Market Signal Briefing

OptimizeRx (OPRX) saw its shares surge in the last session with trading volume being higher than average. The latest trend in earnings estimate revisions may not translate into further price increase in the near term.

A person walks by United Parcel Service (UPS) trailers at a facility in Brooklyn, New York City, U.S., May 9, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Layoffs announced by U.S. employers surged in January amid losses of business contracts and an uncertain economic environment, marking the highest level for the month in 17 years, a survey showed on Thursday.

Planned layoffs soared 205% to 108,435 last month, global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said. That was the highest reading for any January since 2009 when the Great Recession was drawing to a close. Announced layoffs were 118% higher compared with January 2025.

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"Generally, we see a high number of job cuts in the first quarter, but this is a high total for January," said Andy Challenger, workplace expert at Challenger, Gray & Christmas. "It means most of these plans were set at the end of 2025, signaling employers are less-than-optimistic about the outlook for 2026."

The increase was led by the transportation industry, with 31,243 planned cuts, related to United Parcel Service (UPS.N), opens new tab.

The world's largest package delivery, opens new tab company said last month it would eliminate up to 30,000 jobs and shut another 24 facilities in 2026 as it reduces deliveries for Amazon.com (AMZN.O), opens new tab. This is part of UPS' ongoing shift toward more profitable business.

The technology industry announced 22,291 job cuts, the bulk of them from Amazon, which announced plans to lay off 16,000 corporate employees. These planned layoffs will probably not have a significant impact on weekly unemployment claims data. High-profile layoffs last year, including by the two companies, did not result in a notable jump in jobless claims.

There were also notable planned job cuts in the healthcare sector, attributed in part to lower reimbursements for federal government-funded Medicaid and Medicare programs.

Loss of contracts was the major reason for planned layoffs last month, closely followed by market and economic conditions. Other reasons included restructuring, store, unit or department closures. Artificial intelligence accounted for 7% of total planned layoffs.

"It's difficult to say how big an impact AI is having on layoffs specifically," said Challenger. "We know leaders are talking about AI, many companies want to implement it in operations, and the market appears to be rewarding companies that mention it."

Hiring plans remained lackluster, with only 5,306 intentions announced, the lowest total for January since Challenger started tracking the series in 2009. Most of the plans were in the insurance sector.

Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci

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While most of Wall Street focuses on large- and mega-cap stocks, which offer safety and liquidity, many investors are constrained in the number of shares they can buy. Many of the most significant public companies, especially the technology giants, trade at prices of up to $1,000 per share. Meanwhile, others trade in the low to mid-hundreds. It is hard to get meaningful share-count leverage at those steep prices. Many growth and income investors, especially more aggressive traders, look to lower-priced stocks to generate returns and increase their share count. That can help the decision-making process, especially when you are on to a winner, as you can always sell and keep half.

Low-priced stock skeptics should note that many of the world’s largest companies, including Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Nvidia, all traded in the single digits at some point. We identified four stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) trading around $5, and some offer investors substantial ultra-high-yield dividends. The added value for investors is that, even if the stocks trade sideways or lower, you still receive a massive dividend for being patient and waiting for the shares to appreciate. The catch is that these are suitable only for investors with a high risk tolerance.

Why do we cover ultra-high-yield stocks and ETFs?

As we noted, while they are better suited for investors trying to build strong passive income streams, these companies, paired with more conservative blue-chip dividend giants, can be used in a barbell approach to generate passive income that makes a significant difference.

GAMCO Global Gold, Natural Resources & Income Trust This is the perfect investment for investors looking to add gold and energy stocks. GAMCO Global Gold, Natural Resources & Income Trust (NYSE: GGN) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The investment objective is to provide a high level of current income through a monthly dividend of 6.91%.

The fund’s secondary investment objective is to seek capital appreciation consistent with the fund’s strategy and primary purpose. Under normal market conditions, the fund will attempt to achieve its objectives by investing 80% of its assets in equity securities of companies principally engaged in the gold and natural resource industries and by writing covered call options on those securities.

This popular Gabelli fund invests at least 25% of its assets in the equity securities of companies principally engaged in the exploration, mining, fabrication, processing, distribution, or trading of gold, or in the financing, management, control, or operation of companies engaged in gold-related activities.

Nuveen Credit Strategies Run by one of the world’s most prominent money managers, this ETF, with 423 holdings and a 12.61% dividend yield, offers the kind of diversity that ultra-high-yield investors seek. Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund (NYSE: JQC) is a diversified closed-end management investment company. The fund’s investment objective is to achieve a high level of current income. The secondary investment objective is total return.

At the time of purchase, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in instruments that are senior to common equity in an issuer’s capital structure, including loans, debt securities, and preferred securities.

Nuveen Credit Strategies invests up to 20% of its Managed Assets in instruments of non-U.S. issuers that are U.S. dollar- or non-U.S. dollar-denominated, including instruments of issuers located in or conducting business in emerging markets. It also invests up to 25% of its managed assets in collateralized loan obligations debt securities.

It serves various industries, such as:

Software Hotels Restaurants Leisure Media Insurance PermRock Royalty Trust PermRock Royalty Trust acquires, develops, and operates oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin. With a massive 12% dividend yield, this energy trust makes sense given that spot oil prices are likely forming a bottom. PermRock Royalty Property Trust (NYSE: PRT) is a statutory trust. The Trust owns a net profits interest representing the right to receive 80% of the net profits from the sale of oil and natural gas production from the underlying properties. T2S Permian Acquisition II LLC owns and operates the underlying properties.

The underlying properties comprise approximately 31,354 gross (22,394 net) acres in the Permian Basin, which covers more than 75,000 square miles in West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico.

The underlying properties consist of four operating areas:

The Permian Clearfork area consists of about 2,434 net acres on the Central Basin Platform of the Permian Basin in Hockley and Terry Counties, Texas The Permian Abo area consists of about 1,667 net acres on the Central Basin Platform of the Permian Basin in Terry and Cochran Counties, Texas The Permian Shelf area consists of 14,390 net acres on the Eastern Shelf of the Permian Basin The Permian Platform area consists of 3,903 net acres Townsquare Media This off-the-radar stock has huge total-return potential, along with its massive 12.10% dividend. Townsquare Media Inc. (NYSE: TSQ) is a community-focused digital and broadcast media and digital marketing solutions company.

The company’s segments include:

Subscription Digital Marketing Solutions, which includes Townsquare Interactive, its subscription digital marketing solutions business Digital Advertising, marketed as Townsquare Ignite, encompasses digital advertising on its programmatic platform and its owned-and-operated digital properties Broadcast Advertising, includes local, regional, and national advertising products and solutions delivered via terrestrial radio broadcast The Broadcast Advertising segment also includes Townsquare Interactive, which partners with small and medium-sized businesses to manage their digital presence through a SaaS business management platform, website design, creation, and hosting, search engine optimization, and other digital services.

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Pandora CEO Berta de Pablos-Barbier discusses the company's new platinum offering, as the jewelry maker tries to reduce its reliance on silver following its recent price surge and volatility.

ConocoPhillips' fourth-quarter earnings fell, hurt by lower prices that were slightly offset by higher production.

HomeEarnings AnalysisCommunication Services

SummaryAT&T posted a rare Q4 earnings and revenue beat, sparking a 17% stock rally and renewed investor attention.Despite a 4.2%–4.4% dividend yield and low valuation, T's long-term returns and earnings growth remain weak and inconsistent.Adjusted EPS growth is negligible, with temporary gains masking underlying stagnation and major data breaches highlighting operational risks.I recommend a STRONG HOLD on T due to recent positive momentum, but caution that its lack of innovation and poor track record limit upside.I do much more than just articles at Best Stocks Now! Premium: Members get access to model portfolios, regular updates, a chat room, and more. Learn More » neiu20001/iStock Editorial via Getty Images

AT&T (T), a stock favorite among those who aim to push for dividend yields (currently 4.14%) and consistent income, reported a rare bit of growth in their Q4 earnings report that they delivered last week. As the

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of LLY either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Enhancing rail capacity and reducing congestion along a key US rail corridor

, /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:J) has been selected by the San Diego Association of Governments to manage construction of the San Dieguito Lagoon Double Track and Special Events Platform project. This critical investment will enhance capacity and reliability along the Los Angeles–San Diego–San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Corridor — Southern California's sole rail link and one of the nation's busiest, carrying more than 150 daily passenger trains.

Jacobs will manage delivery of 2.1 miles of track improvements, including a new double track to eliminate a major bottleneck between Solana Beach and Del Mar fairgrounds, designed to ease traffic congestion and improve access during large-scale events.

Jacobs Executive Vice President Eva Wood said: "This investment strengthens the only rail connection between San Diego and the rest of Southern California. With added track and a new platform, we're enabling more reliable service, reducing delays, and supporting a cleaner, more connected future for the region."

Additional upgrades include replacement of the century-old San Dieguito Lagoon bridge to improve climate resiliency, as well as enhancements to turnouts, signals, communications, and drainage systems — all aimed at boosting operational efficiency.

Ranked No. 2 in Transportation by Engineering News-Record, Jacobs moves people, goods and freight – whether by road, rail, sea, underground or even through mountains. From Grand Central Madison, New York City's busiest commuter railroad to the Elizabeth Line, the most significant addition to London's transport network in a generation, Jacobs delivers innovative, resilient solutions that improve mobility, reduce congestion and enhance safety for generations to come.

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow – delivering outcomes and solutions for the world's most complex challenges. With approximately $12 billion in annual revenue and a talent force of almost 43,000, we provide end-to-end services in advanced manufacturing, cities & places, energy, environmental, life sciences, transportation and water. From advisory and consulting, feasibility, planning, design, program and lifecycle management, we're creating a more connected and sustainable world. See how at jacobs.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Facebook. 

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that do not directly relate to any historical or current fact. When used herein, words such as "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "plans," "intends," "future," "will," "would," "could," "can," "may," and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations, as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, uncertainties as to, the timing of the award of projects and funding and potential changes to the amounts provided for under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other legislation and executive orders related to governmental spending, including any directive to federal agencies to reduce federal spending or the size of the federal workforce, and changes in U.S. or foreign tax laws, including the tax legislation enacted in the U.S. in July 2025, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances, including the impact of, and changes to tariffs and retaliatory tariffs or trade policies, that may adversely impact our future financial positions or results of operations, as well as general economic conditions, including inflation and the actions taken by monetary authorities in response to inflation, changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, changes in capital markets, the possibility of a recession or economic downturn, and increased uncertainty and risks, including policy risks and potential civil unrest, relating to the outcome of elections across our key markets and elevated geopolitical tension and conflicts, among others. For a description of these and additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law.

