-Based PricingThe move comes after a stark demonstration of the risks associated with relying on market-based pricing. On October 10, 2025, nearly $19 billion in leveraged DeFi positions were liquidated within 24 hours when oracles fed stressed market data into automated liquidation systems.

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Thin order books and low trading volumes make illiquid assets vulnerable to price manipulation and outdated data, forcing protocols to either accept the risk or avoid supporting these assets.

Dillon Hanson, Head of Business Development at DIA, said oracles were originally built to report market prices. 

 “But when most institutional assets entering DeFi don’t trade on secondary markets, you need infrastructure that answers a different question: what is this asset fundamentally worth? That’s what Value does.”

Direct Valuation and TransparencyDIA Value uses a range of methodologies that derive prices from the most direct and verifiable sources available, including on-chain smart contract states, reserve balances, and authoritative off-chain reference data.

For instance, when pricing a yield-bearing token like stETH, the oracle reads the redemption rate directly from the protocol’s smart contract. This ensures the asset is priced at what it can actually be redeemed for, rather than a potentially manipulated price on a secondary exchange. 

The same approach extends across other asset types, including stablecoins, tokenized securities, and complex yield-bearing positions.

Institutional-Grade InfrastructureThe infrastructure is designed to align with institutional fair-value measurement standards, which require intrinsic valuation methods when active markets are unavailable.

“Traditional finance solved illiquid asset pricing decades ago with NAV calculations, mark-to-model frameworks, and reserve verification,” said Zygis Marazas, Head of Product at DIA. “Blockchain makes it possible to execute those same methodologies with full transparency and 24/7 availability.”

DIA Value is already live and integrated with protocols including Euler, Morpho, Silo, Hydration, Hemi Network, and Cooper Labs. It operates alongside DIA Market, the company’s existing oracle for more than 3,000 liquid assets, providing a full-spectrum pricing infrastructure for DeFi.

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People Also Ask:What is a blockchain oracle and why is it important in DeFi?

A blockchain oracle is a system that provides reliable external data to smart contracts. In DeFi, oracles feed price information and other inputs that enable lending, trading, and collateral management. Accurate oracles are crucial to prevent mispricing and liquidations.

How are illiquid digital assets valued when they lack liquid markets?

Illiquid assets are priced using intrinsic or fundamental valuation methods. This includes data from smart contracts, reserve balances, and authoritative off-chain references, rather than relying on sparse market trades.

Which types of assets benefit from intrinsic valuation oracles?

Tokenized treasuries, yield-bearing stablecoins, liquid staking tokens, and tokenized securities all benefit. These assets often lack continuous secondary market trades, making conventional market-based pricing unreliable.

DailyCoin's Vibe Check: Which way are you leaning towards after reading this article?

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This article is for information purposes only and should not be considered trading or investment advice. Nothing herein shall be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. Trading forex, cryptocurrencies, and CFDs pose a considerable risk of loss.

Nimesh Patel
Group CEO & Executive Director

Hello, and thank you for joining us for this presentation of Spirax Group's results. I'm Nimesh Patel, Group CEO, and I'm joined by Louisa Burdett, our Group CFO.

I'm going to start by summarizing our 2025 performance. Today's results demonstrate our ability to deliver good organic growth at high margins by focusing on the operational priorities that are within our control, and despite the weak macroeconomic environment that endured through the year. Looking to our organic measures, we outperformed IP with group sales growth of 5%. Adjusted operating profit grew 6%, and all 3 businesses delivered growth and improved margins.

Group margin was 20%, up 30 basis points as we maintained pricing and cost discipline and manage the headwinds from FX and tariff impacts while also investing in future growth. So a good set of results, slightly ahead of expectations.

I would like to thank my colleagues around the world for their commitment to achieving these results through advancing the execution of our strategy.

In STS, the market trends we've been highlighting since the first half of 2024 played out as expected, with geopolitical tension and tariff volatility driving lower IP and weak demand for large projects. This particularly impacted China and Korea, but in both markets, we began to see headwinds moderate in the second half as we'd anticipated. Importantly, we continued to offset these headwinds through our focus

HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) Leerink Global Healthcare Conference 2026 March 10, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

Company Participants

Mike Marks - CFO & Executive VP
Erol Akdamar

Conference Call Participants

Benjamin Mayo - Leerink Partners LLC, Research Division

Presentation

Benjamin Mayo
Leerink Partners LLC, Research Division

Good morning. Thanks for joining us today. It's my pleasure to have the extended team from HCA with us. We've got Mike Marks, Chief Financial Officer; Erol Akdamar, that runs the American Group, I believe, compasses nearly 70 hospitals, including the important Texas market, and we've got some others in the room, including Frank Morgan.

Question-and-Answer Session

Benjamin Mayo
Leerink Partners LLC, Research Division

Maybe just to start off, there's been a tremendous amount of focus with investors around unpacking a lot of the technology, the digital agenda, the -- maybe just spend a minute talking about some of the investments that the company is making either Mike or Erol. And I want to hit on a little bit about the MEDITECH rollout as well.

Mike Marks
CFO & Executive VP

Well, as you think about our strategic plan for the future, this idea of AI and digital transformation is one of our really key strategic initiatives that we think will propel us here over the rest of this decade into the future. There's multi parts to it. And the first one is Expanse. And it's really important.

The MEDITECH Expanse rollout, which we're now live at just short of 50 hospitals, we think will be wrapped up by the end of 2028 is a really important foundation for the company. It's also the biggest project in the company this history from resources, time, effort. It's going well. It's cloud native. It gives us the ability to have more standardized data. It gives us the capability to manage workflows and master files in a

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YouTube has become the world's biggest media company, research firm MoffettNathanson says. Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty Images 2026-03-10T16:11:07.409Z

YouTube's advertising revenue now exceeds that of its four largest traditional media competitors combined. Google's streamer also laps its rivals in US TV viewership and has a booming subscription business. Looking forward, YouTube could benefit from AI as well. Hollywood has another reason to fear YouTube.

