Market Signal Briefing

Lawrence Jengar
Jan 04, 2026 20:26

Chainlink trades at $13.41 with 1.9% daily gains as markets enter 2026 with minimal catalysts, testing key technical levels amid stable traditional market backdrop.

Quick Take
• LINK trading at $13.41 (up 1.9% in 24h)
• No significant news catalysts driving movement in past week
• Price testing upper Bollinger Band resistance near $13.31
• Following broader crypto stability as Bitcoin maintains strength

Market Events Driving Chainlink Price Movement
Trading on technical factors in absence of major catalysts has characterized LINK price action entering 2026. No significant news events have emerged in the past 48 hours that would materially impact Chainlink's market position.

The broader market context shows traditional assets ending 2025 on a mixed note, with the S&P 500 posting a modest 0.7% decline on December 31st despite finishing the year with strong 16.4% gains. This traditional market stability has provided a neutral backdrop for crypto assets, allowing LINK price to focus on technical dynamics rather than macro sentiment shifts.

The absence of major announcements, partnership deals, or regulatory developments has left LINK price movement primarily driven by trading patterns and technical levels. This environment often sees heightened sensitivity to key support and resistance zones as traders position for potential breakouts.

LINK Technical Analysis: Testing Upper Band Resistance
Price Action Context
LINK price currently sits above its 20-day moving average of $12.53, showing short-term bullish momentum despite trading well below the 200-day MA at $17.56. The token has gained ground against its shorter-term averages, with price now exceeding both the 7-day SMA ($12.78) and EMA 12 ($12.80).

Chainlink technical analysis reveals a consolidation pattern forming above the $13 psychological level, with today's high of $13.58 marking a key test of immediate resistance. Volume on Binance spot markets reached $25.6 million, indicating moderate institutional interest without suggesting major accumulation or distribution.

Key Technical Indicators
The RSI reading of 57.08 places LINK in neutral territory, providing room for further upside movement without entering overbought conditions. More significantly, the MACD histogram shows a bullish crossover at 0.1745, suggesting potential momentum building despite the negative MACD value of -0.0847.

Chainlink's Bollinger Band position at 1.0673 indicates price is testing the upper band resistance near $13.31, a critical level that has contained recent rallies. The Stochastic oscillator readings (%K: 89.31, %D: 88.10) suggest near-term overbought conditions that could prompt short-term consolidation.

Critical Price Levels for Chainlink Traders
Immediate Levels (24-48 hours)
• Resistance: $13.58 (today's high and immediate technical ceiling)
• Support: $13.15 (today's low and key intraday floor)

Breakout/Breakdown Scenarios
A break below $13.15 support could trigger profit-taking toward the $11.74 level, representing the next significant technical support zone. Conversely, sustained movement above $13.58 resistance opens the path toward $15.01, where stronger selling pressure historically emerges.

The daily ATR of $0.63 suggests relatively contained volatility, meaning breakout moves may develop gradually rather than through sharp price spikes.

LINK Correlation Analysis
Bitcoin's positive performance today has provided a supportive backdrop for LINK price action, with the token generally following broader crypto market sentiment without showing significant divergence. The correlation remains positive but not perfectly aligned, allowing LINK to maintain its own technical patterns.

Traditional market stability, evidenced by year-end trading patterns in the S&P 500, has removed macro headwinds that could otherwise pressure risk assets like cryptocurrencies. This neutral traditional market environment allows Chainlink technical analysis to take precedence in determining near-term direction.

Trading Outlook: Chainlink Near-Term Prospects
Bullish Case
A sustained break above $13.58 resistance, confirmed by increased volume above 30 million daily, could target the $15.01 level over the next 1-2 weeks. The bullish MACD histogram supports this scenario if broader crypto sentiment remains constructive.

Bearish Case
Failure to hold $13.15 support, particularly on higher volume, risks a pullback toward $11.74 and potentially the strong support zone near $11.61. Extended consolidation below the 20-day moving average would signal weakening momentum.

Risk Management
Conservative traders should consider stop-losses below $12.80 (EMA 12 level) for long positions, while aggressive entries above $13.60 could target $14.50 with stops below $13.20. Given the $0.63 daily ATR, position sizing should account for normal volatility of roughly 5% daily moves.

Image source: Shutterstock

link price analysis
link price prediction

The proposal is framed as a structural move to preserve flexibility, not an immediate plan to issue new shares.

BitMine Immersion Technologies is asking shareholders to approve a massive increase in its authorized shares.

The company’s leadership, led by Chairman Tom Lee, has explained that this strategic move is designed to enable future stock splits, a necessity they believe will arise as the firm’s share price climbs in tandem with its primary treasury asset: Ethereum (ETH).

Shareholder Vote Focuses on Future Flexibility
In a series of posts on January 2, Lee directly addressed investor questions regarding Proposal 2, which seeks to raise BitMine’s authorized common stock from 500 million to 50 billion shares, with a shareholder vote on the measure due by January 14.

The crypto entrepreneur was quick to dismiss concerns that the proposal signals immediate shareholder dilution. Instead, he outlined three strategic reasons for the change, which are facilitating selective capital raises, enabling opportunistic mergers, and accommodating future share splits.

“The last point is key,” Lee wrote. “Any time a company splits shares, total authorized needs to be high enough to accommodate.”