For press/media inquiries:
[email protected]  

SOURCE Jacobs

HomeStock IdeasLong IdeasTech 

SummaryMicrosoft delivered a strong Q2, beating top- and bottom-line estimates, yet the stock sold off on perceived Azure growth slowdown.MSFT's AI strategy is broader than Azure, with M365 Copilot, GitHub Copilot, and Maia 200 chip showing robust growth and overlooked potential.I upgrade MSFT to Strong Buy, based on my ensemble model's price target of $562, as current pessimism and indiscriminate selling present a long-term accumulation opportunity.Risks include margin compression, slow Copilot adoption, and competitive threats, but MSFT's diversified AI momentum remains underappreciated.Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position through a purchase of the stock, or the purchase of call options or similar derivatives in MSFT over the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

I/we have a beneficial Long position in the shares of GOOGL, AMZN either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Canada Goose's profit slipped in its fiscal third quarter as heavier marketing spending and one-time charges outweighed revenue gains in its key holiday period.

Key Operational and Financial Metrics Meet or Exceed 2025 Full-Year Guidance

Centurion Longwall Mining Ahead of Schedule

U.S. Policy and Market Tailwinds Supportive of Increasing Coal Use

, /PRNewswire/ -- Peabody (NYSE: BTU) today reported fourth quarter net income attributable to common stockholders of $10.4 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, compared to $30.6 million, or $0.25 per diluted share, in the prior year quarter. Peabody had Adjusted EBITDA1 of $118.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to $176.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Full-year 2025 revenue totaled $3,861.5 million compared to $4,236.7 million in the prior year in the face of sharply lower seaborne coal prices. Full-year 2025 net income attributable to common stockholders totaled $(52.9) million, or $(0.43) per diluted share, compared to $370.9 million, or $2.70 per diluted share in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA was $454.9 million compared to $871.7 million in the prior year.

"Peabody's continued strong operational performance in the fourth quarter capped an excellent year with record safety and environmental results, increased volumes and focused cost control," said Peabody President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Grech. "Against a new backdrop of rising seaborne metallurgical coal prices, we are pleased to announce the accelerated start of longwall operations this week at our flagship Centurion mine, which materially upgrades both the quantity and quality of our steelmaking coal production. And U.S. market conditions remain highly favorable for our thermal coal platform with growing interest in increased coal generation, expanding West Coast export capabilities and potential rare earth/critical mineral opportunities."

Fourth Quarter and Full Year Highlights

Peabody reported full-year Adjusted EBITDA of $455 million, despite sharply lower seaborne coal prices in 2025. The company generated operating cash flow from continuing operations of $336 million and reported $575 million of Cash and Cash Equivalents at December 31, 2025. Peabody's full-year results met or exceeded original full-year guidance across seven of eight segment volume and cost metrics. Peabody's operations achieved a global TRIFR of 0.71 per 200,000 hours worked, setting an all-time record for the lowest incidence rate in the Company's history for the second consecutive year, surpassing the previous year's record low of 0.81. Peabody also reclaimed approximately two acres for every acre disturbed, continuing its track record of environmental excellence. Centurion's longwall is anticipated to begin cutting coal this week, two months ahead of schedule, marking a major milestone and strengthening Peabody's seaborne metallurgical segment with an estimated 3.5 million tons of premium low vol hard coking coal production in 2026, ramping up to 4.7 million tons in 2028. Mr. Grech was appointed Chair of the National Coal Council (NCC). A key priority of the NCC will be to advise the Administration on ways to expand use of coal‑fueled generation, build new coal plants, and export greater quantities of U.S. coal. Supportive U.S. policy and market conditions including higher natural gas prices, and AI and data‑center‑driven demand for dispatchable power resulted in increased coal plant utilization and supported higher volumes across the U.S. thermal coal portfolio, led by 85 million tons from our Powder River Basin mines. The company advanced projects relating to evaluation of rare earth element and critical mineral potential, power generation from coal mine gas at Centurion, and development of 3 GW of renewable energy projects on former mined lands in the Midwest. Peabody declared a $0.075 per share dividend on Feb. 5, 2026, payable on Mar. 10, 2026 to shareholders of record on Feb. 23, 2026. Fourth Quarter Segment Performance

Seaborne Thermal

Quarter Ended

Year Ended

Dec.

Sept.

Dec.

Dec.

Dec.

2025

2025

2024

2025

2024

Tons sold (in millions)

3.3

4.1

4.2

15.4

16.4

Export

2.1

2.8

2.8

9.9

10.6

Domestic

1.2

1.3

1.4

5.5

5.8

Revenue per Ton

$             62.84

$             59.25

$             73.55

$             58.97

$             73.88

Export - Avg. Realized Price per Ton

81.80

76.54

96.41

77.69

99.87

Domestic - Avg. Realized Price per Ton

25.92

24.62

25.47

24.86

25.96

Costs per Ton

43.43

49.23

46.97

44.55

47.71

Adjusted EBITDA Margin per Ton

$             19.41

$             10.02

$             26.58

$             14.42

$             26.17

Adjusted EBITDA (in millions)

$               63.5

$               41.0

$             111.8

$             222.2

$             430.0

Seaborne Thermal volumes totaled 3.3 million tons, ahead of expectations. The average export price per ton of $81.80 increased 7 percent from the prior quarter, despite the third-quarter closure of the Wambo Underground Mine. Costs per ton were better than expectations driven by higher-than-anticipated production. The segment delivered 31 percent Adjusted EBITDA margins on Adjusted EBITDA of $63.5 million, a 55 percent increase from the previous quarter.

Seaborne Metallurgical

Quarter Ended

Year Ended

Dec.

Sept.

Dec.

Dec.

Dec.

2025

2025

2024

2025

2024

Tons sold (in millions)

2.5

2.1

2.2

8.6

7.3

Revenue per Ton

$           122.84

$           121.34

$           123.41

$           120.88

$           144.97

Costs per Ton

112.94

108.31

113.05

114.31

122.77

Adjusted EBITDA Margin per Ton

$               9.90

$             13.03

$             10.36

$               6.57

$             22.20

Adjusted EBITDA, Excluding Insurance Recovery
     (in millions)

$               24.6

$               27.8

$               22.8

$               56.4

$             161.7

Shoal Creek Insurance Recovery (in millions)

—

—

—

—

80.8

Adjusted EBITDA (in millions)

$               24.6

$               27.8

$               22.8

$               56.4

$             242.5

Seaborne Metallurgical volumes came in ahead of expectations at 2.5 million tons, reflecting a 19 percent increase over the prior quarter. Costs per ton were in line with targets, despite an early start to wet summer weather in Queensland. The segment reported 8 percent Adjusted EBITDA margins on Adjusted EBITDA of $24.6 million.

Powder River Basin

Quarter Ended

Year Ended

Dec.

Sept.

Dec.

Dec.

Dec.

2025

2025

2024

2025

2024

Tons sold (in millions)

22.3

22.6

23.0

84.5

79.6

Revenue per Ton

$             13.44

$             13.36

$             13.79

$             13.64

$             13.81

Costs per Ton

11.44

11.07

11.50

11.56

12.07

Adjusted EBITDA Margin per Ton

$               2.00

$               2.29

$               2.29

$               2.08

$               1.74

Adjusted EBITDA (in millions)

$               44.8

$               51.7

$               52.7

$             175.8

$             138.6

Powder River Basin (PRB) shipped 22.3 million tons in the fourth quarter, finishing the year 4.9 million tons higher than 2024. PRB average realized price per ton for the quarter was above targets, with costs in line with expectations. The segment delivered 15 percent Adjusted EBITDA margins and Adjusted EBITDA of $44.8 million for the quarter and $175.8 million for 2025, a 27 percent increase over 2024.

Other U.S. Thermal

Quarter Ended

Year Ended

Dec.

Sept.

Dec.

Dec.

Dec.

2025

2025

2024

2025

2024

Tons sold (in millions)

3.7

3.7

3.7

13.4

14.6

Revenue per Ton

$             51.64

$             51.77

$             57.74

$             52.82

$             56.38

Costs per Ton

46.77

49.90

46.73

47.49

46.04

Adjusted EBITDA Margin per Ton

$               4.87

$               1.87

$             11.01

$               5.33

$             10.34

Adjusted EBITDA (in millions)

$               18.1

$                 6.9

$               40.5

$               71.4

$             150.8

Other U.S. Thermal shipped 3.7 million tons in the quarter, above company targets. Revenue per ton came in above expectations and costs per ton were modestly down quarter over quarter. The segment reported Adjusted EBITDA of $18.1 million for the quarter and $71.4 million for 2025.

Balance Sheet/Liquidity 

Peabody ended the year with a strong financial position, supported by $336 million of operating cash flow from continuing operations in 2025 and $575 million of Cash and Cash Equivalents at December 31, 2025. The Company maintained substantial liquidity throughout the year, ensuring the financial flexibility to support its shareholder return framework and advance strategic growth initiatives.

"Peabody has continued to demonstrate balance sheet strength while investing approximately $750 million in recent years to develop and expand Centurion, which will significantly increase our leverage to the premium hard coking coal segment of the metallurgical market," said Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Mark Spurbeck. "With sustained higher met coal realizations and lower capital expenditures, Peabody will be better positioned to return additional free cash flow to shareholders, consistent with our established return framework."

Centurion Longwall Mining Ahead of Schedule

Longwall mining is anticipated to begin this week at Centurion, Peabody's flagship tier-one premium hard coking coal mine in Australia's Bowen Basin. The startup comes two months ahead of its original target and strengthens Peabody's position in the seaborne metallurgical coal market.

"With a low cost structure, premium price realizations and a long mine life, Centurion immediately vaults to the top of Peabody's coal operations and establishes a multi-decade foundation for shareholder value creation," said Peabody President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Grech. "Full operations at Centurion follow years of strategic investment, and investors will now begin to benefit from this premier addition to the portfolio."

Centurion will significantly enhance Peabody's metallurgical coal platform with an average annual production of 4.7 million tons at estimated costs of $105 per ton (2024 dollars) over a 25-year-plus mine life. The mine benefits from an expanded integrated mine plan of 140 million tons in the coveted Goonyella Middle Seam. Centurion is targeted to deliver 3.5 million tons in 2026, ramping to its targeted 4.7‑million‑ton annual run rate by 2028.

