Market Signal Briefing

Nextech3D.AI (CSE:NTAR, OTCQX:NEXCF) has announced the launch of a 12-month online marketing campaign with AGORACOM, featuring AI-generated content aimed at reaching investors globally, including a Verified Forum to facilitate moderated engagement between management and shareholders.  

The campaign will be conducted through AGORACOM’s cashless shares-for-services program, requiring no cash outlay from Nextech3D.ai.

AGORACOM, a provider of online investor relations services for more than 25 years, will support Nextech3D.ai with cinematic AI videos, avatars, and multilingual content across its network of 9 million investors and more than 900 million page views.

The program is structured as a series of share-based payments totaling C$125,000 plus HST, issued in five installments over the 12-month term.

In conjunction with the company’s growth strategy, Nextech3D.ai said that its CEO Evan Gappelberg has invested $321,917 through an 18-month convertible note with a 12% annual interest rate. The note may be converted at the CEO’s discretion into 1,951,012 common shares at a fixed price of $0.165 per share.

The CEO also received an equal number of common share purchase warrants with a three-year term at the same exercise price. Gappelberg remains the company’s largest shareholder, holding 32,757,017 common shares.

The company also corrected details previously reported regarding the number of warrants and common shares underlying the convertible notes issued in connection with the Krafty Labs acquisition. The correct figures are 1,951,012 common shares at a warrant exercise and conversion price of $0.165 per share, down from the previously reported 2,299,412 shares at $0.14 per share.

Journalist

Posted: January 8, 2026

Ripple [XRP] is quietly gathering strength. Whale transactions are surging, and exchange balances are shrinking, hinting at a buildup few are noticing.

Price momentum is starting to stir, and the stage is set for a move that could catch the market off guard. The question isn’t if it will happen, but how fast it will unfold.

XRP rallied sharply from December lows near $1.75 to a $2.40 high in early January 2026. However, it pulled back 12% to $2.118 amid red candles.

Source: TradingView

The $2.30 level served as critical support, aligning with former resistance; the recent high sat at $2.40, while nearby resistances loomed at $2.50–$2.75.

Trend bias remained in an uptrend overall, yet consolidation signals a rollover risk if $2.00 breaks.

Whale accumulation patterns connect directly to surges in large transactions, and exchange outflows drive the rally, suggesting hoarding during dips.

Whales hoard XRP – $2.30 pivot decides fate According to Santiment data, whale activity for XRP has increased significantly, with an extreme spike over $100,000 to 2,170 on the 5th of January, followed by an even greater spike to 2,802 on the 6th of January; both represent three-month highs.

Coinciding with a strong price response, XRP rallied from approximately $1.80 to a $2.38 peak, resulting in a 30% gain YTD.

However, after that rally, the price was retraced by 3-5% and stabilized near $2.30 through the 8th of January.

Source: Santiment

That stabilization is important since $2.30 currently serves as a significant pivot point. This pivot point also corresponded to the former resistance, now support area, and the 200-period EMA on longer-term charts.

Therefore, if this pivot point is defended, it can create the conditions necessary to build momentum toward the $2.50-$2.75 area.

On the other hand, if the pivot point breaks down, it may prompt a round of profit-taking and drive risk to $2.00 or lower.

Additionally, Santiment provides early warning of potential volatility driven by current whale activity, amplified by tight exchange supply, consistent inflows into ETFs, and an overall trend of institutional rotation.

Bullish omen or false alarm? According to crypto analyst CW8900, the chart shows a renewed decline in XRP reserves on Upbit, signaling fresh exchange outflows. Historically, this pattern has mattered.

In November 2024, XRP reserves on Upbit dropped sharply by roughly 0.8 billion tokens. At the same time, the price surged from $0.50 to $3.29.

That move reflected a clear supply squeeze. Fewer tokens sat on exchanges, and selling pressure collapsed.

Source: X

Now, a similar setup appears to be forming. Upbit reserves have started falling again, while the price is trending higher toward the $2.30 area.

This relationship reinforces a familiar dynamic. When XRP leaves exchanges, holders signal intent to store, not sell. As a result, demand shocks have a greater impact.

Context strengthens this signal. South Korean traders have historically dominated XRP volume, often accounting for 30-50% of global activity.

During periods of heightened local demand, reserves drain quickly. If this decline continues, price volatility should expand. History suggests upside risk grows when supply tightens under rising demand.

Final Thoughts Whales are hoarding XRP, and exchange reserves are falling, creating a supply squeeze. If the $2.30 support holds, momentum could push the price toward the $2.50–$2.75 zone.

XRP price has turned lower after rejecting a high-confluence resistance zone, confirming a corrective phase as price accepts back below key volume levels.

Summary

XRP was rejected at the 0.618 Fibonacci in confluence with the Point of Control Acceptance below the POC signals weak bullish conviction Downside focus shifts to the value area low and $1.79 support XRP’s (XRP) pullback following its rally toward the $2.40 region has sparked renewed debate about whether the upside move has failed or whether the decline is simply corrective.

From a technical perspective, the rejection seen at recent highs is neither sudden nor unexpected. Instead, it reflects a calculated response to a major resistance area defined by volume, Fibonacci levels, and broader market structure.

The rally into $2.40 brought XRP directly into a zone where sellers have previously shown interest. As price failed to hold above this region on a closing basis, the market signaled that bullish momentum was weakening.

XRP price key technical points XRP was rejected at the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement, a key technical reversal level The rejection aligned with the Point of Control, the highest volume node of the broader range Acceptance below the Point of Control shifts focus toward the value area low and $1.79 support XRPUSDT (1D) Chart, Source: TradingViewwww.tradingview.com The rejection from $2.40 occurred precisely at the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement, a level that frequently acts as a decision point between continuation and reversal. This Fibonacci level was reinforced by the Point of Control of XRP’s trading range, creating a high-confluence resistance zone where supply was expected to emerge.

Price reacted sharply from this area, producing a decisive rejection rather than a gradual consolidation. Such behavior typically indicates active selling pressure rather than passive profit-taking. The inability to maintain acceptance above the Point of Control confirms that buyers lacked the conviction required to extend the rally further.

Volume behaviour adds further clarity to the rejection. While XRP moved higher into resistance on relatively muted volume, selling pressure increased on the move lower. This imbalance highlights weak demand at higher prices and suggests that the rally was vulnerable once it reached a zone of heavy historical participation.