This plan is intrinsically linked to BitMine’s mid-2025 pivot to holding Ethereum as its main treasury asset. According to Lee, the company’s stock price now closely tracks the price of ETH.

It has aggressively built its position, with its latest purchase of the asset being a $97.6 million splurge on 32,938 ETH on December 31, 2025, bringing its total holdings to about 4.07 million ETH, valued at approximately $12 billion.

Ethereum’s Potential and the Path to Splits
Lee’s vision for BitMine is predicated on a bullish long-term outlook for Ethereum itself. He cited institutional belief in tokenization, echoing statements from leaders like BlackRock’s Larry Fink, and argued that most of this activity will occur on the Ethereum network.

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Vitalik Buterin: Ethereum Progressed in 2025, Must Decentralize in 2026

Ethereum Suffered Worst Year Since 2018: 9 Red Months in 2025

BitMine Doubles Down on Ethereum as Markets Cool into Year-End

He projects the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap could eventually hit prices of $22,000, $62,000, or even $250,000 in a scenario where Bitcoin reaches $1 million.

Using BitMine’s established price correlation with ETH, Lee provided illustrative calculations for where the company’s stock could trade. These scenarios suggest share prices of $500, $1,500, or $5,000.

To keep shares accessible to retail investors, the 56-year-old stated the company would want to split its stock to reset the price near $25. Such splits would drastically increase the number of shares outstanding, necessitating the proposed boost in authorized shares.

This forward-looking strategy is coming at a time when Ethereum is weathering a difficult period. Data shows 2025 was ETH’s worst year since 2018, with nine monthly losses contributing to a 12% annual decline.

The asset is currently trading slightly above $3,000, showing a 3.5% increase in the last 24 hours but remaining 39% below its all-time high set in August 2025. Nonetheless, Lee and BitMine are positioning for a future they believe will be defined by Ethereum’s role in finance, building their treasury through the downturn in preparation for an anticipated rebound.

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USDC may be smaller than Tether in terms of size, but it packs a big punch.

The global stablecoin market grew by 50% in 2025, but two stablecoin giants continue to dominate the industry: Tether (USDT +0.00%) and USDC (USDC 0.01%). According to the latest Motley Fool stablecoin research, they account for a whopping 90% of the total value of all stablecoins.

That leads to an obvious question for crypto investors: Which stablecoin -- Tether or USDC -- is the better buy right now?

How to evaluate stablecoin investments
To answer that question, it's helpful to keep in mind that these two stablecoins are not traditional investments. They are digital currencies pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar, and as a result, are often referred to as "digital dollars." At any point in time, investors can swap between physical and digital dollars, making it easy to move money into and out of the crypto market.

Image source: Getty Images.

The dollar peg has very important implications. One year from now, the price of both Tether and USDC will be exactly $1. Five years from now, the price of both will be exactly $1. And 10 years from now, the price of both will be exactly $1.

You can easily see this in this five-year chart for USDC. While there is some amount of "wiggle" around the $1 mark, the long-term average price is $1.

Today's Change

(

-0.01

%) $

-0.00

Current Price

$

1.00

However, if you simply buy and hold stablecoins without putting them to work in the blockchain world, you won't make any money on your investment. It's a bit like taking physical dollars and hiding them under your bed.

The utility case
That's why choosing the "best" stablecoin should be based on utility. In other words, what can you actually do with stablecoins?

The core use case for stablecoins is earning passive income. Just as you can earn a modest annual yield by holding your physical dollars in a bank, you can also earn a modest annual yield by holding your digital dollars on the blockchain. On some cryptocurrency trading platforms, you can earn anywhere from 3.5% to 5.25% per year on your stablecoin investment.

Stablecoin investors can earn an even higher yield via decentralized finance (DeFi), such as by getting involved with DeFi lending protocols or yield farming. Here, yields can be as high as 15% -- but you're also taking on much more risk.

Stablecoins can also be used on a growing number of online platforms to make purchases. At the point of checkout, you can simply scroll through the payment options until you see an option to pay by stablecoin. The Shopify e-commerce platform, for example, recently embraced USDC for online purchases via a new partnership with Coinbase Global.

Admittedly, the use cases for Tether and USDC are largely the same. It's really just a matter of where you shop, spend money, and invest in crypto. For example, I've always been partial to USDC because it's the stablecoin backed by Coinbase.

Regulatory and compliance issues
However, USDC has a clear edge over Tether when it comes to regulatory oversight. That's because USDC is backed by Circle Internet Group, a publicly traded U.S. corporation. In contrast, the Tether stablecoin is backed by Tether Limited, a company currently domiciled in El Salvador (and before that, the British Virgin Islands and Hong Kong).

Today's Change

(

5.07

%) $

4.02

Current Price

$

83.32

Now that the new Genius Act for stablecoins has passed in the U.S., regulatory compliance is vitally important. For that reason, large financial institutions and major corporations within the U.S. will likely continue to favor USDC over Tether. Simply stated, Tether is not subject to the same level of regulatory scrutiny as USDC, and that makes it slightly more risky.

In search of the perfect stablecoin
Admittedly, Tether is still twice as big as USDC in terms of market cap, and is easily the favorite stablecoin of the non-U.S. world. If the goal is simply to swap into and out of different cryptocurrencies, I can see the value of Tether. There's greater liquidity, and hence, much less "wiggle" around the dollar peg. For active, short-term traders, Tether is likely the better buy.