Centurion's product quality and proximity to key demand nodes in Asia results in full benchmark premium hard coking coal pricing. Peabody's segment‑wide metallurgical coal realizations are expected to improve meaningfully from approximately 70 percent of benchmark in 2025 to 80 percent in 2026, with the potential to exceed that level as Centurion reaches full scale. The company now assesses Centurion's net present value at $2.1 billion at $225 per tonne benchmark pricing, an increase of more than 30 percent over the estimate of late 2024.

Rare Earth Elements and Critical Mineral Advancement

Peabody continues to pursue rare earth element (REE) and critical mineral (CM) opportunities from "unconventional" deposits, with substantial testing primarily at its Powder River Basin operations. In addition to the standard array of light rare earth elements, current assessments indicate that the company's large volumes of selective mining feedstock contain an attractive proportion of heavy rare earths including yttrium, dysprosium and terbium, as well as other critical minerals such as germanium, gallium and scandium.

Peabody has advanced multiple REE/CM workstreams since mid-2025:

The company is conducting extensive testing to evaluate mineral types and concentrations. Analysis to date of the targeted PRB feedstocks indicates critical mineral oxide concentrations (CMOCs) ranging from 428 — 1,669 ppm (parts per million) on a dry-ash basis. Heavy rare earths account for an estimated 21 – 28 percent of CMOCs. Additionally, germanium and gallium concentrations in select mining areas are attractive. Peabody has been recommended by the Wyoming Energy Authority to receive funding of $6.25 million for a pilot plant using Peabody's PRB coal for REE/CM processing. Peabody is developing flowsheets in conjunction with technology partners to support techno-economic assessments and produce rare earth products. The company is continuing collaboration with government agencies and departments focused on accelerating timelines to production. While Peabody's rare earth and critical minerals initiative is in early stages, the company is encouraged by the progress to date and has expanded the scope of activities to evaluate commercial potential.

Focus Areas for 2026

"As we begin 2026, Peabody continues to advance our transition to greater metallurgical coal production while building on our leadership position in U.S. energy coal," said Mr. Grech. "Our investment thesis is supported by a strengthened portfolio, disciplined capital allocation framework, and increasing opportunities across both steelmaking coal and U.S. energy markets. In 2026, we are focused on ramping up Centurion production, capitalizing on rising electricity demand and returning to free cash flow generation," said Mr. Grech.

Peabody's 2026 priorities include:

Driving safe, reliable and efficient operations across the company Achieving full operational performance at Centurion Continuing the strong Adjusted EBITDA-to-capex margins from Peabody's high-cash-flowing thermal coal assets Preserving balance sheet strength and increasing free cash flow to support shareholder returns Progressing workstreams to maximize commercial opportunities using the company's land/coal resources First Quarter 2026 Outlook 

Seaborne Thermal

Seaborne Thermal volumes are expected to be 2.8 million tons, including 1.7 million export tons. 0.2 million export tons are priced at $101.05 per ton, and 0.7 million tons of Newcastle product and 0.8 million tons of high ash product are unpriced. Sales volume is expected to be lower in the first quarter due to sequencing at the Wilpinjong Mine, with segment costs anticipated to be $51-$56 per ton. Seaborne Metallurgical

Seaborne met volumes are expected to be 2.4 million tons and are expected to achieve approximately 75 percent of the premium hard coking coal price index. Costs are anticipated to be $117-$122 per ton. Longwall moves are planned at Metropolitan and Shoal Creek in the quarter. U.S. Thermal

PRB volume is expected to be approximately 21 million tons at an average price of $13.40 per ton and costs of approximately $11.75-$12.25 per ton. Other U.S. Thermal volume is expected to be approximately 3.3 million tons at an average price of $54.50 per ton and costs of approximately $45-$49 per ton. Today's earnings call is scheduled for 10 a.m. CT and can be accessed via the company's website at PeabodyEnergy.com.

Peabody (NYSE: BTU) is a leading coal producer, providing essential products for the production of affordable, reliable energy and steel. Our commitment to sustainability underpins everything we do and shapes our strategy for the future. For further information, visit PeabodyEnergy.com. 

Contacts:
Vic Svec / Kala Finklang
[email protected] 

_______________________________

1 Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. Adjusted EBITDA margin is equal to segment Adjusted EBITDA (excluding insurance recoveries) divided by segment revenue. Revenue per Ton and Adjusted EBITDA Margin per Ton are equal to revenue by segment and Adjusted EBITDA by segment (excluding insurance recoveries), respectively, divided by segment tons sold. Costs per Ton is equal to Revenue per Ton less Adjusted EBITDA Margin per Ton. Management believes Costs per Ton and Adjusted EBITDA Margin per Ton best reflect controllable costs and operating results at the reportable segment level. We consider all measures reported on a per ton basis, as well as Adjusted EBITDA margin, to be operating/statistical measures. Please refer to the tables and related notes herein for a reconciliation and definition of non-GAAP financial measures.

Guidance Targets

Segment Performance

2026 Full Year

Total Volume
(millions of

short tons)

Priced Volume
(millions of short
tons)

Priced Volume
Pricing per
Short Ton

Average Cost per
Short Ton

Seaborne Thermal

12.0 - 13.0

4.7

$35.18

$47.50 - $52.50

Seaborne Thermal (Export)

7.5 - 8.5

0.2

$101.05

NA

Seaborne Thermal (Domestic)

4.5

4.5

$32.25

NA

Seaborne Metallurgical

10.3 - 11.3

0.3

$141.85

$108.00 - $118.00

PRB U.S. Thermal

82.0 - 88.0

78.3

$13.40

$11.25 - $11.75

Other U.S. Thermal

13.2 - 14.2

13.2

$54.40

$45.00 - $49.00

Other Annual Financial Metrics ($ in millions)

2026 Full Year

SG&A

$115

Total Capital Expenditures

$340

ARO Cash Spend

$65

Supplemental Information

Seaborne Thermal

45% of unpriced export volumes are expected to price on average at
Globalcoal "NEWC" levels and 55% are expected to have a higher ash content
and price at 85-95% of API 5 price levels.

Seaborne Metallurgical

On average, Peabody's metallurgical sales are anticipated to price at ~80% of
the premium hard-coking coal index price (FOB Australia).

PRB and Other U.S. Thermal

PRB and Other U.S. Thermal volumes reflect volumes priced at December 31,
2025. Weighted average quality for the PRB segment 2026 volume is
approximately 8,725 BTU.

Certain forward-looking measures and metrics presented are non-GAAP financial and operating/statistical measures. Due to the volatility and variability of certain items needed to reconcile these measures to their nearest GAAP measure, no reconciliation can be provided without unreasonable cost or effort.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

For the Quarters Ended Dec. 31, 2025, Sept. 30, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2024 and the
Years Ended Dec. 31, 2025 and 2024

(In Millions, Except Per Share Data)

Quarter Ended

Year Ended

Dec.

Sept.

Dec.

Dec.

Dec.

2025

2025

2024

2025

2024

Revenue

$       1,022.3

$       1,012.1

$       1,123.1

$       3,861.5

$       4,236.7

Operating Costs and Expenses (1)

878.4

896.9

957.0

3,334.9

3,420.9

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

99.0

100.0

95.6

384.5

343.0

Asset Retirement Obligation Expenses

(4.8)

13.9

10.2

36.5

48.9

Selling and Administrative Expenses

30.5

27.4

26.3

105.0

91.0

Restructuring Charges

0.3

4.0

2.3

9.5

4.4

Costs Related to Terminated Acquisition

3.7

54.0

10.3

78.9

10.3

Net Gain on Disposals

(2.4)

(5.3)

(0.1)

(27.7)

(9.8)

Shoal Creek Insurance Recovery

—

—

—

—

(109.5)

Loss (Income) from Equity Affiliates

4.2

2.6

(18.6)

14.4

(11.5)

Other Operating Loss

5.6

—

—

5.6

3.7

Operating Profit (Loss)

7.8

(81.4)

40.1

(80.1)

445.3

Interest Expense, Net of Capitalized Interest

11.3

10.0

11.8

43.9

46.9

Interest Income

(12.3)

(13.9)

(17.3)

(55.4)

(71.0)

Net Periodic Benefit Credit, Excluding Service Cost

(7.4)

(7.5)

(10.2)

(29.7)

(40.6)

Net Mark-to-Market Adjustment on Actuarially Determined
     Liabilities

(5.4)

—

(6.1)

(5.4)

(6.1)

Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes

21.6

(70.0)

61.9

(33.5)

516.1

Income Tax Provision (Benefit)

10.0

(3.4)

23.6

8.8

108.8

Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Net of Income Taxes

11.6

(66.6)

38.3

(42.3)

407.3

Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Income

     Taxes

0.8

(0.3)

(0.5)

(0.2)

(3.8)

Net Income (Loss)

12.4

(66.9)

37.8

(42.5)

403.5

Less: Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests

2.0

3.2

7.2

10.4

32.6

Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Common Stockholders

$           10.4

$          (70.1)

$           30.6

$          (52.9)

$         370.9

Adjusted EBITDA (2)

$         118.1

$           99.5

$         176.7

$         454.9

$         871.7

Diluted EPS - Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations (3)(4)

$           0.08

$          (0.57)

$           0.25

$          (0.43)

$           2.73

Diluted EPS - Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Common
     Stockholders (3)

$           0.09

$          (0.58)

$           0.25

$          (0.43)

$           2.70

(1)

Excludes items shown separately.

(2)

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to the "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section in this document for definitions and reconciliations to the most comparable measures under U.S. GAAP.

(3)

Weighted average diluted shares outstanding were 123.0 million, 121.7 million and 138.4 million during the quarters ended December 31, 2025, September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, weighted average diluted shares outstanding were 121.8 million and 141.9 million, respectively.

(4)

Reflects income (loss) from continuing operations, net of income taxes less net income attributable to noncontrolling interests.