Following the rejection, XRP has now fallen back below the Point of Control. From a market profile perspective, this is a critical development. Acceptance below the upper bound of the range often leads to rotational behaviour, in which price moves to lower levels to rebalance supply and demand.

The next important technical level is the value area low, which represents the lower boundary of fair value within the current range. If this level holds, XRP may stabilize and continue ranging. However, a failure to defend the value area low would increase the probability of a deeper corrective move.

In such a scenario, the $1.79 region becomes the next major downside target. This level aligns with prior structural support and represents a natural area where buyers may attempt to re-enter. A rotation toward this zone would complete a traversal of the range and reset market conditions after the failed breakout attempt.

What to expect in the coming price action As long as XRP remains below the Point of Control and continues to face resistance near $2.40, downside probing remains the higher-probability outcome in the short term. The immediate focus will be on whether price can find support at the value area low or if acceptance develops below it.

A sustained break below the value area low would open the door for a deeper corrective move toward $1.79, where stronger demand is expected to emerge. Conversely, a successful defense of lower support could keep XRP trading range-bound, allowing price to rotate higher once selling pressure is absorbed.

The entire team at Electric Coin Company, a key developer of Zcash, has left the building due to a dispute with the nonprofit Bootstrap. With ZEC tokens crashing 16% and the team forming a new company, what does the future of the privacy coin look like?

In brief South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled that Bitcoin held in exchange accounts is subject to seizure under the Criminal Procedure Act. The decision arose from a money laundering case involving 55.6 Bitcoin seized by police in 2020. The ruling aligns with previous rulings in the country, which has a high rate of crypto ownership. South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that Bitcoin held on cryptocurrency exchanges can be seized under the country’s Criminal Procedure Act, closing a legal challenge brought by a suspect in a money laundering investigation.

The decision, first reported by Chosun Daily, confirms that digital assets stored on exchanges qualify as seizure targets during criminal investigations, even though they do not exist in physical form.

South Korea has one of the highest rates of cryptocurrency ownership globally. As of March 2025, more than 16 million people—roughly a third of the population—held crypto accounts at major domestic exchanges.

The case stemmed from a police seizure of 55.6 Bitcoin, worth about 600 million Korean won ($413,000) at the time, from an exchange account held by an individual identified only as Mr. A. The assets were taken as part of a money laundering investigation.

Mr. A later filed a motion for reconsideration, claiming that Bitcoin held in an exchange account could not be seized because it was not a “physical object” under Article 106 of the Criminal Procedure Act. That provision allows authorities to seize evidence or items subject to confiscation if they are recognized as being related to a criminal case.

The Seoul Central District Court dismissed the motion, ruling that the seizure was lawful. Mr. A then filed a further appeal to the Supreme Court in December.

In its final ruling, the Supreme Court rejected the argument that Bitcoin falls outside the scope of seizure law. “Under the Criminal Procedure Act, seizure targets include both tangible objects and electronic information,” the court said, according to Chosun Daily.

The court added that Bitcoin, “as an electronic token with the ability to be independently managed, traded, and substantially controlled in terms of economic value,” qualifies as an asset that can be seized by courts or investigative agencies.

“The disposition in this case, which seized Bitcoin under Mr. A’s name managed by a virtual asset exchange, is lawful, and there is no error in the lower court’s decision to dismiss the motion for reconsideration,” the ruling said.

The decision is consistent with a series of earlier South Korean court rulings that have treated cryptocurrencies as property or assets. In 2018, the Supreme Court held that Bitcoin is an intangible property with economic value and can be confiscated if obtained through criminal activity. That same year, crypto tokens were recognized as divisible assets in divorce proceedings.

In 2021, the court further clarified that Bitcoin constitutes a virtual asset that embodies economic value, and is considered a property interest under criminal law.

Other jurisdictions have taken similar approaches, classifying digital assets as property for legal and enforcement purposes.

Last month, the UK passed legislation formally recognizing digital assets as property, giving them the same legal status as traditional forms of property. The law aims to provide clearer guidance for courts handling cases involving theft, inheritance, and insolvency related to crypto assets.

The UK legislation builds on recommendations from the Law Commission of England and Wales and provides statutory backing to legal principles that had previously developed through common law.

Such measures are intended to improve clarity and enforcement in cases involving digital assets, particularly where criminal proceeds and asset recovery are concerned.

Etay Katz, head of digital assets at law firm Ashurst, told Decrypt at the time that the law was “a welcome and timely statutory recognition of the fundamental property quality in crypto assets.”

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Monero climbed back toward its all-time high levels, reclaiming the top spot among privacy coins by market capitalization, just as Zcash was hit by a sudden developer exodus that has injected new uncertainty into its roadmap.

XMR was trading around $460 on Thursday, not far from the roughly $490 level it briefly touched in late December, according to The Block price data, extending a multi-week advance that has quietly outperformed much of the broader privacy-coin category.

The move follows a period in mid-to-late-2025 when Monero faded from view as traders piled into Zcash, which had emerged as the sector’s preferred privacy play during last year’s rally.

It also coincided with renewed scrutiny of Monero's network stability. In September, the blockchain experienced its largest recorded block reorganization, reviving long-running concerns around reorg risk and mining concentration that weighed on sentiment even as the incident ultimately failed to disrupt the protocol's long-term operation.

Monero (XMR) price chart. Source: The Block/TradingView

Zcash, by contrast, was gaining traction at the time on a different set of narratives, including heightened surveillance concerns, wallet integrations for shielded transactions, and a broader rotation into privacy-focused assets.

That rotation now appears to be reversing.

Zcash sold off sharply on Thursday after the entire Electric Coin Company team resigned following a governance dispute with its parent nonprofit board. ECC CEO Josh Swihart said the developers are forming a new company after what he described as a constructive discharge by the Bootstrap board, raising questions about near-term coordination around Zcash's development and strategic direction.

The drop pushed ZEC down around 15% on the day before rebounding slightly, extending a pullback from its November highs and unwinding part of the surge that carried it back into the top-20 tokens late last year.

Zcash (ZEC) price chart. Source: The Block/TradingView

Of note, Andreessen Horowitz's crypto arm, a16z crypto, said this week that privacy will prove the key competitive moat in 2026.

Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2026 The Block. All Rights Reserved. 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.

The Optimism Foundation has proposed instituting a buyback program "to align the OP token" with the Superchain, the largest network of Ethereum Layer 2s built using the Optimism tech stack, including major blockchains like OP Mainnet, Base, Unichain, Worldchain, and others.