However, there is really no such thing as a perfect stablecoin. That helps to explain why so many different corporations and financial institutions are trying to launch their own stablecoins. There's some core user need that they are trying to address. If you're an active PayPal user, for example, you might want to consider the new PayPal stablecoin, which now has a $3.6 billion market cap.

But dollar for dollar, I think USDC is the best stablecoin to buy right now. It's readily available to buy and sell, there are plenty of opportunities to earn yield, and it's becoming more common as a payment option at checkout. If you're looking to move physical dollars into digital dollars, it could be worth taking a closer look at USDC.

Bitcoin

Cryptocurrency

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We believe in full transparency with our readers. Some of our content includes affiliate links, and we may earn a commission through these partnerships. However, this potential compensation never influences our analysis, opinions, or reviews. Our editorial content is created independently of our marketing partnerships, and our ratings are based solely on our established evaluation criteria. Read More

Crypto Writer

Arslan Butt

Crypto Writer

Arslan Butt

Part of the Team Since

Sep 2022

About Author

Arslan Butt is an experienced webinar speaker, market analyst, and content writer specializing in crypto, forex, and commodities. He provides expert insights, trading strategies, and in-depth analysis...

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We believe in full transparency with our readers. Some of our content includes affiliate links, and we may earn a commission through these partnerships. However, this potential compensation never influences our analysis, opinions, or reviews. Our editorial content is created independently of our marketing partnerships, and our ratings are based solely on our established evaluation criteria. Read More

Last updated: 

January 4, 2026

Bitcoin Price Prediction
Bitcoin is back in the spotlight after $645.8 million in crypto ETF inflows on January 2 reignited optimism across the digital asset market. Whereas, the total crypto market cap has reached $3.12 trillion along with daily trading volume near $75 billion, reflecting rising institutional activity.

The Fear and Greed Index stands at 40 (neutral), a sharp improvement from December’s fear levels, while the Altcoin Season Index at 25 confirms the market remains in a clear Bitcoin-dominant phase. Analysts say ETF demand is tightening supply at a time when liquidity remains thin, creating ideal conditions for higher prices.

Bitcoin Technical Setup: Triangle Breakout Points to $94KFrom a technical perspective, Bitcoin price prediction seems to have turned bullish as it has confirmed a breakout from a triangle after a month-long consolidation. The breakout above $89,500 marks a decisive end to December’s sideways action and hints at the start of a new bullish leg.

Bitcoin Price Chart – Source: TradingviewThe 4-hour chart shows Bitcoin trading around $91,260, forming a pattern of higher lows and steadily rising volume. A 50-EMA crossover above the 100-EMA confirms strengthening momentum, while the RSI near 69 suggests controlled bullish pressure without entering overbought territory.

Candlestick signals reinforce the bullish view, a bullish engulfing candle broke resistance, followed by a spinning top at $92,000, signaling short-term consolidation before a potential continuation higher.

Bitcoin (BTC/USD) Market Outlook: Eyes on $94K and BeyondIf Bitcoin manages to stay above $89,000, we’re looking at the next run-up spots between $93,500 and $94,600- the path seems promising for a possible push towards $98,000 in the coming weeks. But if it were to close below $88,400, though, we could see that whole thing come crashing down and invite some short-term selling.

Things are looking optimistic right now, as more ETF money is flowing in and regular traders are jumping back in – of course, it doesn’t hurt that altcoins are still lagging, which suggests a more mature bull run rather than just wild speculation.

If this momentum keeps going, Bitcoin could soon be eyeing $100K in Q1 of ’26 – driven by all that new ETF money, plus the fact that significant macro trends are starting to play in favor of digital assets.

Maxi Doge: A Meme Coin Built Around Community and CompetitionMaxi Doge is gaining traction as one of the more active meme coin presales this year, combining bold branding with community-driven incentives. The project has already raised more than $4.4 million, placing it among the stronger early performers in the meme token category.

Unlike typical dog-themed tokens that rely purely on social buzz, Maxi Doge leans into engagement. The project runs regular ROI competitions, community challenges, and events designed to keep participation high throughout the presale phase. Its leverage-inspired mascot and fitness-themed branding have helped it stand out in a crowded meme market.

The $MAXI token also includes a staking mechanism that allows holders to earn daily smart-contract rewards. Stakers gain access to exclusive competitions and partner events, adding a passive earning component while encouraging long-term participation rather than short-term speculation.

Currently priced at $0.0002765, $MAXI is approaching its next scheduled presale increase. With momentum building and community activity remaining strong, Maxi Doge is positioning itself as a meme coin focused on sustained engagement rather than one-off hype.

Click Here to Participate in the Presale

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.

Bulls keep controlling the situation on the market at the end of the week, according to CoinMarketCap.

Top coins by CoinMarketCap ETH/USDThe rate of Ethereum (ETH) has risen by 1.19% since yesterday. Over the last week, the price has risen by 6.85%.

Image by TradingViewOn the hourly chart, the price of ETH is in the middle of the local channel between the support at $3,126 and the resistance at $3,162. As most of the daily ATR has been passed, traders are unlikely to witness sharp moves by tomorrow.