This information is intended to be reviewed in conjunction with the company's filings with the SEC.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

As of Dec. 31, 2025 and 2024

(Dollars In Millions)

(Unaudited)

Dec. 31, 2025

Dec. 31, 2024

Cash and Cash Equivalents

$               575.3

$               700.4

Accounts Receivable, Net

314.9

359.3

Inventories, Net

383.2

393.4

Other Current Assets

285.4

327.6

Total Current Assets

1,558.8

1,780.7

Property, Plant, Equipment and Mine Development, Net

3,153.3

3,081.5

Operating Lease Right-of-Use Assets

121.2

119.3

Restricted Cash and Collateral

844.1

809.8

Investments and Other Assets

127.6

162.4

Deferred Income Taxes

2.2

—

Total Assets

$            5,807.2

$             5,953.7

Current Portion of Long-Term Debt

$                 15.2

$                 15.8

Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses

827.0

811.7

Total Current Liabilities

842.2

827.5

Long-Term Debt, Less Current Portion

321.2

332.3

Deferred Income Taxes

26.3

40.9

Asset Retirement Obligations, Less Current Portion

692.8

667.8

Accrued Postretirement Benefit Costs

109.2

120.4

Operating Lease Liabilities, Less Current Portion

87.5

86.7

Other Noncurrent Liabilities

145.8

169.3

Total Liabilities

2,225.0

2,244.9

Common Stock

1.9

1.9

Additional Paid-in Capital

4,004.8

3,990.5

Treasury Stock

(1,927.3)

(1,926.5)

Retained Earnings

1,355.9

1,445.8

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

101.1

138.8

Peabody Energy Corporation Stockholders' Equity

3,536.4

3,650.5

Noncontrolling Interests

45.8

58.3

Total Stockholders' Equity

3,582.2

3,708.8

Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity

$            5,807.2

$             5,953.7

This information is intended to be reviewed in conjunction with the company's filings with the SEC.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

For the Quarters Ended Dec. 31, 2025, Sept. 30, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2024 and the
Years Ended Dec. 31, 2025 and 2024

(Dollars In Millions)

Quarter Ended

Year Ended

Dec.

Sept.

Dec.

Dec.

Dec.

2025

2025

2024

2025

2024

Cash Flows From Operating Activities

Net Cash Provided By Continuing Operations

$           69.2

$         122.5

$         121.4

$         336.0

$         612.8

Net Cash Used in Discontinued Operations

(0.6)

(0.5)

(1.6)

(2.3)

(6.3)

Net Cash Provided By Operating Activities

68.6

122.0

119.8

333.7

606.5

Cash Flows From Investing Activities

Additions to Property, Plant, Equipment and Mine Development

(130.6)

(116.2)

(135.6)

(411.4)

(401.3)

Changes in Accrued Expenses Related to Capital Expenditures

24.6

7.4

5.3

(10.0)

(1.2)

Wards Well Acquisition

—

—

—

—

(143.8)

Deposit Associated with Terminated Acquisition

—

—

(75.0)

—

(75.0)

Returned Deposit Related to Terminated Acquisition

—

29.0

—

29.0

—

Insurance Proceeds Attributable to Shoal Creek Equipment
     Losses

—

—

—

—

10.9

Proceeds from Disposal of Assets, Net of Receivables

15.9

4.1

1.0

32.5

17.1

Contributions to Joint Ventures

(165.7)

(144.9)

(177.9)

(601.9)

(728.0)

Distributions from Joint Ventures

162.8

148.3

167.4

617.8

717.2

Other, Net

(0.8)

0.2

6.3

(2.6)

6.0

Net Cash Used In Investing Activities

(93.8)

(72.1)

(208.5)

(346.6)

(598.1)

Cash Flows From Financing Activities

Repayments of Long-Term Debt

(2.3)

(2.3)

(3.2)

(12.2)

(10.4)

Proceeds from Loan Note Related to Terminated Acquisition

—

—

9.3

—

9.3

Repayment of Loan Note Related to Terminated Acquisition

—

(9.3)

—

(9.3)

—

Payment of Debt Issuance and Other Deferred Financing Costs

—

—

(0.9)

(1.8)

(12.0)

Common Stock Repurchases

—

—

—

—

(183.1)

Excise Taxes Paid Related to Common Stock Repurchases

—

—

(3.3)

(1.7)

(3.3)

Repurchase of Employee Common Stock Relinquished for Tax
     Withholding

—

—

—

(0.8)

(4.1)

Dividends Paid

(9.0)

(9.2)

(9.1)

(36.5)

(37.6)

Distributions to Noncontrolling Interests

(0.1)

(8.1)

—

(22.9)

(34.8)

Net Cash Used In Financing Activities

(11.4)

(28.9)

(7.2)

(85.2)

(276.0)

Net Change in Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

(36.6)

21.0

(95.9)

(98.1)

(267.6)

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash at Beginning of
     Period

1,321.1

1,300.1

1,478.5

1,382.6

1,650.2

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash at End of
     Period

$       1,284.5

$       1,321.1

$       1,382.6

$       1,284.5

$       1,382.6

This information is intended to be reviewed in conjunction with the company's filings with the SEC.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures (Unaudited)

For the Quarters Ended Dec. 31, 2025, Sept. 30, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2024 and the
Years Ended Dec. 31, 2025 and 2024

(Dollars In Millions)

Note: Management believes that non-GAAP financial measures are used by investors to measure our operating performance. These measures are not
intended to serve as alternatives to U.S. GAAP measures of performance and may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures presented by
other companies.

Quarter Ended

Year Ended

Dec.

Sept.

Dec.

Dec.

Dec.

2025

2025

2024

2025

2024

Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Net of Income Taxes

$           11.6

$          (66.6)

$           38.3

$          (42.3)

$         407.3

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

99.0

100.0

95.6

384.5

343.0

Asset Retirement Obligation Expenses

(4.8)

13.9

10.2

36.5

48.9

Restructuring Charges

0.3

4.0

2.3

9.5

4.4

Costs Related to Terminated Acquisition

3.7

54.0

10.3

78.9

10.3

Shoal Creek Insurance Recovery - Property Damage

—

—

—

—

(28.7)

Changes in Amortization of Basis Difference Related to Equity
     Affiliates

(0.8)

(0.5)

(0.7)

(2.7)

(1.8)

Other Operating Loss

5.6

—

—

5.6

3.7

Interest Expense, Net of Capitalized Interest

11.3

10.0

11.8

43.9

46.9

Interest Income

(12.3)

(13.9)

(17.3)

(55.4)

(71.0)

Net Mark-to-Market Adjustment on Actuarially Determined

     Liabilities

(5.4)

—

(6.1)

(5.4)

(6.1)

Unrealized Losses (Gains) on Foreign Currency Option

     Contracts

0.1

2.3

9.4

(6.0)

9.0

Take-or-Pay Contract-Based Intangible Recognition

(0.2)

(0.3)

(0.7)

(1.0)

(3.0)

Income Tax Provision (Benefit)

10.0

(3.4)

23.6

8.8

108.8

Adjusted EBITDA (1)

$         118.1

$           99.5

$         176.7

$         454.9

$         871.7

Operating Costs and Expenses

$         878.4

$         896.9

$         957.0

$       3,334.9

$       3,420.9

Unrealized (Losses) Gains on Foreign Currency Option

     Contracts

(0.1)

(2.3)

(9.4)

6.0

(9.0)

Take-or-Pay Contract-Based Intangible Recognition

0.2

0.3

0.7

1.0

3.0

Net Periodic Benefit Credit, Excluding Service Cost

(7.4)

(7.5)

(10.2)

(29.7)

(40.6)

Total Segment Costs (2)

$         871.1

$         887.4

$         938.1

$       3,312.2

$       3,374.3

(1)

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as income (loss) from continuing operations before deducting net interest expense, income taxes, asset retirement obligation expenses and depreciation, depletion and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is also adjusted for the discrete items that management excluded in analyzing the reportable segments' operating performance, as displayed in the reconciliation above. Adjusted EBITDA is used by the chief operating decision maker as the primary financial metric to measure each segment's operating performance against expected results and to allocate resources, including capital investment in mining operations and potential expansions.

(2)

Total Segment Costs is defined as operating costs and expenses adjusted for the discrete items that management excluded in analyzing each segment's operating performance, as displayed in the reconciliation above. Total Segment Costs is used by management as a component of a metric to measure each segment's operating performance.

This information is intended to be reviewed in conjunction with the company's filings with the SEC.

Supplemental Financial Data (Unaudited)

For the Quarters Ended Dec. 31, 2025, Sept. 30, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2024 and the
Years Ended Dec. 31, 2025 and 2024

Quarter Ended

Year Ended

Dec.

Sept.

Dec.

Dec.

Dec.

2025

2025

2024

2025

2024

Tons Sold (In Millions)

31.9

32.5

33.1

122.0

118.0

Revenue Summary (In Millions)

Seaborne Thermal

$         205.6

$         242.7

$         309.3

$         908.5

$       1,213.9

Seaborne Metallurgical

305.4

258.9

271.8

1,036.6

1,055.6

Powder River Basin

300.3

301.4

317.5

1,153.0

1,098.8

Other U.S. Thermal

191.5

192.0

212.3

707.3

822.6

Total U.S. Thermal

491.8

493.4

529.8

1,860.3

1,921.4

Corporate and Other

19.5

17.1

12.2

56.1

45.8

Total

$       1,022.3

$       1,012.1

$       1,123.1

$       3,861.5

$       4,236.7

Total Segment Costs Summary (In Millions) (1)

Seaborne Thermal

$         142.1

$         201.7

$         197.5

$         686.3

$         783.9

Seaborne Metallurgical

280.8

231.1

249.0

980.2

893.9

Powder River Basin

255.5

249.7

264.8

977.2

960.2

Other U.S. Thermal

173.4

185.1

171.8

635.9

671.8

Total U.S. Thermal

428.9

434.8

436.6

1,613.1

1,632.0

Corporate and Other

19.3

19.8

55.0

32.6

64.5

Total

$         871.1

$         887.4

$         938.1

$       3,312.2

$       3,374.3

Other Supplemental Financial Data (In Millions)

Adjusted EBITDA - Seaborne Thermal

$           63.5

$           41.0

$         111.8

$         222.2

$         430.0

Adjusted EBITDA - Seaborne Metallurgical, Excluding Shoal
     Creek Insurance Recovery

24.6

27.8

22.8

56.4

161.7

Shoal Creek Insurance Recovery - Business Interruption

—

—

—

—

80.8

Adjusted EBITDA - Seaborne Metallurgical

24.6

27.8

22.8

56.4

242.5

Adjusted EBITDA - Powder River Basin

44.8

51.7

52.7

175.8

138.6

Adjusted EBITDA - Other U.S. Thermal

18.1

6.9

40.5

71.4

150.8

Adjusted EBITDA - Total U.S. Thermal

62.9

58.6

93.2

247.2

289.4

Middlemount

(1.0)

(1.7)

10.2

(10.9)

13.1

Resource Management Results (2)

11.4

5.3

2.7

39.5

19.2

Selling and Administrative Expenses

(30.5)

(27.4)

(26.3)

(105.0)

(91.0)

Other Operating Costs, Net (3)

(12.8)

(4.1)

(37.7)

5.5

(31.5)

Adjusted EBITDA (1)

$         118.1

$           99.5

$         176.7

$         454.9

$         871.7

(1)

Total Segment Costs and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures. Refer to the "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section in this document for definitions and reconciliations to the most comparable measures under U.S. GAAP.