If passed, the crypto governance project would direct 50% of the Superchain's revenue to monthly over-the-counter token acquisitions. Optimism has collected 5,868 ETH, worth about $18 million at today’s price, in revenue over the past year, "100% of which has been dedicated to a treasury overseen by Optimism governance," the proposal reads.

"The Superchain is powered by a flywheel where usage generates revenue, revenue funds development, and development drives more usage," the foundation wrote. "By directing a portion of that revenue to align OP with Superchain growth, the Collective ensures that users, developers, infrastructure providers, and tokenholders are all reinforcing and contributing to the same system."

"The more demand there is across the Superchain, the more this demand benefits OP," it added.

OP is up less than 1% at time of writing to around $0.31, well a way off from its all-time high of $4.84, according to The Block's price data. The token has a fully diluted valuation of $1.4 billion and a current market capitalization of approximately $611.3 million.

With the proposal on Thursday, Optimism looks to join the ranks of crypto projects that use protocol revenue to try to bolster their tokens. This includes major Layer 1s like Hyperliquid as well as popular applications like Pump.

Tokens the foundation purchases through this program will "flow back into the token treasury," and may be burned or distributed as staking rewards as the platform evolves — two distinct strategies that either look to minimize the OP circulation supply or reward security stakers.

"Governance will retain oversight over parameters that control the buyback and the token treasury," the proposal said, noting that, over time, the buyback mechanism "can move more onchain so that execution takes place without the Foundation."

The proposal notes the Optimism Foundation will continue to manage any ETH revenue not directed to buybacks, allowing for "more active treasury management." It also said buybacks will not occur during months when revenues fall below $200,000 or if the OTC can execute within a pre-determined fee spread.

Optimism provides the dominant L2 tech stack powering some of the most successful blockchains, most notably including the Coinbase-incubated Base.  L2s comprising the Superchain are semi-standardized to work as a unified "super" network, reducing fragmentation while allowing each chain to maintain its own configuration and sovereignty.

As of November, OP chains captured over 62% of the Ethereum L2 market share, according to data shared by Optimism.

Despite the success of Optimism, the project’s OP token has faced many of the same criticisms levied against other governance tokens. Namely, holders do not always directly share in the protocol’s success, and ongoing unlocks create persistent downward pressure. That said, the project has also airdropped millions of dollars worth of tokens to users.

Late last year, Optimism co-founder Jing Wang told The Block that the project had overhired, lacked a clear strategy, and needed to realign around a shared goal.

Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2026 The Block. All Rights Reserved. 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.

The new proposal could put Florida in rare company with three other states that have successfully passed crypto reserve legislation. Bitcoin Flat After Florida Proposal for State Crypto Reserve Florida Republican John Snyder has been bullish on crypto for years.

Journalist

Posted: January 8, 2026

Solana Mobile is set to launch its SKR token on 21 January [UTC]. This marks the next phase of an experiment that goes beyond hardware and into network-level adoption. 

After the conclusion of its first Seeker Season, the SKR launch will test whether mobile-first distribution can translate into sustained onchain activity — and, by extension, long-term demand for the Solana network itself.

Seeker Season, which concluded this week, garnered participation from over 100,000 users across 265 decentralised applications. It generated roughly 9 million transactions and $2.6 billion in volume. 

Source: Solana Mobile/X

While the campaign demonstrated Solana Mobile’s ability to attract users and developers, SKR is designed to answer a more difficult question: whether that engagement persists once incentives move from campaigns to protocol-level economics.

From distribution to retention Seeker Season functioned primarily as a measurement phase, giving Solana Mobile a data-backed view of how users interact with onchain apps in a mobile-native environment. 

The SKR token introduces the mechanism intended to keep that activity anchored to the network.

Rather than positioning SKR as a standalone asset, Solana Mobile has framed it as an incentive layer for ongoing participation across its app ecosystem. 

That design choice matters for Solana because sustained mobile usage would translate into more transactions, higher fee generation, and stronger developer demand.

Solana SKR tokenomics signal a user-heavy launch SKR’s tokenomics suggest an emphasis on early user participation rather than tight initial supply control. 

Of the 10 billion total SKR supply, 30% is allocated to airdrops and unlocked at launch, with a further 10% reserved for liquidity and launch-related purposes. 

Source: Solana Mobile

Together, that places roughly 40% of supply into circulation from day one, largely through user-facing channels.

By contrast, allocations to the Solana Mobile team [15%] and Solana Labs [10%] are subject to a 12-month cliff followed by a 36-month linear vesting schedule. 

Growth and partnerships account for 25% of supply. Only a portion is unlocked at launch, and the remainder will be released linearly over 18 months. The community treasury, which holds 10%, is unlocked but governed onchain.

Inflation designed for early engagement SKR also employs a linear inflation model aimed at bootstrapping participation before tapering toward longer-term sustainability. 

Inflation starts at 10% in the first year, equivalent to 1 billion SKR, and decays by 25% annually until reaching a terminal rate of 2%.

This approach front-loads incentives to encourage early engagement while limiting perpetual dilution over time. 

For Solana, the implication is that early transaction growth is explicitly rewarded. However, the system is not designed to rely indefinitely on high emissions to sustain activity.

Why this matters for Solana The significance of SKR lies less in the token itself and more in what it represents for Solana’s growth strategy. 

If SKR succeeds in keeping Seeker participants active across Solana-based applications, it would strengthen the network’s usage profile. Also, it would reinforce SOL’s economic role. 

If activity fades once early rewards are absorbed, it would underscore the limits of token-driven engagement, even with hardware-level distribution.

What to watch after launch The weeks following SKR’s launch will be critical. 

Metrics to watch include whether transaction volumes remain elevated, whether participating dApps retain users beyond initial incentives.

Also, whether new applications continue to onboard through the mobile channel.

Rather than price action, the telling signal for Solana will be whether mobile-originated activity becomes a durable source of onchain demand. 

Final Thoughts SKR’s launch turns Solana Mobile’s Seeker Season from a one-off campaign into a live test of whether mobile-first distribution can deliver durable onchain activity. The outcome will matter less for SKR’s price than for Solana’s ability to convert consumer usage into sustained network demand.

Whale transactions above $100,000 surged across meme coins, while social volume confirmed that retail traders are returning again.

Meme coins have reclaimed market attention following improved market conditions. In fact, new data points to synchronized whale buying and social hype across the tokens.

Activity remains concentrated around FLOKI, PEPE, and SHIB.