Image by TradingViewOn the bigger time frame, buyers remain more powerful than sellers while the rate of the main altcoin is above the interim level of $3,077.

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If bulls can hold the gained initiative, the upward move is likely to continue to the $3,200 area soon.

Image by TradingViewFrom the midterm point of view, the price of ETH keeps accumulating energy for a further move. The volume remains low, which means neither side has enough energy yet. All in all, sideways trading in the zone of $3,100-$3,300 is the more likely scenario.

Ethereum is trading at $3,134 at press time.

Cover image via U.Today

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.

Most of the cryptocurrencies are going up at the end of the weekend, according to CoinStats.

BTC chart by CoinStatsBTC/USDThe rate of Bitcoin (BTC) has gone up by 1.45% since yesterday.

Image by TradingViewOn the hourly chart, the price of BTC has made a false breakout of the local resistance at $91,541. However, if a correction does not happen and bulls can hold the initiative, traders may see a test of the $92,000 zone soon.

Image by TradingViewOn the bigger time frame, there are no reversal signals so far. If the daily candle closes around the interim level of $92,000, the accumulated energy might be enough for ongoing growth to the nearest resistance at $94,199.

Image by TradingViewFrom the midterm point of view, the situation remains neutral. The volume is low, which means neither bulls nor bears are ready to seize the initiative yet.

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All in all, sideways trading in the range of $90,000-$93,000 is the more likely scenario.

Bitcoin is trading at $91,190 at press time.

Darius Baruo
Jan 04, 2026 19:27

BTC price climbs to $91,110 amid regulatory clarity from UK legislation proposal, testing key resistance as technical indicators show mixed signals in weekend trading.

Quick Take
• BTC trading at $91,110.01 (up 1.1% in 24h)
• UK government's crypto regulation proposal creating measured market response
• Bitcoin testing upper Bollinger Band resistance at $90,731
• BTC showing relative strength versus traditional weekend market lull

Market Events Driving Bitcoin Price Movement
The most significant development affecting BTC price this week came from the UK government's announcement of draft cryptocurrency legislation on December 31st. The proposed framework would regulate digital assets similarly to traditional financial instruments, introducing transparency standards and consumer protections that could set a precedent for global regulatory approaches.

While initially neutral in impact, the regulatory clarity has provided underlying support for Bitcoin technical analysis as markets process the implications of structured oversight. The measured response suggests institutional players view comprehensive regulation as potentially beneficial for long-term adoption, despite short-term compliance costs.

Separately, Bitwise's prediction that Bitcoin will break from its historic four-year cycle and reach new all-time highs in 2026 has added to the cautiously optimistic sentiment. However, with Bitcoin currently trading 27% below its 52-week high of $124,658, the market remains focused on near-term technical factors rather than long-term projections.

BTC Technical Analysis: Testing Upper Range Resistance
Price Action Context
BTC price action shows Bitcoin trading above all short-term moving averages, with the current $91,110 level representing a 2.3% premium to the 20-day SMA at $88,146. The positioning above the 7, 20, and 50-day moving averages indicates short-term bullish momentum, though the significant gap below the 200-day SMA at $106,685 reveals the longer-term downtrend remains intact.

Volume on Binance spot of $993 million reflects solid weekend participation, suggesting institutional interest remains engaged despite traditional market closures.

Key Technical Indicators
The RSI at 57.69 sits in neutral territory, providing room for further upside without entering overbought conditions. More notably, the MACD histogram shows a bullish reading of 590.87, indicating momentum is building despite the MACD line remaining below its signal line.

Bitcoin's position at 107% of its Bollinger Band width suggests the current rally is testing statistical resistance levels. The Stochastic indicators at 87.01 (%K) and 86.13 (%D) indicate overbought conditions in the short term, warranting caution for immediate entries.

Critical Price Levels for Bitcoin Traders
Immediate Levels (24-48 hours)
• Resistance: $91,810 (24-hour high and key psychological level)
• Support: $90,017 (24-hour low and breakout confirmation level)

Breakout/Breakdown Scenarios
A break above $91,810 could target the strong resistance zone at $96,635, representing a 6% upside potential. Conversely, failure to hold current levels could see BTC price retreat toward the $84,450 support, where the 20-day moving average convergence provides structural backing.

BTC Correlation Analysis
Bitcoin is displaying relative strength compared to traditional weekend market conditions, with crypto markets continuing to trade while equity markets remain closed. The lack of S&P 500 correlation data over the weekend eliminates a key external influence, allowing Bitcoin technical analysis to focus purely on crypto-specific factors.

The broader cryptocurrency market is following Bitcoin's lead, with BTC maintaining its role as the primary driver of sector sentiment during regulatory news cycles.

Trading Outlook: Bitcoin Near-Term Prospects
Bullish Case
Sustained trading above $90,000 with volume confirmation could establish this level as new support, targeting the $96,635 resistance zone. Additional regulatory clarity from other major jurisdictions could provide fundamental catalysts for the next leg higher.

Bearish Case
Rejection at current Bollinger Band resistance levels, combined with overbought stochastic readings, could trigger profit-taking toward $84,450 support. Weekend low liquidity increases volatility risk for leveraged positions.