(2)

Includes gains (losses) on certain surplus coal reserve, coal resource and surface land sales and property management costs and revenue.

(3)

Includes trading and brokerage activities, costs associated with post-mining activities, gains (losses) on certain asset disposals, minimum charges on certain transportation-related contracts, results from the Company's equity method investment in renewable energy joint ventures, costs associated with suspended operations, holding costs associated with the Centurion Mine, the impact of foreign currency remeasurement and expenses related to the Company's other commercial activities.

This information is intended to be reviewed in conjunction with the company's filings with the SEC.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the securities laws. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words or variation of words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "projects," "forecasts," "targets," "would," "will," "should," "goal," "could" or "may" or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements provide management's or the Board's current expectations or predictions of future conditions, events, or results. All statements that address operating performance, events, or developments that may occur in the future are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the shareholder return framework, execution of the Company's operating plans, market conditions for the Company's products, reclamation obligations, financial outlook, potential acquisitions and strategic investments, the development of the Company's rare earth elements and critical minerals program, and liquidity requirements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and reflect Peabody's good faith beliefs, assumptions, and expectations, but they are not guarantees of future performance or events. Furthermore, Peabody disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, except as required by law. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, a variety of economic, competitive, and regulatory factors, many of which are beyond Peabody's control, that are described in Peabody's periodic reports filed with the SEC including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2024 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended Mar. 31, 2025 and Sept. 30, 2025, and other factors that Peabody may describe from time to time in other filings with the SEC. You may get such filings for free at Peabody's website at www.peabodyenergy.com. You should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors and, consequently, you should not consider any such list to be a complete set of all potential risks or uncertainties.

SOURCE Peabody

NEW YORK, Feb. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AGM Group Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: AGMH, “AGMH” or the “Company”), a technology company focus on high-performance computing and frontier innovation, today launched a large-scale strategic procurement initiative targeting leading global semiconductor suppliers. This program focus on securing high-performance enterprise-grade NAND Flash memory and associated controller chips, which will exclusively support AGMH’s independently developed all-flash storage server systems designed specifically for AI workloads. This move marks a critical milestone in the Company's efforts to build a robust, high-efficiency AI infrastructure ecosystem.

Addressing AI Compute Bottlenecks: From "Compute-Centric" to "Storage-Compute Co-Design"
As generative AI (AIGC) and large language models (LLMs) continue to scale exponentially in parameter size, data center storage subsystems are now facing unprecedented demands in throughput and latency. Traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), and even general-purpose solid-state drives (SSDs), can no longer keep pace with the extreme performance of modern GPU clusters. Thus, storage has become a key bottleneck limiting AI training efficiency.

To address this industry-wide challenge, AGMH’s strategic procurement initiative aims to holistically resolve compute-storage decoupling by establishing direct access to premium semiconductor resources, include:

Strengthening Supply Chain Resilience and Security: By procuring directly from tier-one wafer and chip manufacturers, AGMH mitigates risks related to geopolitical tensions and market volatility, ensuring long-term stability for its AI infrastructure business.
Enabling Deep Hardware Optimization: Leveraging top-tier flash components alongside AGMH’s proprietary firmware algorithms and hardware architecture, the Company is developing storage solutions finely tuned for high-concurrency, random read/write patterns typical in AI applications.
Reducing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): With superior energy efficiency and high IOPS density inherent to all-flash architectures, AGMH’s AI storage systems are expected to significantly lower power consumption and cooling expenses in data centers, thereby improving capital and operational expenditure efficiency.
Building a Data-Centric Next-Generation AI Computing Platform
The CEO of AGMH said: “In the era of AI, computing power serves as the engine driving model evolution, while storage acts as the fuel supply that sustains high-performance operations. Without solving the data delivery bottleneck, even the most advanced GPUs cannot reach their full potential. Our collaboration with globally renowned semiconductor partners not only demonstrates AGMH’s capabilities in advanced component integration but also signifies a decisive step toward becoming a provider of core AI infrastructure technologies. Moving forward, we remain committed to advancing storage-compute convergence and delivering integrated, energy-efficient, and scalable AI computing platforms to customers worldwide.”

Product Vision: Purpose-Built All-Flash Architecture for AI Workloads
AGMH’s next-generation all-flash storage server systems currently under development will focus on the following technological innovations:

End-to-End NVMe Support: Maximizes native flash performance by minimizing protocol overhead and dramatically reducing data loading time during AI model training, thus increasing overall GPU utilization.
High-Density Design: Incorporates modular chassis and advanced thermal management to deliver petabyte-scale high-speed capacity within constrained rack space, suitable for both hyperscale cloud environments and edge computing nodes.
Intelligent Tiering Management: Utilizes proprietary software-defined storage (SDS) technology to identify hot and cold data streams dynamically, enhancing real-time inference efficiency while extending media lifespan.
This strategic initiative focus on reinforcing global supply chain partnerships and internal R&D capabilities—represents a significant advancement in AGMH’s vertical integration strategy and commitment to building an AI-native infrastructure platform. AGMH will continue to drive a dual-engine strategy of “deep hardware innovation + advanced algorithm design,” empowering industries to accelerate their transformation into the intelligent era.

About AGM GROUP HOLDINGS INC.
AGM GROUP HOLDINGS INC. is one of the few publicly-listed companies at US market with both ASIC chip design (“ASIC”) and crypto miner (“Crypto”) production capabilities and its released crypto miner has competitive product performance and parameters. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at https://agmhgroup.com/

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company's current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "approximates," "assesses," "believes," "hopes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "projects," "intends," "plans," "will," "would," "should," "could," "may" or similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company's registration statement and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

For more information, please contact:

AGM GROUP HOLDINGS INC.
Investor Relations Department
Email: [email protected]
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As Solana (SOL) trades at multi-year lows, some analysts have lowered their end-of-year targets. Meanwhile, other market watchers have warned that the altcoin risks another 50% correction after a bearish formation was recently confirmed.

Solana Confirms Head And Shoulders Pattern On Wednesday, Solana retraced nearly 10% in the daily timeframe, reaching a two-year low of $90. The cryptocurrency had been trading between $120 and $250 in the monthly chart since February 2024, retesting and bouncing from its macro support multiple times.

The altcoin lost this crucial area over the weekend, closing January at around $105. After failing to maintain this level, SOL started the month attempting to hold the $100 psychological barrier and reclaim the $105 resistance as support.

Nonetheless, the latest market movement, which also dragged Bitcoin (BTC) toward multi-year lows, pushed Solana below its bull market lows from last year. Amid this performance, market observer Alex Clay affirmed that SOL has “started to look bad.”

The analyst affirmed that the altcoin’s chart shows a confirmed bearish formation after the recent price action, noting that it has also lost an important support zone.

Per the chart, the cryptocurrency displays a macro Head and Shoulders (H&S) pattern in the weekly timeframe, which has been forming since early 2024. The left shoulder developed during the Q1-Q2 2024 run, while the head formed during its late 2024 and early 2025 rally, which led to its All-Time High (ATH) of $293.

SOL H&S pattern’s breakdown target $42. Source: Alex Clay on X This performance placed the neckline of the bearish formation around the $105 area. Notably, the pattern’s right shoulder began to develop after the Q3 2025 rally and was confirmed during the latest market crash.

Now, the cryptocurrency has fallen below the neckline and could confirm it as resistance if the price closes the week under $105. Clay warned that the pattern’s first target sits around the $42 mark, which would represent a 55% correction from the current levels.

SOL’s Chart Tell ‘Grim’ Story Other market watchers also expressed their concerns about SOL’s future performance, suggesting that a correction toward new lows is likely. Sjuul from AltCryptoGems noted that the Solana chart gives “a truly panic-inducing feeling” with “a vast no man’s land!” below it.

Similarly, Crypto Tony asserted that after breaking the $100 low “with conviction,” the next major support for the altcoin sits around $50. To him, a correction toward this area is “obvious” as Bitcoin has “yet to find a bottom.”

Altcoin Sherpa cautioned that SOL has also lost the 200-Week Exponential Moving Average (EMA), which is “a last stand area before $75 or lower.” He pointed out that the cryptocurrency tends to have strong price reactions due to “the gambling chain,” but noted that means corrections are usually stronger.

Moreover, a major financial institution has recently lowered its end-of-year target for Solana. As reported by NewsBTC, Standard Chartered trimmed its near-term forecast from $310 to $250, mentioning the time required for the network’s next major use case to scale.

Despite its short-term trim, the bank raised its longer-term targets, forecasting SOL at $2,000 by 2030 as it stops being “a one-trick pony” and evolves “from memecoins to micropayments.”

As of this writing, Solana is trading at $93.28, a 27.9% decline on the weekly timeframe.

Solana’s performance in the one-week chart. Source: SOLUSDT on TradingView Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

The cryptocurrency market has continued its bearish start to February as Bitcoin and other major coins and tokens recorded massive losses on Wednesday. 

Bitcoin lost 7% of its value in the last 24 hours and briefly dropped below the $71k level.

Ether risks dropping below $2k as it is down by 5.5% since Wednesday.

However, Hyperliquid’s HYPE is in the green, making it the best performer among the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market cap.

HYPE’s rally can be attributed to Hyperliquid integration with Ripple Prime, the institutional prime brokerage platform of Ripple.

Hyperliquid integrates with Ripple Prime Copy link to section

Ripple Prime announced its integration with Hyperliquid on Wednesday, resulting in HYPE adding nearly 4% to its value since then.

However, Ripple’s XRP has lost 12% of its value since then and is now trading below $1.40.

The integration enables Ripple Prime clients to access cross-margined decentralized finance derivatives alongside other positions on the platform, while keeping risks and capital efficiency centralized. 

The company added that some of the other positions include traditional assets such as fixed income, FX, and over-the-counter swaps.