Whale Activity and Social Hype Meme coins dominated large-holder activity this week, according to Santiment, and led gains in $100,000-plus whale transactions among projects with market capitalizations above $500 million. FLOKI recorded the largest increase. Ethereum-based FLOKI surged by a staggering 950%, followed by PEPE at 620% and BNB-based FLOKI at 550%.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) also ranked in the top ten, posting a 111% rise, amidst renewed whale interest in meme coins as the crypto market kicked off the year with a strong start.

Beyond whale activity, social data points to growing retail enthusiasm across the meme coin sector. Santiment reported a sharp rise in social volume around tokens such as PEPE, POPCAT, and MOG, coinciding with strong price gains and a speculative rebound in meme coin market capitalization.

Even established names like the OG Dogecoin (DOGE) and SHIB, as well as other popular tokens like Pepe (PEPE), Popcat (POPCAT), and Mog Coin (MOG), are seeing renewed momentum, which indicates that community-driven hype is once again drawing traders back after a challenging 2025.

A Comeback? Meme coins remained one of the most closely followed crypto narratives last year, but that popularity failed to translate into performance. Despite dominating investor attention, CoinGecko found that these tokens posted an average year-to-date loss of 31.6% in 2025, and most leading assets were down between roughly 45% and over 80%. The weak returns suggested speculative enthusiasm cooled toward the end of the fourth quarter as investors grew more cautious.

You may also like: This Trader Turned $321 Into $2.18M, And Reminded Crypto How Wild It Still Is DOGE, SHIB, PEPE Explode: Is Meme Coin Frenzy Back in Full Force? Suspected Manipulation on Binance Sends Meme Coin Wild, Trader Wins Big Following the end of the meme coin mania in November 2024, the share of these assets within the broader altcoin market steadily fell and eventually hit a historic low in December 2025. At that point, meme coins accounted for just 3.2% of total altcoin market capitalization, down from 11% in November 2024. Recent data, however, indicate that sentiment may now be changing as the leading ones posted double-digit gains over the past week.

DOGE’s price was up by almost 20% while SHIB surged by over 23%. PEPE and BONK also raked in 51.4% and 45% in gains during the same period.

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XRP fund withdrawals of $40 million begin after extended inflow streak since November launch. Key Takeaways XRP ETFs saw their first net outflows of $40 million since launch as price momentum cooled. Longer term inflows remain strong with over $1.5 billion added since November. XRP ETFs recorded their first day of net outflows since launching in early November, marking a shift after months of steady inflows.

Figures for January 7, 2026, from SoSoValue show XRP ETFs posted roughly $40 million in outflows, with the majority coming from the 21Shares XRP ETF. In contrast, products from Bitwise and Grayscale recorded modest inflows, while the Franklin Templeton XRP ETF saw no net creations or redemptions.

Since launch, XRP ETFs have attracted more than $1.5 billion in cumulative inflows, underscoring strong institutional demand despite the recent reversal.

The outflows coincided with a pullback in XRP prices. The token has fallen more than 12% from its weekly high near $2.40 reached on Monday. At press time, XRP was trading around $2.12.

Despite the recent decline, XRP remains higher on a year-to-date basis. The token rallied more than 31% to reach its recent intraweek high near $2.40 and is currently trading about 14% above its yearly open.

Disclaimer

On Jan. 7, Donald Trump’s World Liberty Financial (WLFI) formally applied for a national banking charter to establish the “World Liberty Trust Company.”

This is a proposed national trust bank specifically designed to handle USD1 stablecoin issuance, custody, redemption, and reserve management. USD1 is WLFI's flagship product, with more than $3.3 billion in supply across 10 blockchain networks.

On the surface, the move appears to be a standard compliance upgrade—a predictable attempt by a high-profile crypto issuer to appear more “institutional” to skeptical observers.

However, a closer examination of the application reveals a more complex, forward-looking wager on the trajectory of the digital asset market.

WLFI’s move represents a bet that stablecoins are evolving away from their roots as the dollar chips that power speculative trading and toward a future as regulated settlement infrastructure that banks, payment firms, and large multinational corporations can plug into their daily operations.

From market hack to infrastructureTo understand the strategic logic behind WLFI's application, one must first examine how the role of stablecoins is shifting.

For most of their history, stablecoins have functioned effectively as a market hack. They provided a dollar-like instrument that could move 24/7 across global networks without touching the slow-moving banking system at every hop.

That “outside the perimeter” status was a critical advantage that allowed stablecoins to scale rapidly during the early boom years of crypto.

However, it also kept the asset class trapped in a regulatory gray zone—sufficient for decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols and offshore exchanges, but far too risky for mainstream payments or corporate balance sheets.

That dynamic fundamentally changed as Washington began formalizing stablecoin rules in 2025.

Regardless of the political optics surrounding the Trump-linked project, the market effect of this regulatory shift is straightforward: once a federal framework exists, regulatory status becomes a distinct product feature that institutions can underwrite.

If stablecoins are ever going to power serious economic activity, such as payroll, cross-border remittances, merchant settlement, or wholesale treasury operations, the issuers behind them need to offer more than monthly attestations and marketing promises. They need regulators.

A trust bank charter is perhaps the clearest way to package that message to the market. It would place the issuance and custody of WLFI's “USD1” stablecoin under a single federal supervisor.

It wraps the entire operation in bank-grade governance, examinations, and controls without requiring the firm to become a traditional deposit-taking, lending bank.

This distinction is critical to the application. A national trust bank is indeed “banking,” but it is “narrow banking.” It focuses on fiduciary activities, such as custody and asset safekeeping, rather than credit creation.

This is a corporate structure that cleanly maps to the ideal vision of a stablecoin: fully backed, redeemable, and used primarily for payments rather than for leverage.

The strategic logic of the trust charterWLFI's pitch implicitly assumes that stablecoin adoption is entering a new era. In this phase, distribution will not be gated by the number of trading pairs an issuer can land on a decentralized exchange, but by compliance.

So, the application for a national trust charter appears designed to secure advantages on three specific fronts.

First, it aims to secure counterparty confidence.

Large exchanges, market makers, payment processors, and enterprise treasury desks are increasingly treating stablecoins as financial plumbing. When an asset functions as plumbing, users prioritize safety and predictability over novelty.

In this context, a federal charter is “boring” in exactly the right way. It signals the presence of strict controls, mandatory reporting, and an examiner with the authority to force operational changes—factors that risk committees at major financial institutions demand.