The Google-owned streaming giant generated more advertising revenue last year than Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount Skydance, and Warner Bros. Discovery — combined.

YouTube's $40.4 billion in ad revenue in 2025 exceeded the $37.8 billion sum from its four closest Hollywood competitors, according to new estimates from media research firm MoffettNathanson. (With fifth-place rival Fox added in, the traditional media cohort would be ahead of YouTube at $44.8 billion.)

YouTube grew its ad revenue by more than $4 billion from 2024, according to MoffettNathanson. MoffettNathanson That's a substantial change from 2024, when YouTube's $36.1 billion in ad revenue fell short of the $41.8 billion total from Disney, Comcast's NBCU, Paramount, and WBD, per MoffettNathanson.

Heading into 2025, YouTube was just behind Disney as the world's largest media company. MoffettNathanson YouTube keeps close to half its ad revenue, paying creators a 55% cut on ads from standard videos.

The ad business isn't the only arena YouTube dominates.

It also generated more viewership on US TVs in January than Disney, NBCU, Paramount, and WBD's streamers combined, according to Nielsen. Netflix is the only paid streamer that rivals YouTube's 12.5% share, with 8.8% TV viewership, though it isn't yet a major player in ads.

YouTube also brought in nearly $22 billion in subscription revenue in 2025, driven by live-TV streamer YouTube TV, ad-free tiers YouTube Premium and YouTube Music, and the NFL Sunday Ticket service for football superfans.

Google is looking to accelerate that growth this year with "skinny bundles" for YouTube TV, including a sports-focused package.

MoffettNathanson predicted that YouTube's subscription revenue growth would outpace that of its ads business. However, the firm still expects its ad revenue to grow at a healthy rate of about 10% in each of the next three years.

By one definition, YouTube is now the world's biggest media company, passing Disney — if you exclude its experiences revenue — MoffettNathanson analysts Michael Nathanson and Robert Fishman said in a Monday note. However, YouTube's ad revenue is well below tech giants like Facebook-parent Meta, which generated about $196.2 billion in ad revenue in 2025, and its own parent company, Alphabet, which made $224.5 billion last year from search ads.

Even scarier for the Hollywood giants than YouTube's current position is that the platform may be uniquely suited to thrive as AI-powered videos and short-form clips flood the internet.

YouTube is "one of the only" media companies that "will become stronger in the age of AI," Nathanson and Fishman wrote.

Media Advertising YouTube More Google Disney NBC Warner Bros.

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With assurances that the war in Iran will be a short-lived “excursion,” oil prices yesterday pulled back from their highest levels in almost 20 years — the first drop in oil prices since the U.S. and Israel initiated their attacks on Iran a week and a half ago. This helped moved markets forward to start the new trading week: +0.50% on the blue-chip Dow, +1.38% on the S&P 500 and +0.38% on the tech-heavy Nasdaq.

We began early-morning trading in decent shape today, as well, but this has turned back down into the red at this hour: -0.32% on the Dow, -0.28% on the S&P 500, -0.15% on the Nasdaq and -0.64% on the small-cap Russell 2000. Oil prices are also higher than where they were in the early trading hours, but still -4% on the WTI and -5% on Brent crude — to $90.75 per barrel (/bbl) and $93.64/bbl, respectively.

Early Monday, we saw these oil prices elevated as high as $119/bbl, which was beyond the heights we saw in the months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago. We’d have to go back to the first half of 2008, when we saw oil prices up as high as $147/bbl, prior to the financial collapse in the second half of that year.

Retail Numbers Healthy for February…The National Retail Federation (NRF), the world’s largest retail trade association, released its monthly numbers in this morning’s NRF Retail Monitor for February. On both headline and core (which subtracts restaurant checks, autos and gasoline from their tally), we saw growth of +0.3%, 10 basis points (bps) higher month over month.

Year over year, +6.2% on headline and +5.9% on core followed the +5.7% and +5.5%, respectively from the January NRF report. This was led by Digital Products +1.0% last month, followed by Clothing & Accessories +0.7% and Health/Personal Care +0.5%. Only Home Furnishings came in negative for February: -0.3%.

…but Optimism DipsEarly this morning, the NFIB Small-Business Optimism Index came up slightly short of estimates for February: 98.8 versus 99.5 expected, and lower for the second-straight month: 99.3 and 99.5 previously. Generally, we’ve been rangebound between 98 and 100 — we moved slightly above this threshold last summer and hit a near-term low 95.8 last April, during “Liberation Day” tariff initiatives.

What to Expect from Today’s Stock MarketAgain, we’ll keep a close eye on what’s going on in Iran today, particularly the Strait of Hormuz, which normally brings 20 million barrels of oil through it per day but no longer does. Will the narrative on the U.S. goals for Iran change again? It’s worth keeping eyes and ears open. Notes from the Pentagon this morning is that the heaviest bombing on the Middle Eastern country comes today.

Existing Home Sales for February are expected to pull back slightly to 3.86 million seasonally adjusted, annualized units from the previous level of 3.91 million, which was the weakest month for existing home sales in a year and a half. We’d have to go back to October of 2023 to find a lower headline number than what’s forecast for last month.

Oracle ((ORCL - Free Report) reports fiscal Q3 earnings results after today’s close. Expectations are for double-digit growth on both top and bottom lines, and the tech giant looks for its third earnings beat in the past four quarters. Shares are up +1% this morning ahead of the print, but -21% year to date.