While commenting on the partnership, Michael Higgins, International CEO of Ripple Prime, stated that,

“At Ripple Prime, we are excited to continue leading the way in merging decentralized finance with traditional prime brokerage services, offering direct support to trading, yield generation, and a wider range of digital assets.” 

Hyperliquid remains one of the best performers this year despite the broader cryptocurrency market recording losses in recent weeks.

The DEX’s open interest recovered above $10 billion in mid-January amid the bearish market conditions.

While the OI has now dropped below $6 billion, it remains one of the highest among the leading DEXs in the market. 

Recent developments have also contributed to HYPE’s rally. The activation of HIP-3, which introduced tokenized commodity trading, enabled permissionless perpetual market creation.

Furthermore, the upcoming HIP-4 proposal is set to introduce outcome-based trading contracts for prediction markets and options-style derivatives.

Is HYPE heading towards $40? Copy link to section

The HYPE/USD 4-hour chart is currently bullish, making it the exception among the leading 20 cryptocurrencies by market cap.

The announcement of its partnership with Ripple Prime saw HYPE bounce 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) and add nearly 4% to its value since Wednesday.

HYPE faced rejection around the $36 resistance level and is now trading at $34.6 per coin.

The RSI of 56 is above the neutral 50, indicating a growing bullish momentum. The MACD lines have also entered the positive zone, indicating a bullish bias.

If the rally continues, HYPE would overcome the $36 resistance level and hit the $40 psychological level in the near term.

However, if the resistance level holds, HYPE would likely retest the Sunday low of $27.6.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin sold about 2,961 Ether worth $6.6 million over a three-day period, after previously announcing plans to withdraw some of his holdings.

Blockchain tracker Lookonchain said in a Thursday X post that the transactions were executed at an average price of about $2,228 per Ether (ETH). Ethereum’s native cryptocurrency traded at around $2,130 at the time of writing, down by more than 5% over the past day, according to CoinMarketCap.

Arkham Intelligence data shows that the ETH sales were routed through CoW Protocol, with multiple small swaps rather than a single block trade. Such transactions are commonly used to reduce market impact.

Buterin earmarks $45 million in ETH for privacy and open infrastructure pushLast week, Buterin said he has set aside 16,384 Ether, worth about $45 million, from his personal holdings to support privacy-preserving technologies, open hardware and secure, verifiable software. He added that the funds would be deployed gradually over the coming years as the Ethereum Foundation enters a period of what he described as “mild austerity,” while continuing to pursue its technical roadmap.

Buterin’s post from last week. Source: Vitalik Buterin Buterin said he is personally taking on responsibilities that might otherwise fall under special foundation projects, with a focus on building an open, secure and verifiable technology stack spanning software and hardware.

“Specifically, we are seeking the existence of an open-source, secure and verifiable full stack of software and hardware that can protect both our personal lives and our public environments.”The Ethereum Foundation has previously faced criticism for selling ETH to fund operations, but has since explored alternative strategies, including staking and decentralized finance-based approaches.

Market sensitivity grows amid uncertaintyThe sales come during a period of heightened sensitivity toward large holders. Falling ETH prices have prompted leveraged Ether whales to unload assets to repay loans, adding to the sell pressure.

In an X post on Tuesday, Bitwise chief investment officer Matt Hougan said that the crypto market has been in a “full-blown crypto winter” since January 2025. “Chances are, we’re closer to the end than the beginning,” Hougan said.

Magazine: Bitget’s Gracy Chen is looking for ‘entrepreneurs, not wantrepreneurs’

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The XRP Ledger activated a new access control framework on its main network on Wednesday, following validators’ approval of the permissioned domains protocol amendment. 

According to an update from the Ripple developers, X account, permissioned Domains have been officially activated on XRPL under the XLS-80 amendment. These domains will launch controlled participation environments directly on the public ledger infrastructure, the developers said.

A strong validator backing for the amendment saw more than 91% of network validators support the proposal, clearing the threshold required by XRPL’s governance rules. The upgrade will allow regulated entities to interact with liquidity pools on the shared blockchain, while the “full permissioning stack” will be available to institutions soon, Ripple confirmed.

Moreover, the permissioned decentralized exchange has already achieved validator consensus and is scheduled to activate in two weeks. XRPL’s standard amendment process requires amendments to undergo a waiting period after a supermajority approval.

90% validator vote leads to permissioned domains activation As reported by Cryptopolitan, the XLS-80 amendment surpassed the 80% validator support threshold in late January. It then entered the mandatory formal two-week activation window that concluded on February 4. The now-active proposal introduces permissioned domains as managed environments, with activity governed by rule-based credentials. 

The domains would allow institutions to use the blockchain ledger’s shared security and transparency while controlling who may participate. Ripple’s developers noted that the method is the best way for financial firms to adopt decentralized systems while maintaining regulatory compliance.

“This approach aims to bridge the gap between the transparency and security benefits of decentralized blockchain technology and the regulatory requirements of traditional financial institutions,” said Ripple devs.

Permissioned Domains build on the XLS-70 Credentials system, which supports verifiable attestations that confirm compliance status issued by trusted parties. Domain operators set rules by defining which credentials are acceptable. 

Accounts with valid credentials will automatically become domain members once the criteria are met, with no additional enrollment steps required. Compromised credentials or misuse of domains for unlawful purposes must be addressed through governance and operational controls, Ripple said.

A typical permissioned blockchain system uses nodes with verified identities, membership service providers, and structured consensus engines. In the case of XRPL, application logic for the domains will run through smart contract layers.

The system adds technical elements such as the PermissionedDomain ledger object and specialized management transactions. Those transactions include PermissionedDomainSet and PermissionedDomainDelete, which allow domain creation and removal. 

On the other hand, the Permissioned decentralized exchange will operate inside the native XRPL trading engine. Its order books will accept trades only from accounts that meet domain requirements for validators to approve transactions in liquidity pools for regulated participants.

🚨 David Schwartz Reveals The Feature That Will Let Institutions Deploy Billions in Liquidity on XRPL

Permissioned Domains with zk-Credential System was the last piece of the puzzle institutions needed to deploy trillions in capital securely on-chain.

Epstein funding ZCash and… https://t.co/PLJoTNyIl2 pic.twitter.com/55c8BoUp79

— Stern Drew (@SternDrewCrypto) February 3, 2026

XRP enthusiasts on X reiterate that one reason institutions can’t yet use XRPL-based decentralized exchanges for payments is the lack of permissioned domains. The community believes the changes will now rope in institutions and Ripple itself to use the ledger for transactions, in preparation for the permissioned DEX. 

XRP lending amendment enters governance phase In other related blockchain news, XRPL’s native lending protocol reached the governance phase on January 28. The proposal, named the XLS-66d amendment, entered validator voting after the release of network software version 3.1.0. All 34 validators began casting votes on enabling lending functionality directly on the ledger. 

The framework introduces structured credit tools for professional market participants, with loans under the system carrying fixed durations of 30 to 180 days. The set repayment terms are defined in advance, and each agreement is recorded directly on-chain. 

XLS-66d will see XRPL lenders issue fixed-term agreements and predictable settlement structures, and each loan will create a signed ledger entry documenting the terms. Furthermore, credit checks and risk assessments will take place off-chain through established underwriting processes. 

The lending protocol records each broker object directly on the ledger, listed in an Owner Directory controlled by the account that submits the LoanBrokerSet transaction.

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Journalist

Posted: February 5, 2026

At press time, Bitcoin [BTC] was hovering near the key $70,000 level, drawing significant attention in the U.S. Congress.

During a review of the FSOC’s 2025 report, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent faced sharp questioning on crypto and its impact on financial stability.

While testifying before the House Financial Services Committee, Secretary Bessent came under pressure from Representative Brad Sherman, a well‑known critic of crypto. Sherman pressed him on whether the government could, or would, intervene to “bail out” Bitcoin if its price collapsed.

This tense exchange underscored a broader debate: should Bitcoin be left entirely to the free market, or should it be treated as a strategic asset that the U.S. government may need to safeguard?

What was said? Rep. Sherman asked,

“Could you instruct the banks of this country to buy more Bitcoin or change banking regulations so that they’re encouraged to do so in terms of the reserves that they’re otherwise required to have?”

To which Bessent replied, 

“I am secretary of the treasury. I do not have the authority to do that and as chair of FSOC I do not have that authority.”

Tensions escalated when Sherman pressed for a direct yes‑or‑no answer on whether taxpayer money would ever be used to support a declining crypto market.

Rather than responding directly, Secretary Bessent redirected the discussion to the administration’s broader strategy.

He defended the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, emphasizing that it is not a financial burden but a national security asset designed to strengthen America’s role in the digital economy.

Bessent replied, 

“We are retaining seized Bitcoin. That’s not exactly taxpayer money. That is an asset of the US. It’s an asset of the US.”

By doing so, Bessent made it clear that the Treasury sees Bitcoin as an important part of the U.S. financial system, one it plans to support through policy, not bailouts.

Bessent confirmed during the hearing that the seized Bitcoin had gone up in value.

He said,

“Of that $1 billion in Bitcoin that was seized, $500 million was retained, and that $500 million has become over $15 billion,”

 Trump’s pro-crypto stance takes centre stage For the administration and its supporters, including Chairman French Hill and Representative Andy Barr, the growth in crypto-related assets shows that their pro-growth policies are working. However, Democrats ended the session with strong criticism.

Ranking Member Maxine Waters said the administration’s policies favor Wall Street over ordinary Americans. Overall, Democrats accused Treasury Secretary Bessent of dismissing serious warnings about possible market risks.

In contrast, Republicans defended the administration.

Chairman French Hill praised deregulation and strong economic data, while Bessent said lighter rules would support innovation and small banks.

Overall, Republicans supported “tailored” regulations, arguing that smaller banks should not be treated the same as large global institutions and stressing the need to strengthen the commercial banking sector.

Final thoughts Treasury Secretary Bessent’s defense of seized Bitcoin signals a shift toward treating digital assets as strategic reserves. Democrats’ warnings reflect lingering fears of repeating past financial crises.

Key NotesPayy has launched an ETH L2 network that will be a custom chain in MetaMask.Payy CEO confirms that there have been complaints about the slow speed involved in large TradFi institutions transferring capital onchain.zKSync has released its 2026 roadmap, a proof of new focus on infrastructure. Crypto wallet provider Payy has expanded its operation by launching an Ethereum Layer-2 network with support for private ERC-20 transfers. The crypto-inclined firm announced the milestone on X on Feb. 4. The startup said it is already engaging launch partners, including stablecoin issuers, however, it withheld their names with plans to disclose them at a later date.