Second, the charter offers a path toward vertical integration and margin capture. The economics of the stablecoin business are simple but powerful: issuers earn the spread on the reserves they hold, which are typically invested in short-dated government securities.

From that revenue, they must pay operating costs, compliance fees, distribution incentives, and partner fees.

If WLF is currently relying on third-party vendors for custody and operational rails, securing a trust bank charter would allow it to internalize significant parts of that stack.

In a market environment where yield curves shift and issuer incentive wars intensify, owning the entire stack can be the difference between achieving profitable scale and relying on perpetual subsidies to survive.

Third, the charter provides a plausible path toward deeper payment connectivity. The industry’s “north star” remains access to the core US payment system.

While a trust bank charter does not guarantee direct access to the Federal Reserve, it places an issuer in a regulatory category that makes such conversations more credible.

The goal is not for WLFI to suddenly transform into a consumer bank. Rather, WLFI is attempting to make USD1 legible to conservative financial institutions that are being told, by both law and internal policy, what a “real” stablecoin is supposed to look like.

Zach Witkoff, the proposed President and Chairman of World Liberty Trust Company, said:

“Institutions are already using USD1 for cross-border payments, settlement, and treasury operations. A national trust charter will allow us to bring issuance, custody, and conversion together as a full-stack offering under one highly regulated entity.”

The macro stakesBeyond the immediate mechanics of banking, stablecoins are increasingly a monetary macro story disguised as a crypto story.

The sector's profitability is increasingly tied to interest rates. When short-term rates are high, stablecoin reserves generate meaningful income, subsidizing growth and incentives. When rates fall, that easy revenue compresses, forcing issuers to compete much harder on distribution and utility.

In either scenario, scale is paramount. The stablecoin market has grown large enough that reserve management is no longer a side detail for issuers; it is the business model itself. This is why regulation is rapidly becoming an economic moat.

In a high-rate environment, even mediocre issuers can afford to fund incentives to attract users. However, in a lower-rate environment, the durable winners will be issuers with the broadest acceptance and the lowest compliance costs.

These firms can operate on tighter margins without losing their users' trust or access to banking rails.

If the market consensus holds that 2026 will bring some rate easing, WLFI's pursuit of a trust bank charter becomes a strategic hedge. It is a way to compete on structural efficiency when the strategy of “just pay more incentives” becomes less viable financially.

This comes as the competitive chessboard is shifting. For years, the market was a “duopoly-plus” dominated by Tether’s USDT offshore liquidity and Circle’s USDC, which positioned itself as the “regulated-ish” US-facing option.

The next wave, however, looks different. Banks, custodians, and regulated infrastructure providers are repositioning stablecoins as settlement layers.

This trend raises the bar for every issuer. When incumbents and regulated financial utilities begin integrating stablecoin settlement, they will naturally prefer counterparties with clear regulatory status, robust controls, and transparent auditability.

While this doesn’t eliminate existing incumbents, it opens a window for new entrants like WLFI to bundle regulation with distribution.

So, WLFI's banking application reads like an attempt to join that club before the door narrows further.

Mentioned in this article

The outflow was primarily due to a $47.25 million redemption from 21Shares' TOXR, while other funds remained stable or positive.

The crypto market is on a bearish trend over the last 24 hours and Bitcoin led the rally by declining toward $90K. As a result, several altcoins and meme coins lost their early-January gains and are now retesting weekly support lines. Shiba Inu, a notable meme coin, lost buyers’ support as long liquidation surged in recent hours. Currently, traders are wondering whether SHIB price could make a comeback amid falling on-chain metrics.

Shiba Inu’s Open Interest CrashesCrypto prices fell further, with most altcoins trading lower. The recovery rally seen at the start of January has slowed, even though the market conditions remain positive as expectations grow that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates.

Shiba Inu was also affected by the downtrend, as its price and other key indicators declined along with the wider market. Data from Coinglass shows that SHIB price faced liquidations worth $352K in the last 24 hours, of which buyers closed nearly $302K worth of positions. 

Shiba Inu’s bearish trend might intensify as several metrics have turned negative recently. The SHIB burn metric shows a collapse on the daily time frame. The data source revealed that over the past 24 hours, the SHIB burn rate went down by 23.8%. Additionally, the demand for SHIB among whales is declining.

Also read: Binance Founder Seeks to Dispel Speculation Over Memoir Plans

Santiment reveals that SHIB sits at the bottom in terms of whale transaction growth as the meme coin recorded only a 110% increase in whale transfers worth more than $100,000.

Shiba Inu Open Interest: CoinglassAdditionally, the open interest of Shiba Inu is also declining. Coinglass reveals that SHIB’s OI dropped from the peak of $145 million to a recent low of $118 million. This suggests that volatility is declining as a smaller number of traders are now taking positions in SHIB.

At the start of 2026, open interest surged by about 20% just before Shiba Inu climbed roughly 35%. Now that open interest is falling, traders are watching closely to see where Shiba Inu’s price goes next.

What’s Next for SHIB Price?Shiba Inu is seeing selling pressure after losing the support level at $0.00000888, but the pullback could find support near its moving averages around $0.0000085. As of writing, SHIB price trades at $0.00000872, declining over 2% in the last 24 hours.

SHIB/USDT ChartCurrently, buyers are showing support as SHIB price made a minor jump from its recent low. Buyers are now aiming for a hold above the EMA trend lines to sustain the recovery rally. If the price holds above the EMA-20 trend line, it would suggest buyers are stepping in on dips, which could open the door for a move above $0.00001 and potentially push SHIB toward $0.0000112.

However, if SHIB faces resistance and drops below the moving averages, it would signal continued selling. In that case, the price could slide to around $0.0000085 and possibly down to $0.0000077.

Trust with CoinPedia:CoinPedia has been delivering accurate and timely cryptocurrency and blockchain updates since 2017. All content is created by our expert panel of analysts and journalists, following strict Editorial Guidelines based on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Every article is fact-checked against reputable sources to ensure accuracy, transparency, and reliability. Our review policy guarantees unbiased evaluations when recommending exchanges, platforms, or tools. We strive to provide timely updates about everything crypto & blockchain, right from startups to industry majors.

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For new and old investors, taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals. Zacks Premium provides lots of different ways to do both.

Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor.

Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreFor value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreGrowth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time.

Momentum ScoreMomentum traders and investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." This investing style is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Employing factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, the Momentum Style Score can indicate favorable times to build a position in high-momentum stocks.

VGM ScoreIf you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier.