Risk Management
Traders should consider stops below $89,000 to protect against sudden reversals, while position sizing should account for the elevated $2,433 daily ATR. The current setup favors patient entries on any pullbacks rather than chasing momentum at resistance levels.

Image source: Shutterstock

btc price analysis
btc price prediction

Metaplanet, a Bitcoin (BTC) treasury company, may have a financial edge over other digital asset treasury companies due to structural weakness in the Japanese yen (JPY), according to BTC analyst and crypto treasury company investor Adam Livingston.

Japan’s debt-to-gross-domestic-product ratio is about 250%, Livingston said. This high debt level continues to weaken the yen, which must be printed to shore up deficits every year, contributing to an even higher debt level and an erosion of the yen’s value.

Measured in US dollar terms, BTC has appreciated by about 1,159% since 2020, but BTC gained 1,704% over the same time period if measured against the Japanese yen, he said.

Bitcoin cumulative returns since 2020, measured against JPY, are pictured in orange compared with BTC returns measured in USD over the same period. Source: Adam LivingstonA weaker yen means that Metaplanet’s liabilities are denominated in fiat currency that is weaker than the dollar, which gives the company cheaper access to financing “per unit” of fiat currency spent, Livingston said. He added:

“Every coupon Metaplanet pays is in a currency that has been losing value relative to both BTC and USD, so the real, BTC-denominated, cost of that 4.9% coupon keeps shrinking. Strategy pays its 10% coupon in dollars, a stronger unit, so its liability erodes more slowly.”The analysis came amid a broad downturn in crypto treasury companies, some of which lost over 90% of their value from their peaks, as crypto markets struggle to regain momentum and form new all-time highs after a historic crash in October.

Metaplanet becomes the 4th largest BTC treasury company despite broad downturn in DATs Metaplanet holds 35,102 BTC in its reserve at the time of this writing. This makes Metaplanet the 4th largest Bitcoin treasury company by its BTC holdings, according to data from BitcoinTreasuries.

Bitcoin treasury companies ranked by BTC holdings. Source: BitcoinTreasuriesThe company’s most recent BTC purchase occurred on Tuesday, when it bought 4,279 BTC for about $451 million.

However, despite accumulating a large amount of BTC, the company’s stock price has fallen in step with the rest of the crypto treasury sector, including Strategy — the biggest BTC treasury company, BitMine, Nakamoto, and others.

Magazine: Mysterious Mr Nakamoto author: Finding Satoshi would hurt Bitcoin

Bitcoin price surged into the new year, supported by renewed optimism and strong spot ETF inflows. The crypto king pushed higher despite geopolitical tension following the US strike on Venezuela. 

Markets remained resilient, suggesting investors prioritized liquidity trends and institutional demand over short-term macro uncertainty.

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Bitcoin Whales Change StanceWhale behavior shifted noticeably over the past day. Addresses holding between 10,000 and 100,000 BTC had sold roughly 50,000 BTC between December 29 and January 3. That distribution phase reflected caution as Bitcoin consolidated below major resistance.

Over the last 24 hours, those same whale wallets reversed course. They accumulated about 10,000 BTC, valued at $912 million, after Bitcoin crossed the $90,000 level. This renewed accumulation signals confidence among large holders and may help absorb near-term selling pressure.

Want more token insights like this? Sign up for Editor Harsh Notariya’s Daily Crypto Newsletter here.

Bitcoin Whale Holding. Source: SantimentWhales often act as liquidity anchors during volatile periods. Their return to buying suggests expectations of higher prices ahead. If accumulation continues, it could reinforce support levels and stabilize Bitcoin’s advance during early 2026.

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Are Bitcoin Miners a Concern?Miner behavior introduces a counterweight to bullish sentiment. The miner net position change shows selling has increased sharply over the past 24 hours. Outflows rose from 55 BTC to 604 BTC, reflecting miners capitalizing on higher prices to realize profits.

While the volume remains modest relative to total market supply, miner selling still affects short-term dynamics. Increased issuance entering the market can dampen upside momentum, especially if demand growth slows. This selling may limit the pace of Bitcoin’s climb rather than reverse it outright.

Bitcoin Miner Position. Source: GlassnodeMiners typically sell during strength to fund operations. Their activity does not necessarily signal bearish conviction. However, combined with broader profit-taking, it can delay breakouts until fresh demand absorbs the added supply.

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BTC Price Breakout Awaits A ConfirmationBitcoin broke out of a six-week descending wedge over the past 24 hours, trading near $91,327 at the time of writing. This technical escape suggests momentum is improving.

To sustain the breakout, Bitcoin must secure $92,031 as support, which would open a path toward $95,000.

Bitcoin Price Analysis. Source: TradingViewSponsored

Bullish confirmation requires reclaiming key moving averages. The 50-day EMA near $91,554 and the 365-day EMA around $97,403 currently act as resistance.

Flipping these levels into support would signal a stronger trend reversal and improve the odds of a move back above $100,000.

Bitcoin EMAs. Source: TradingViewShort-term risks remain tied to macro reactions. Global markets will respond to the US action in Venezuela when trading resumes on Monday.

A negative risk-off response could pressure Bitcoin, pushing the price back toward $90,000 or lower and invalidating the immediate bullish thesis.