Payy Attacks Slow Speed for TradFi Investors Payy is known for operating a privacy-focused wallet alongside a crypto banking card. The latest launch of an Ethereum L2 marks an extension of its services.

Going forward, users of the protocol can now have the network as a custom chain in MetaMask. In addition, every ERC-20 transfer made on the L2 goes through privacy pools by default and no smart contract changes are required.

https://t.co/H4zacqj5V7

— Payy (@payy_link) February 4, 2026

According to Payy, it expects institutions and fintech firms to be the two core user types on its network. This includes those in search of systems and infrastructures that usher financial flows onchain while limiting public transaction traceability. It is equally open to crypto natives who want to interact with privacy tools without “juggling multiple wallets.”

Payy CEO Sid Gandhi noted that the startup is focused on removing the drudgery involved in large Traditional Finance (TradFi) institutions transferring capital onchain. He admits that there have been several complaints about this situation.

“They cannot move real capital flows onchain if their financial data is exposed to the world,” Gandhi noted.

zKSynC Prepares 2026 Roadmap Some undisclosed launch partners, including stablecoin issuers, have been signed into this initiative. According to the roadmap, it is only a matter of weeks before their names are revealed.

Based on design, the network is compatible with all Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) wallets. The project’s website shows that the L2 is targeted toward enabling private stablecoin transfers on its network, though it supports all ERC-20 tokens.

While new Ethereum L2s are entering the market, the existing ones are focused on establishing themselves within the ecosystem. Around mid-January, zkSync outlined a clear shift toward real-world infrastructure in its 2026 roadmap.

A glance through the plans shows that the network placed banks, asset managers, and regulated firms at the center of this next phase. The goal is to solve privacy, control, and compliance gaps, especially those that have impacted the speed of institutional cryptocurrency investors.

Disclaimer: Coinspeaker is committed to providing unbiased and transparent reporting. This article aims to deliver accurate and timely information but should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Since market conditions can change rapidly, we encourage you to verify information on your own and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content.

Cryptocurrency News, News

Benjamin Godfrey is a blockchain enthusiast and journalist who relishes writing about the real life applications of blockchain technology and innovations to drive general acceptance and worldwide integration of the emerging technology. His desire to educate people about cryptocurrencies inspires his contributions to renowned blockchain media and sites.

Godfrey Benjamin on X

TL;DR

Bitcoin Outflows: Spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $544.9 million in withdrawals as IBIT, FBTC, and GBTC led redemptions while Bitcoin fell below $71,000. Ethereum Pressure: Ethereum ETFs posted $79.4 million in outflows, concentrated in BlackRock and Fidelity products amid continued underperformance. XRP Resilience: XRP ETFs recorded $4.83 million in inflows, contrasting with mixed flows across Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana products.
Institutional sentiment across crypto ETFs remained defensive as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana products extended their latest streak of withdrawals while XRP-linked funds again stood out with modest inflows. The uneven activity reflects a market still shaped by risk aversion, even as selective capital rotates toward assets perceived to offer clearer catalysts or regulatory footing.

Bitcoin Outflows Accelerate as Price Slides Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded another sharp withdrawal day, with $544.9 million exiting major products as selling pressure intensified. BlackRock’s IBIT led with $373.44 million in redemptions, followed by $86.44 million from Fidelity’s FBTC and $41.77 million from Grayscale’s GBTC. The two-day total reached $816.96 million, coinciding with Bitcoin’s drop below $71,000, its lowest level since October 2024. Despite the pullback, cumulative net inflows since launch remain substantial at $54.75 billion, representing 6.36% of Bitcoin’s market capitalization.

Ethereum ETFs also faced sustained outflows, with $79.4 million leaving U.S. spot products. BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust saw $58.95 million in redemptions, while Fidelity’s FETH shed $20.53 million. Other funds reported no flows, underscoring the narrow concentration of activity. The withdrawals align with Ethereum’s relative underperformance and ongoing uncertainty around staking-related catalysts, which continue to limit institutional appetite.

Solana Products See Limited Movement Solana ETF flows remained muted, with U.S. spot products posting a net outflow exceeding $6 million. The modest scale of movement suggests reduced selling pressure compared with recent weeks, yet the absence of meaningful inflows highlights persistent caution. Institutional conviction around Solana exposure appears constrained as broader market sentiment stays fragile.

In contrast to the dominant outflow trend, XRP ETFs attracted $4.83 million in net inflows. Franklin Templeton’s XRPZ captured more than half of the total, marking another day of relative resilience. While the inflows remain modest, they highlight selective positioning as investors gravitate toward assets viewed as having differentiated narratives or clearer regulatory trajectories.

Shiba Inu price drops over 6% as the network records zero burn activity for the second time in seven days. SHIB trades at $0.000006325 with analysts warning of a potential 81% crash ahead.

Newton Gitonga2 min read

5 February 2026, 11:32 AM

The Shiba Inu network has recorded zero burn activity for the second time in under a week. Shibburn data shows no SHIB tokens were removed from circulation in the past 24 hours. This marks a concerning trend for the dog-themed cryptocurrency. The price has fallen more than 5% during the same period.

The burn mechanism serves a specific purpose in the SHIB ecosystem. It permanently removes tokens from the total supply to create scarcity. The strategy aims to boost demand and support price appreciation through reduced availability.

Current data reveals the circulating supply stands at 585,423,776,344,682 SHIB. Without active burning, this number remains unchanged. The deflationary model has effectively stalled.

Recent Burn Activity Falls ShortThe most recent burn event occurred 48 hours ago. Only 777,777 SHIB tokens were destroyed in that transaction. The modest amount failed to generate meaningful price momentum.

Trading data paints a bearish picture. SHIB reached a daily high of $0.000006809 before sliding to $0.000006415. The token currently trades at $0.000006325, down 6.17% in 24 hours.

Volume tells an interesting story. Trading activity surged 11.99% to $180.43 million. However, most transactions represent selling pressure rather than buying interest.

The broader cryptocurrency market faces significant headwinds. Bitcoin has lost over $5,000 in value within a single day. The leading digital asset dropped from $76,486.24 to $71,222. Market observers believe Bitcoin must reclaim the $72,500 level to provide relief across the sector.

Technical Analysis Points to Further DeclineAnalyst Ali Martinez has issued a stark warning about SHIB's technical structure. The meme coin has broken below critical support at $0.000006672. This level previously provided a floor for price action.

Martinez projects a potential 81% crash from current levels. Such a decline would erase nearly three years of accumulated gains. The prediction reflects growing concerns about SHIB's short-term trajectory.

On-chain data reveals a spike in spot flows. Activity increased by over 1,500% in the last 24 hours. Despite this surge, the metric failed to reverse the negative price trend.

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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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14 minutes ago

Bitcoin has slipped to roughly $70,000 on February 5 — about 20% below the estimated $87,000 cost to produce a single coin — as hashrate declines, shrinking margins, and a broader market rout drag miner profitability to its lowest point in 14 months.

Key Takeaways:

– Bitcoin is trading near $71,000, roughly 20% below its estimated all-in production cost — a gap that has historically only appeared during bear markets.

– The Miner Profit and Loss Sustainability Index has sunk to 21, a level not seen since November 2024, after daily mining revenue briefly touched $28 million.

– A difficulty adjustment expected on February 8 could cut mining difficulty by around 14%, throwing a lifeline to operators still running machines.

CryptoQuant data puts the network hashrate near 970 exahashes per second, down 12% from a peak of roughly 1.1 zettahashes per second in October — the steepest slide since China’s 2021 mining ban.

The downturn traces back to early October, when Bitcoin was trading near $126,000. The largest derivatives liquidation event on record kicked off a sell-off that has yet to find a floor. CryptoQuant’s Bull Score Index has since fallen to zero.

Miner Revenue Collapses as Block Times Drift Above TargetThe financial strain on miners has intensified sharply in recent weeks. Daily Bitcoin mining revenue plunged from roughly $45 million to a yearly low of $28 million in late January, driven by a combination of falling prices and severe US winter storms that forced large operators to curtail production.

Output from the largest publicly traded miners dropped from roughly 77 Bitcoin per day to just 28 over the same period, according to CryptoQuant.

Average block times have drifted to roughly 11.6 minutes, well above the protocol’s 10-minute target, reflecting the volume of hashpower that has gone offline.

The Miner Profit and Loss Sustainability Index has slid to 21, confirming that revenues are failing to cover costs for a significant portion of the network. Older models, including the Antminer S19 XP+ and MicroBT M60S, are no longer profitable at current difficulty and standard electricity rates of $0.08 per kilowatt-hour.

Even newer S21-series machines are approaching their shutdown price range of $69,000 to $74,000, as previously reported.

Difficulty Adjustment Expected to Deliver Sharpest Cut Since 2021The next Bitcoin difficulty retarget, projected for February 8, is estimated to cut mining difficulty by approximately 14% to around 121 trillion, down from the current 141.67 trillion.

If confirmed, it would mark the largest single negative adjustment since mid-2021 and would immediately improve revenue per unit of computing power for miners that remain online.

VanEck, the digital assets investment firm, has argued that sustained hashrate declines have historically functioned as contrarian indicators. The firm’s data shows that negative 90-day hashrate growth has been followed by positive 180-day Bitcoin returns 77% of the time, with an average gain of 72%.

“When hash rate compression persists over longer periods, positive forward returns tend to occur more often and with greater magnitude,” VanEck analysts Matt Sigel and Patrick Bush wrote in a December research note.

AI Pivot and Institutional Retreat Add Layers of UncertaintyPart of the hashrate decline may be structural rather than cyclical. As covered earlier this year, miners including IREN and Core Scientific, have been redirecting capacity toward artificial intelligence and high-performance computing workloads, which offer steadier returns than block rewards in the current margin environment.

VanEck estimated that as much as 10% of Bitcoin’s hashrate could eventually shift toward AI permanently.

Meanwhile, institutional demand through US spot Bitcoin ETFs has reversed. Research data shows ETFs have become net sellers in early 2026, offloading roughly 10,600 BTC year-to-date compared with purchases of about 46,000 BTC over the same period in 2025.

Bitcoin has fallen to its lowest level in more than a year in three weeks of red that have brought its price to $70,600 as of writing.