#1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +23.9% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

To have the best chance of big returns, you'll want to always consider stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B, which will give you the highest probability of success. If you're looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, it's important they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.

Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy.

For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Armstrong World Industries (AWI - Free Report) Incorporated in 1891, Pennsylvania-based Armstrong World is a leading global producer of ceiling systems for use primarily in the construction and renovation of commercial, institutional and residential buildings. It designs, manufactures and sells ceiling systems (primarily mineral fiber, fiberglass wool, metal, wood, wood fiber, glass-reinforced-gypsum and felt) globally.

AWI is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.

Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. AWI has a Growth Style Score of B, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 18.5% for the current fiscal year.

For fiscal 2025, one analyst revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.06 to $7.48 per share. AWI boasts an average earnings surprise of +9.8%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, AWI should be on investors' short list.

Analyst’s Disclosure:I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within 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.

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.

Key Takeaways Ford delivered its best U.S. annual sales and fourth-quarter performance since 2019.Truck strength led by the F-Series and Maverick drove gains, with total truck sales topping 1.26M units.Hybrid sales hit records in 2025, with 228,072 units sold, marking a 21.7% increase year over year. Ford Motor Company (F - Free Report) closed 2025 with solid sales growth, as U.S. vehicle sales rose 6% year over year, marking the company’s best annual U.S. sales and fourth-quarter performance since 2019. Ford outperformed the industry for the 10th consecutive month in December.

The company’s total sales for the year climbed 6% to 2.2 million vehicles,with overall market share reaching 13.2%. In the fourth quarter of 2025, Ford sales rose 2.7% to over 545,200 vehicles, again outperforming the industry, while market share improved 0.9% in the fourth quarter of 2025.

The Ford F-Series remained America’s best-selling truck in 2025, with sales exceeding 828,832 units, marking an increase of 8.3%. Meanwhile, the Ford Maverick posted its strongest sales year on record, with 155,051 vehicles sold, and delivered record fourth-quarter sales of 34,147 pickups, up 54.2%.

In total, Ford truck sales for the year, including pickups and vans, reached 1,268,749 vehicles, solidifying Ford’s position as America’s best-selling truck manufacturer.

In the SUV segment, Explorer remained America’s best-selling SUV, jumping 14.7% with 222,706 SUVs in 2025, and in the fourth quarter of 2025, Explorer sales rose to 61,777 units, an increase of 30.6%. The Ford Bronco also delivered a record year with 146,007 vehicles sold, up 33.7%, while the fourth quarter of 2025 sales increased 12% to 36,086 units. Overall, the Ford SUV sales for 2025 totaled 783,174 vehicles, up 1.6% year over year.

Ford’s electric vehicle sales totaled 84,113 vehicles in 2025, including 51,620 Mustang Mach-E electric. Ford plans to launch its next all-new EV — a fully connected midsize pickup truck based on the Universal EV Platform assembled at the Louisville Assembly Plant starting in 2027.

Hybrids gave a major boost to Ford’s deliveries. The company sold a record 228,072 hybrid vehicles (including PHEVs) in 2025, marking a 21.7% increase. The year concluded with record hybrid sales in the fourth quarter of 2025, with 55,374 vehicles sold. 

Overall, Ford’s 2025 strong performance highlights the strength of its balanced product strategy, with trucks, SUVs, and hybrids driving growth and strong customer demand, as customers favored better fuel efficiency without EV cost and charging concerns.

Competitive ContextGeneral Motors (GM - Free Report) deliveries declined 7% year over year, totaling 703,001 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2025, echoing broader market softness. EV deliveries were particularly impacted, dropping about 43% to 25,219 units in the quarter. Despite the drop in the fourth quarter, GM has led the U.S. auto market in 2025, driven by strong performance in full-size pickups and SUVs.

Stellantis (STLA - Free Report) , an Italian-American automaker through its U.S. sales arm FCA US, reported fourth-quarter 2025 deliveries of 332,321 vehicles, reflecting an increase of approximately 4% year over year. In December 2025, the company sold 121,170 total vehicles, growing 4% from the year-ago figure.  For full 2025 calendar year, the company reported total sales of 1,260,344 vehicles, reflecting a decline of 3% year over year.

The Zacks Rundown for FordShares of F have gained 16.2% in the past six months compared with the industry’s growth of 44.4%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, F trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 0.33, above the industry and its own five-year average. It carries a Value Score of A.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

See how the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Ford’s earnings has been revised over the past 90 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

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

HomeMarket OutlookCommodities Basic Materials

SummaryBHP Group Limited is reiterated as a Buy, supported by a diversified commodity mix and robust balance sheet, despite near-term iron ore headwinds.Recent commodity rallies in copper, nickel, and aluminum position BHP to benefit from future-facing metals, offering capital that can help offset iron ore market weakness.BHP's capital discipline is evident with delayed Jansen potash expansion, a $2B Pilbara asset sale, and a higher net debt target to fund growth.BHP valuation implies an intrinsic value above current levels, offering a reasonable margin of safety for long-term, dividend-oriented investors. Monty Rakusen/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Introduction Last time I covered BHP Group Limited (BHP), I highlighted their strong fundamentals and strategic discipline, pointing out their potential to leverage a diversified commodity mix together with their solid financials to

Analyst’s Disclosure:I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of VALE 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.

This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

Former Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-B) CEO Warren Buffett recently handed his chief executive position over to Greg Abel. Nonetheless, Buffett’s stature as a world-class value investor remains intact and Berkshire’s portfolio is populated with Buffett-inspired stock picks.

Even if you aren’t a billionaire like Buffett, you can participate in some of the Oracle of Omaha’s premium stock picks. With just $3,000 in total, you can invest $1,000 in three terrific stocks that hold a prominent place in Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio.

Sure, you can also buy Berkshire Hathaway stock and there’s nothing wrong with that approach. Yet, you could also add shares of specific Buffett stock picks with outstanding growth potential. So, let’s uncover three Berkshire portfolio stocks that deserve a $1,000 investment right now.

Alphabet (GOOGL) Buffett isn’t known for buying a ton of technology stocks, though Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio has a sizable position in Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock. On the other hand, Buffett’s company recently reduced its stake in Apple stock.

Interestingly, Berkshire Hathaway’s Form 13-F filing for the third quarter of 2025 indicates that Buffett’s company acquired 17.85 million Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Class A shares. Why would Berkshire buy so many shares of the Google parent company, though?