Active Currencies 18941

Market Cap $3,201,646,004,029.00

Bitcoin Share 56.85%

24h Market Cap Change $1.28

AMBCrypto

Crypto market’s weekly winners and losers – MYX, PEPE, UNI, HYPE

Journalist

Posted: January 5, 2026

New year, new market?

The crypto community stepped into 2026 with just enough green to make us all happy. Many top 100 coins closed the week on a high, with CoinMarketCap’s top 20 index up by nearly 5%.

Crowd favorites Bitcoin [BTC] and Ethereum [ETH] posted gains of nearly 5% and 7%.

Source: CoinMarketCap

What about the rest? Settle in with your drink of choice, and here’s a recap of how the market moved this week.

MYX Finance [MYX] – Huge surge ahead of developments

Samyukhtha L KM is a Financial Journalist and Market Analyst at AMBCrypto whose work is defined by one central question: Is the latest trend in blockchain hype, or history in the making?
Her expertise is built on a strong academic foundation, with a Master’s in Journalism and Mass Communication from Amity University and a Bachelor’s in Commerce from the University of Madras. This dual qualification equips her with a unique skill set: the financial acumen to dissect market mechanics and the journalistic rigor to investigate and communicate complex subjects with clarity.
Samyukhtha specializes in analyzing the socio-economic impact of blockchain adoption and assessing the viability of new market narratives. This includes a focus on high-velocity, community-driven assets such as memecoins, where she evaluates sentiment and fundamentals. She is dedicated to providing readers with insightful, well-researched commentary that looks beyond immediate market moves to understand the long-term implications of decentralized technology.

MetaMask has rolled out native Bitcoin support, allowing users to buy, send, receive, and manage BTC directly within the popular crypto wallet. With the update, Bitcoin can now be held and traded alongside assets on Ethereum, Solana, Monad, and Sei, marking a significant expansion beyond MetaMask’s Ethereum roots.

Users can access the new functionality by updating to the latest version of MetaMask, which automatically generates a Bitcoin address within its multichain accounts. The wallet currently supports the native SegWit derivation path, with support for Taproot planned for a future update. Bitcoin transactions will appear in users’ asset lists once confirmed, though MetaMask notes that BTC transfers are typically slower than those on EVM-based or Solana networks.

The integration enables several core Bitcoin functions. Users can buy BTC using local currency through payment methods that vary by region, including debit and credit cards, Apple Pay, PayPal, and bank accounts. MetaMask also allows users to swap assets from EVM networks or Solana into Bitcoin using its built-in swap feature, as well as send and receive BTC by sharing their Bitcoin address with exchanges or other wallets.

The Bitcoin launch comes nearly a year after MetaMask first announced plans to add support for the network and follows a series of recent feature additions. In August, the wallet introduced its own stablecoin, mUSD, on Ethereum and the Linea layer-2 network. In October, it added native swaps for Hyperliquid, and in December it integrated Polymarket to enable in-wallet predictions on sports, crypto, and politics.

American energy firms have yet to say whether they plan to return to Venezuela to resurrect an oil industry hollowed out by years of neglect.

Chevron, the only U.S. energy titan operating in Venezuela, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that it was following "relevant laws and regulations."

"Chevron remains focused on the safety and well-being of our employees, as well as the integrity of our assets," a Chevron spokesperson added.

ExxonMobil, the largest U.S. oil company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did ConocoPhillips.

‘WE BUILT VENEZUELA’S OIL INDUSTRY:’ TRUMP VOWS US ENERGY RETURN AFTER MADURO CAPTURE

An exterior view of a Venezuelan state-run oil refinery. (Jesus Vargas / Getty Images)

President Donald Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday that the U.S. would sell large amounts of Venezuelan oil to other countries after ramping up production. 

Venezuela holds the world’s largest oil reserves, but years of underinvestment and crumbling infrastructure have left much of that wealth locked away. Trump said U.S. energy firms could return to the country to unlock that potential.

"We are going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken oil infrastructure and start making money for the country," he said.

US CAPTURE OF MADURO THROWS SPOTLIGHT ON VENEZUELA’S MASSIVE OIL RESERVES

When asked by Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson about the future of Venezuela’s oil sector and its buyers — which include China, Russia and Iran — Trump said the United States would sell large amounts of oil to many countries.

"We’re in the oil business," Trump said. 

He added that the United States "built Venezuela’s oil industry with American talent, drive and skill" and said the country’s socialist government later took control of it.

CLICK HERE TO GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO

President Donald Trump addresses the nation following the U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. (Jim Watson/AFP / Getty Images)

"Venezuela unilaterally seized and sold American oil, American assets and American platforms, costing us billions and billions of dollars," Trump said. "They took all of our property."

Venezuela pushed out Western oil companies under a nationalization campaign launched by former President Hugo Chávez, ending what had once been a major period of U.S. energy investment.

Meanwhile, Trump reiterated that the U.S. embargo on all Venezuelan oil remains in full effect.

A small trim can say more about risk management than conviction, and the latest earnings help explain why this position still matters.

Dallas-based Highlander Partners cut its position in Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. (YMM +4.85%) by 260,000 shares last quarter, reducing exposure by $1.65 million, according to a November 13 SEC filing.

What HappenedIn a filing submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on November 13, Highlander Partners reported selling 260,000 shares of Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. (YMM +4.85%) during the third quarter. The position’s value fell by $1.65 million over the period, leaving the fund with 1.23 million shares worth $15.93 million as of September 30.