In today’s Solana News, Standard Chartered is encouraging market participants to look beyond short-term swings in digital assets and concentrate instead on what it describes as higher-quality blockchain networks. The comments come as the recent downturn makes prices cheaper across the crypto space while also creating a clearer separation between stronger ecosystems and more speculative tokens.

According to Geoff Kendrick, the bank’s Head of FX and Digital Assets Research, the latest pullback offers a strategic window to buy into projects with long-term sustainability rather than chasing short-lived rallies.

Standard Chartered Brands Solana “Quality” Layer-1 Network Kendrick noted that he is adding to his crypto positions during the weakness, arguing that assets with long-term prospects are likely to emerge strongly as volatility fades. Within that framework, Ethereum and Solana remain the bank’s preferred layer-1 blockchains.

He reiterated that Ethereum stands out because of its dominance in DeFi, ongoing scalability upgrades, and improving regulatory clarity. At the same time, he placed Solana in a similar “quality” category, citing its technical strengths and growing ecosystem.

Still, the bank has slightly adjusted its near-term expectations for SOL. Standard Chartered lowered its 2026 forecast to $250 from $310, acknowledging that Solana’s next major move could take longer to fully develop.

Nonetheless, the revision does not reflect weakening confidence. Instead, the bank lifted its longer-term outlook, arguing that Solana’s structural advantages remain intact.

What Could Power the Next Bullish Phase Looking further ahead, Kendrick believes Solana’s high throughput and low fees could position it as a leading network for micropayments, particularly as AI-driven applications and stablecoin activity expand. If that scenario materializes, the bank expects SOL to outperform Bitcoin between 2027 and 2030.

Importantly, on-chain behavior appears to support that thesis. Activity on Solana’s decentralized exchanges is shifting away from meme tokens and toward SOL-stablecoin pairs. These stablecoins are reportedly turning over two to three times faster than comparable assets on Ethereum, signaling more utility-focused demand.

Standard Chartered also expects Solana to outperform Ethereum this year and into 2027. On a broader scale, it sees SOL gradually narrowing the gap to Ethereum, predicting a $2,000 price by 2030.

Forget Solana: A New 100x Opportunity Emerges Despite a long-term bullish outlook, Solana is struggling to replicate its price performance. As a result, some market participants also look beyond large-cap assets and examine earlier-stage blockchain projects, where price dynamics and risk profiles differ significantly.

Within this broader context, attention has increasingly turned to smaller altcoins operating in niche segments. One project often mentioned in this category is Minotaurus (MTAUR).

MTAUR is a Binance Smart Chain-based token powering a blockchain-integrated gaming platform. Unlike meme-driven tokens, Minotaurus focuses on functional gameplay and token-based mechanics, providing players with exciting features.

Why Just 10,000 MTAUR Can Be Life Changing At the current market price of 0.00012656 USDT, one can acquire 395,000 MTAUR for less than 50 USDT. Let’s assume that MTAUR hypothetically rallies 17,820% as SOL did from its all-time low; a 50 USDT purchase would turn into 8,960 USDT.

Now, imagine buying 100 USDT, 1,000 USDT, or 10,000 USDT worth of MTAUR at the current price, and it allegedly mirrors SOL’s all-time rally. Such portfolio upsides would easily make one a millionaire.

Buy MTAUR now or learn more at minotaurus.io.

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Aragon has launched a new framework and public dashboard designed to help users assess what rights a crypto token actually grants its holders, as ongoing questions persist across the industry around token utility, governance power and whether value flows are real or merely implied.

The release includes the Ownership Token Framework and a companion product, the Ownership Token Dashboard, which publishes structured ownership profiles for selected tokens. At launch, the dashboard features profiles for Uniswap (UNI), Curve (CRV), Lido (LDO), Aerodrome (AERO) and Aave (AAVE). Aragon said additional tokens will be added on a rolling basis.

The initiative targets a recurring issue in crypto markets: many tokens trade on narratives about ownership, control or future fee capture without a consistent way to verify whether those rights are actually implemented in deployed systems.

“Smart contracts make it possible to encode and enforce economic rights directly in code, but those rights only exist where systems actually implement that control plane,”

Aragon CEO Anthony Leutenegger said.

“When ownership is discretionary or unverifiable, tokenholder exposure becomes a matter of trust.”

Tokens can only be evaluated on fundamentals when they have enforceable claims on value and capital flows.

Today we're releasing the Ownership Token Framework, measuring how project fundamentals map to the token by evaluating ownership, value accrual, and verifiability. pic.twitter.com/FeXwOzi3pi

— Aragon.eth 🦅 (@AragonProject) February 4, 2026A push for measurable standardsAragon said the framework is intended to provide a common reference point for evaluating token fundamentals using verifiable onchain and offchain evidence, rather than assumptions or marketing claims.

The company cited a CoinGecko study that found 11.6 million tokens failed in 2025, representing roughly 86% of recorded token failures between 2021 and 2025. While token failures can stem from a range of factors — including liquidity conditions, market structure and speculative launches — Aragon said the figure highlights the need for clearer tools to distinguish between tokens with enforceable rights and those that depend largely on expectations.

The framework focuses narrowly on whether tokenholder rights are implemented and provable, rather than on market performance or popularity.

What the framework evaluatesAccording to Aragon, the Ownership Token Framework assesses tokens across four core categories including onchain control, value accrual, verifiability, and token distribution.

The framework also highlights offchain dependencies such as governance processes, upgrade authorities or operational structures outside smart contracts — that could introduce incentives misaligned with tokenholder interests.

Aragon said the goal is not to “grade” projects, but to document control and value mechanics in a structured, evidence-based format.

Dashboard links assessments to evidenceThe Ownership Token Dashboard applies the framework by presenting token profiles backed by continuously updated onchain and offchain data. Each profile links to supporting evidence, including deployed smart contracts, governance execution paths, value routing mechanisms and relevant offchain structures.

Aragon said the initial set of profiles was developed with input from the protocol teams featured on the dashboard. While the approach aims to reduce third-party guesswork, the accuracy of profiles will still depend on how frequently they are updated as protocols change contracts, permissions or governance processes.

Aragon said the framework and dashboard were reviewed by governance, legal and policy experts focused on onchain systems and digital asset structures, particularly to assess how ownership and control function after token launches.

Miles Jennings, general counsel at a16z crypto, said the framework helps clarify who retains power post-launch and what risks may arise from “hidden dependencies.”

Not an investment adviceAragon emphasized that the framework and dashboard do not constitute legal, financial or investment advice.

Even with improved disclosure, tokenholders still face persistent risks, including concentrated onchain control, low governance participation, smart contract vulnerabilities and valuations disconnected from value accrual mechanisms. Regulatory scrutiny also continues to shape how tokens are issued and marketed across jurisdictions.

The framework’s focus, Aragon said, is strictly on whether rights and value mechanisms exist and can be verified, not on whether a token represents a good or bad investment.

What comes next?The launch comes as crypto markets mature and calls grow louder for clearer standards around token design and disclosure. If widely adopted, the framework could influence how teams communicate tokenholder rights and how analysts and researchers compare tokens beyond price performance.

For now, Aragon’s dashboard covers five large DeFi tokens. Whether it evolves into a broader industry reference point may depend on how consistently it is maintained, how widely it expands and whether market participants come to treat “verifiable ownership” as a baseline expectation rather than a niche analytical lens.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

Bitcoin price continued to face heavy selling pressure this week, trading near the $71,000 level and showing signs of further downside as broader market uncertainty builds. Market observers warn that a break below the $70,000 psychological support could open the door to a deeper correction into the $60,000 range or lower.

Bitcoin Bear Market Duration Shows a Clear DowntrendPast Bitcoin bear markets show a clear trend of becoming shorter with each cycle. The first major downturn lasted about 410 days. The second cycle lasted around 365 days. The most recent completed bear market lasted roughly 330 days. This shows that Bitcoin’s price declines have taken less time over the years.

Despite this pattern, some analysts still use an average duration of about 370 days to estimate market bottoms. This approach ignores the steady shortening of market cycles. 

When historical data is analyzed using trend-based models, the current bear market is projected to last closer to 288 days. Measured from Bitcoin’s all-time high on October 6, this points to a possible market bottom around July 21, 2026.

On-Chain Data Highlights $60,000 as a Potential Bitcoin Bottom ZoneMore signs of a possible Bitcoin price bottom come from a long-used market indicator that compares how much Bitcoin is currently in profit versus how much is in loss. 

In previous market declines, Bitcoin has often reached its lowest point when these two amounts moved close to each other.

 Right now, about 11 million Bitcoins are still in profit, while roughly 9 million are sitting at a loss. If these figures continue to narrow at current price levels, it would point to a Bitcoin price near $60,000, which closely matches where past market bottoms have formed.

Bitcoin Price Bottom TimelineBased on the historical view, Bitcoin’s price could hit a low as early as May 14, well ahead of the July estimate suggested by longer-term trend models. Even though the timelines differ, both point toward the same price area, making $60,000 an important level to watch. 

While market conditions can change quickly and no single method can predict prices with certainty, the way past trends, price behavior, and supply data line up this cycle suggests the downturn may be shorter than in previous years. 

The economic conditions and unexpected events could still affect the outcome, but the repeating patterns seen across multiple Bitcoin cycles offer useful context for those watching Bitcoin’s long-term price direction.

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A guard walks past the Reliance Industries logo near the entrance of Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City in Navi Mumbai, March 15, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

CompaniesNEW DELHI/SINGAPORE, Feb 5 (Reuters) - India's Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), opens new tab has bought 2 million barrels of Venezuelan oil from trader Vitol, trade sources said on Thursday, the first purchase by the company from the South American nation in nearly a year.

Trading houses Vitol and Trafigura were granted U.S. licenses to market and sell millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil following the U.S. military operation last month to capture President Nicolas Maduro, and a subsequent supply agreement with interim President Delcy Rodriguez.

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Reliance, which operates the world's biggest refining complex, has bought Venezuelan crude for April delivery at a discount of around $6.5-$7 per barrel to ICE Brent, the trade sources said.

Reliance did not respond to a Reuters email seeking comment. Vitol said in an email that it had no comment to offer.

Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by YP Rajesh

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Nidhi Verma is an award-winning journalist working with Reuters. Presently, she is working as Team Leader-Energy in India. She has more than two decades of experience in covering India and global energy sector. Her stories show a new dimension of the energy sector, the nuances of the oil trade, the role of geopolitics and the diplomatic efforts that a country makes to mitigate the impact of external shocks.