Back in 2019, Buffett acknowledged that advertising with Google produced “results” for GEICO (which Berkshire Hathaway had invested in). Furthermore, Buffett “saw” that Berkshire’s association with Google “was working for us.”

Fast-forward to 2025 and 2026, and Alphabet’s Google continues to “work for” many clients. Impressively, Google’s advertising revenue expanded to $74.182 billion 2025’s third quarter, versus $65.854 billion in the year-earlier quarter.

Also during that time frame (Q3 2024 to Q3 2025), Alphabet’s total revenue grew 16% to $102.346 billion and the company’s net income increased 33% to $34.979 billion. And after gaining 68% over the past year, GOOGL stock looks poised for further gains in 2026.

Granted, Alphabet’s trailing 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of around 32x isn’t extremely low, but it’s also not excessively high. In any case, Buffett doesn’t just focus on P/E ratios when measuring a company’s value, and apparently Berkshire Hathaway decided that Alphabet shares are a good value now.

Coca-Cola (KO) After investing $1,000 in GOOGL stock, your next target could be something more defensive. An obvious defensive pick from Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio is Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) stock, which comprises 8.6% of Berkshire’s holdings.

You may have seen photos of Buffet proudly drinking Coca-Cola soda as he’s a longtime investor in the company. Certainly, it speaks volumes that Berkshire Hathaway holds 400 million stock shares of Coca-Cola.

At the moment, Coca-Cola has a trailing 12-month P/E ratio of 22.46x and KO stock has gained around 10% over the past year. Thus, Cola-Cola is a “steady Eddie” company rather than a super-fast grower like Alphabet.

That’s what makes Coca-Cola stock so appealing, though. The data indicates that Coca-Cola is a steady-growth business; for example, the company’s net operating revenue grew 5% from $11.854 billion in Q3 2024 to $12.455 billion in Q3 2025.

Remember: not every asset in your portfolio has to represent explosive growth. It’s wise to be like Buffett and own some “steady Eddie” defensive stocks, and to that end, you might want to purchase $1,000 worth of KO shares.

Bank of America (BAC) After purchasing $1,000 worth of Alphabet stock and Coca-Cola stock, it’s time to check out a financial giant. I’m referring to Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), and you may be surprised to discover that Berkshire Hathaway holds more than 568 million BAC shares.

All told, Bank of America stock comprises 10.1% of Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio. That’s more than you probably expected, so there must be something special about Bank of America as far as Buffett is concerned.

Usually, Buffett doesn’t explain exactly why he bought a specific stock. However, it looks like BAC stock is a good value; notably, Bank of America’s trailing 12-month P/E ratio is quite reasonable at 15.36x.

Plus, Bank of America sweetens the deal with a forward annual dividend yield of around 2%. Most importantly, Bank of America is demonstrating progress from a financial standpoint.

We can cite some crucial data points to see why Buffett would approve of Bank of America. From Q3 2024 to Q3 2025, Bank of America’s total revenue, net of interest expense, grew 10.8% from $25.345 billion to $28.088 billion.

Also, the company’s net income applicable to common shareholders increased 26% from $6.38 billion to $8.04 billion. Thus, we can categorize Bank of America as a growth company that also offers investors a combination of value and dividends.

That’s why you might consider buying $1,000 worth of BAC stock along with equal-sized stakes in GOOGL and KO stock. That way, you’ll have a triple play of Buffett-approved investments even if you’re not in the billionaire class.

Released: The Ultimate Guide To Retirement Income (sponsor) Most investors spend years learning how to pick good stocks and funds. Far fewer have a clear plan for turning those investments into a reliable retirement paycheck. The truth is, the transition from “building wealth” to “living on wealth” is one of the most overlooked risks facing successful investors in their 50s, 60s and 70s.

That is exactly what The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income was created to solve. It’s a free guide that outlines the straightforward math and strategies you need to convert your investments to income. Learn more here.

Disclosure: The opinions, analyses, and evaluations here are ours and not provided by any bank, financial institution, or any other company. They have not reviewed, approved or endorsed our content.

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit against StubHub Holdings, Inc. (“StubHub” or “the Company”) (NYSE: STUB) for violations of the federal securities laws.

Investors who purchased the Company's securities pursuant and/or traceable to its initial public offering (“IPO”) conducted on September 17, 2025, are encouraged to contact the firm before January 23, 2026.        

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at [email protected].

The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. StubHub’s free cash flow suffered due to changed in the timing of vendor payments. These changes caused the Company’s free cash flow reports to be materially misleading. Based on these facts, the Company’s public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the IPO period. When the market learned the truth about StubHub, investors suffered damages.

Join the case to recover your losses.

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm
Brian Schall, Esq.,
www.schallfirm.com
Office: 310-301-3335
[email protected]

SOURCE:

 The Schall Law Firm

It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.

The research service features daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, all of which will help you become a smarter, more confident investor.

Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreValue investors love finding good stocks at good prices, especially before the broader market catches on to a stock's true value. Utilizing ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and many other multiples, the Value Style Score identifies the most attractive and most discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreWhile good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.

Momentum ScoreMomentum traders and investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." This investing style is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Employing factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, the Momentum Style Score can indicate favorable times to build a position in high-momentum stocks.

VGM ScoreIf you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier.

It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.9% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.

As mentioned above, the Scores are designed to work with the Zacks Rank, so any change to a company's earnings outlook should be a deciding factor when picking which stocks to buy.

For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Accenture (ACN - Free Report) Years of investment in digital, cloud and security strategy has helped Accenture evolve as a trusted and viable consulting services provider. It is currently one of the top consultancy firms of the world by revenues that increased 7.4% in fiscal 2025.

ACN is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.

Momentum investors should take note of this Computer and Technology stock. ACN has a Momentum Style Score of B, and shares are up 0.7% over the past four weeks.

Six analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.06 to $13.84 per share. ACN also boasts an average earnings surprise of +3.1%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, ACN should be on investors' short list.

It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.

The research service features daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, all of which will help you become a smarter, more confident investor.

It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics, each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F. The better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform; an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreFor value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreGrowth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time.

Momentum ScoreMomentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates.

VGM ScoreIf you want a combination of all three Style Scores, then the VGM Score will be your friend. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, helping you find the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. It's also one of the best indicators to use with the Zacks Rank.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank A proprietary stock-rating model, the Zacks Rank utilizes the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings outlook, to help investors create a successful portfolio.

#1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +23.9% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only has a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible.

The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank.

Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Edison International (EIX - Free Report) Incorporated in 1987, California-based Edison International (EIX - Free Report) is the parent holding company of Southern California Edison (SCE) and Edison Energy.

EIX is a #1 (Strong Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.

Momentum investors should take note of this Utilities stock. EIX has a Momentum Style Score of B, and shares are up 1.7% over the past four weeks.

One analyst revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2025. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.00 to $6.10 per share. EIX boasts an average earnings surprise of +7.3%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, EIX should be on investors' short list.

Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both.

The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens.

Zacks Premium also includes the Zacks Style Scores.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreValue investors love finding good stocks at good prices, especially before the broader market catches on to a stock's true value. Utilizing ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and many other multiples, the Value Style Score identifies the most attractive and most discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreGrowth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time.

Momentum ScoreMomentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates.

VGM ScoreIf you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio.

It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.9% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only has a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible.

Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy.

For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Ameriprise Financial Services (AMP - Free Report) Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, Ameriprise Financial, Inc. was founded in 1894 under the name Investors Syndicate. Notably, since 2005-end, Ameriprise has been operating independently of American Express Company. As of Sept. 30, 2025, the company’s total assets under management and administration (AUM/AUA) were $1.66 trillion.

AMP is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.

Momentum investors should take note of this Finance stock. AMP has a Momentum Style Score of B, and shares are up 0.2% over the past four weeks.

Four analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2025. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.50 to $38.75 per share. AMP boasts an average earnings surprise of +3.4%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, AMP should be on investors' short list.

Key Takeaways COST saw December comparable sales rise 7%, with strong gains across all regional segments.Online sales surged 18.9% in December, continuing a three-month streak of double-digit digital growth.Costco's member model, bulk buying, and pricing edge support stable margins and customer retention. Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST - Free Report) maintained steady comparable sales growth in December, reflecting its appeal among value-conscious consumers. The company’s competitive pricing and quality products — available both in stores and through its expanding e-commerce platform — continue to attract shoppers.

Sneak Peek Into Costco’s December Comparable SalesFor the five weeks ending Jan. 4, 2026, Costco reported a 7% year-over-year increase in total comparable sales. Regionally, comparable sales rose 6% in the United States, 8.4% in Canada and 10.6% in Other International markets. This follows total comparable sales growth of 6.9% in November and 6.6% in October, indicating consistent momentum.

On an adjusted basis, excluding the effects of gasoline prices and foreign exchange, U.S. comparable sales increased 6.3%, while Canada and Other International markets posted gains of 6% and 5.6%, respectively. Overall, total comparable sales, excluding these factors, grew 6.2% in December, following strong increases of 6.4% in November and 6.8% in October.

Digitally enabled comparable sales in December surged 18.9%, or 18.3%, when adjusted for fuel and currency impacts. This follows gains of 16.6% registered in both November and October, reflecting sustained strength in Costco’s online sales.

As a result, Costco's net sales for December rose 8.5% to $29.86 billion, up from $27.52 billion in the same period last year. This follows a sales improvement of 8.1% and 8.6% in November and October, respectively.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Bottom LineCostco remains strong, courtesy of its membership-based model. With solid renewal rates, the retailer has cultivated a loyal customer base. This membership loyalty not only supports consistent sales but also helps Costco maintain stable margins, even during economic uncertainty. Additionally, Costco’s ability to leverage bulk purchasing and operate an efficient supply chain allows it to keep sharp, competitive pricing in today’s inflation-sensitive environment.

Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have fallen 4.8% over the past year against the Retail – Discount Stores industry’s 6.6% rise.

Picks You Can’t Miss Out OnJ&J Snack Foods Corp. (JJSF - Free Report) , a leader and innovator in the snack food industry, currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). JJSF has reported an earnings surprise of 49.1% in the last reported quarter. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for J&J Snack Foods’ current financial-year sales and EPS calls for growth of 2% and 4.2%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers.

Dollar Tree, Inc. (DLTR - Free Report) , which operates retail discount stores, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). DLTR has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 29.1%, on average.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Dollar Tree’s current financial-year EPS implies growth of 12.2% from the year-ago reported numbers.

Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST - Free Report) , which operates off-price retail apparel and home fashion stores, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. ROST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 6.7%, on average.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Ross Stores’ current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 6.3% and 2.1%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers.

Key Takeaways VLO operates 15 refineries with 3.2 million barrels per day of capacity across the U.S., Canada and Peru.VLO's refineries can process heavy sour, medium/light sour and sweet crude, enhancing feedstock flexibility.VLO can shift between light products and distillates based on market pricing to support margins and profits. Valero Energy (VLO - Free Report) is a leading refining player with a robust network of 15 refineries located across the United States, Canada and Peru. The company has a combined throughput capacity of 3.2 million barrels per day, which distinguishes it among other independent refiners. Notably, VLO’s refineries have the operational flexibility to process various kinds of feedstock, including heavy sour, medium/light sour and sweet crude.  

The operational flexibility of VLO’s refineries and refinery optimization provides a strategic advantage to the company. The flexibility to vary product yields allows the refineries to shift their production between light products and distillates, adjusting their mix of refined products according to market and pricing conditions. This shift in production based on market signals allows them to capture higher margins and support profitability.

Valero’s high-complexity, diversified refinery footprint and ability to process a wide range of crude feedstocks enable it to drive profitability. The refining industry is cyclical and highly volatile. However, the flexibility and operational reliability positions Valero to protect its profits in a volatile market environment.

PSX & PARR Are Two Other Leading RefinersPhillips 66 (PSX - Free Report) and Par Pacific Holdings (PARR - Free Report) are two other refining players with a diversified refinery footprint.

Phillips 66 operates 11 refineries across the United States and Europe. The company recorded a 99% crude utilization rate in the third quarter, the highest since 2018. Its refining results benefit from strong refining margins seen this year. Further, its involvement in other segments, including midstream, renewables and chemicals, provides earnings stability.

Par Pacific Holdings is a Houston-based refining player with a combined refining capacity of 219,000 barrels per day, and operations spread across Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest. The company also operates 119 retail locations along with a logistics business segment.

VLO’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesShares of VLO have gained 46.8% over the past year compared with the 12.3% rise of the composite stocks belonging to the industry.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, VLO trades at a trailing 12-month enterprise value to EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) of 8.86X. This is above the broader industry average of 4.39X.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for VLO’s 2025 earnings has seen downward revisions over the past 30 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

VLO and PARR currently carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) while PSX holds a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.