What Else to KnowDespite the reduction, YMM still represents 5.56% of Highlander’s 13F AUM, its fifth-largest holding as of the quarter’s end.

Top holdings after the filing: 

NYSE:BX: $81.84 million (23.9% of AUM)NYSE:VRT: $53.34 million (15.6% of AUM)NYSE:BABA: $30.78 million (9.0% of AUM)NASDAQ:AMZN: $22.62 million (6.6% of AUM)NYSE:YMM: $15.93 million (4.7% of AUM)As of Friday, YMM shares were priced at $11.25, up about 4% over the past year and underperforming the S&P 500, which is instead up about 17% in the same period.

Company OverviewMetricValueRevenue (TTM)$1.71 billionNet Income (TTM)$588.99 millionDividend Yield1.7%Price (as of Friday)$11.25Company SnapshotFull Truck Alliance offers a digital freight platform providing freight listing, matching, brokerage, transaction, and value-added services such as credit solutions, insurance brokerage, and electronic toll collection.The company generates revenue primarily through transaction fees, value-added services, and technology development for shippers and truckers in China.It serves shippers seeking efficient freight solutions and truckers looking for shipment opportunities across various cargo types and distances within the Chinese market.Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. operates at scale as a leading digital freight platform in China, leveraging technology to connect shippers and truckers efficiently. The company's integrated service offering and broad network provide a competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving logistics sector. Its strategy focuses on digitalization and value-added services to drive growth and operational efficiency.

Foolish TakeTrimming a position that still sits among the fund’s top holdings suggests calibration, not capitulation. In other words, this looks less like a loss of faith and more like portfolio discipline after a volatile stretch for Chinese equities, particularly since the stock was up about 22% year to date through the end of the third quarter, offering up opportunities to lock in some gains while keeping a position in the stock.

Fundamentally, Full Truck Alliance continues to do what long-term investors should care about. Full Truck Alliance posted third-quarter revenue of roughly $472 million, up nearly 11% year over year, driven by strong growth in transaction services, which surged 39% as order volumes and monetization improved. Fulfilled orders climbed more than 22%, while average shipper MAUs rose almost 18%, reinforcing the platform’s scale advantages.

That said, profitability told a more mixed story. Net income declined 18% year over year, reflecting higher operating costs and increased investment in technology and ecosystem development. Management also guided fourth-quarter revenue slightly below last year’s level, a reminder that growth is moderating even as engagement metrics remain strong. Placed alongside the fund’s heavier weights in global asset managers and mega-cap tech, this holding still reads as a targeted bet on digital infrastructure rather than a core macro call on China.

Glossary13F AUM: The total market value of securities reported by an institutional investment manager on SEC Form 13F.
Alpha: A measure of an investment's performance relative to a benchmark, indicating excess return or outperformance.
Stake: The amount of ownership or number of shares an investor holds in a company.
Holding: A security or asset owned by an individual or institutional investor within a portfolio.
Value-added services: Additional services offered beyond core offerings, often to enhance customer experience or generate extra revenue.
Brokerage: The business or service of acting as an intermediary between buyers and sellers, often for a fee or commission.
Transaction fees: Charges collected for facilitating or processing a trade or service on a platform.
Dividend yield: A financial ratio showing how much a company pays out in dividends each year relative to its share price.
Digital freight platform: An online system that connects shippers and carriers to arrange and manage freight transportation.
Electronic toll collection: A digital system allowing vehicles to pay tolls automatically without stopping at toll booths.
Operational efficiency: The ability of a company to deliver goods or services using the least necessary resources.
TTM: The 12-month period ending with the most recent quarterly report.

Jonathan Ponciano has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Blackstone. The Motley Fool recommends Alibaba Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

NEW YORK, Jan. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Attorney Advertising -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC, a nationally recognized law firm, notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of purchasers or acquirers of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation f/k/a CopperSteel HoldCo, Inc. (NYSE: FUN) common stock pursuant or traceable to the company’s registration statement and prospectus issued in connection with the July 1, 2024 merger of legacy Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (“Legacy Six Flags”) with Cedar Fair, L.P. (“Cedar Fair”), and their subsidiaries and affiliates (the “Merger”). 

Six Flags Class Definition 
This lawsuit seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of all persons and entities that held shares of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation f/k/a CopperSteel HoldCo, Inc. (“Six Flags” or the “Company”) common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the Company’s Registration Statement and prospectus issued in connection with the July 1, 2024 merger (the “Merger Date”) of legacy Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (“Legacy Six Flags”) with Cedar Fair, L.P. (“Cedar Fair”), and their subsidiaries and affiliates. Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm’s site: bgandg.com/FUN. 

Six Flags Case Details 
The Complaint alleges that the Registration Statement for the Merger was negligently prepared and, as a result, contained untrue statements of material fact or omitted to state other facts necessary to make the statements made therein not misleading, and was not prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations governing its preparation. Specifically, the Registration statement failed to disclose that: 

(1) Despite executives’ claims that Legacy Six Flags had pursued transformational investment initiatives prior to the Merger, the company in fact suffered from chronic underinvestment, and its amusement parks required millions of dollars in additional capital and operational expenditures beyond historical cost trends to maintain—let alone grow—market share in a highly competitive industry; 
(2) Following defendant Selim Bassoul’s appointment as CEO in November 2021, the company implemented aggressive cost-cutting measures, including significant reductions in employee headcount, which materially degraded operational competence and guest experience;
(3) As a result, Legacy Six Flags required a substantial and undisclosed capital infusion to stabilize and revitalize its business, and these acute capital needs fundamentally undermined the rationale for the Merger as presented in the registration statement. 

What's Next for Six Flags Investors? 
A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint, you can visit the firm’s site: bgandg.com/FUN, or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Client Relations Manager, Nathan Miller, of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 917-590-0911. If you purchased Six Flags, you have until January 5, 2026, to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff. 

No Cost to Six Flags Investors

We, Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC, represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys’ fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.

Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC for Six Flags Securities Class Action?

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide. More at www.bgandg.com.

"Our practice centers on restoring investor capital and ensuring corporate accountability, which serves to uphold the essential integrity of the marketplace," said Peretz Bronstein, Founding Partner of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or Instagram.

Contact Info

Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or Nathan Miller
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
917-590-0911 | [email protected]

Attorney advertising.
Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- National shareholder rights law firm Hagens Berman is issuing a reminder to investors in Stride, Inc. (NYSE: LRN) that the deadline to move the Court for appointment as lead plaintiff in the pending securities class action lawsuit is January 12, 2026. The firm urges investors who suffered substantial losses in LRN to contact Hagens Berman now to discuss their rights.

The lawsuit seeks to recover investor losses sustained after the purported disclosure of two distinct, alleged fraudulent schemes: inflated enrollment figures (using “Ghost Students”) and a catastrophic technology platform failure. The cumulative impact of these disclosures caused the stock to crash 54% in a single day, leading to a sudden loss of billions in market capitalization.

The complaint details how Stride and its executives allegedly misled investors about core business metrics and operational stability. The subsequent revelation of the severity of the platform upgrade failure—which CEO James Rhyu acknowledged resulted in “poor customer experience”—is alleged to have contradicted prior assurances of strong growth.

For a detailed breakdown of the fraud allegations and operational failures, visit the dedicated Hagens Berman Stride (LRN) Case Page.

“Stride’s alleged conduct in the pending suit is particularly egregious, as the complaint alleges a systematic practice of inflating enrollment figures with ‘Ghost Students’ and maintaining improper student-to-teacher ratios just before revealing a foreseeable technological failure,” said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm’s investigation. “We are specifically focused on gathering evidence linking these alleged compliance and operational failures to the 54% crash.”

The Alleged Dual Fraud: Claimed “Ghost Student” Scheme and Platform Upgrade Failure 

The litigation focuses on how two distinct, undisclosed operational failures corrected the market’s misperception of Stride’s true financial health.

1.The Alleged Enrollment Fraud & Compliance Risk: The Claim: The company allegedly utilized unlawful business practices, including retaining “Ghost Students” (students who never officially started or were absent for extended periods) to artificially inflate enrollment metrics and profit margins. Financial Impact: The initial disclosure that partially revealed these undisclosed facts led to an 11% stock drop.2.The Alleged Concealed Technology Catastrophe: The Claim: Stride allegedly failed to disclose severe, known issues with a critical platform upgrade implemented over the summer, which blocked access for an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 enrolled students, stifling growth and requiring costly remediation. Financial Impact: The alleged revelation of this operational failure forced the company to forecast a dramatically slowed sales growth of only 5% (down from its historical 19%), and triggered the single-day 54% stock crash.3.Alleged Recoverable Damages and the Defined Class: The complaint seeks to recover losses for investors who purchased LRN securities during the Class Period (October 22, 2024 – October 28, 2025), seeking to hold Stride and certain of its key executives accountable for the alleged misrepresentations regarding core business metrics and operational stability. Next Steps: Contact Partner Reed Kathrein Today

Hagens Berman is a leading plaintiff litigation firm recognized for securing substantial recoveries for investors in complex securities fraud cases involving operational and compliance failures.

Mr. Kathrein is actively advising investors who purchased LRN securities during the Class Period and suffered significant losses due to the alleged undisclosed facts.

The Lead Plaintiff Deadline is January 12, 2026.

TO SUBMIT YOUR STRIDE (LRN) LOSSES NOW PLEASE USE THE SECURE FORM BELOW:

Submit Your Stride (LRN) Investment Losses NowContact: Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected] Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Stride should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected].

About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs’ rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Berman’s team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw. 

Contact:
Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895

NEW YORK, Jan. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC, a nationally recognized investor-rights law firm, announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against F5, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) and certain of its officers.

This lawsuit seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired F5 securities between October 28, 2024 and October 27, 2025, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm’s site: bgandg.com/FFIV.

F5 Case Details

The Complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that:

 (1)Defendants provided overwhelmingly positive statements to investors while disseminating materially false and misleading statements and/or concealing material adverse facts concerning the true state of F5’s security capabilities; (2)F5 was not, in fact, equipped to safely secure data for its clients because the Company was, at all relevant times, experiencing a significant security breach (the “Security Breach”) affecting key product offerings; (3)The revelation of the Security Breach would significantly impair F5’s ability to capitalize on opportunities in the security market; and (4)As a result of the omission of these material facts, shareholders purchased F5 securities at artificially inflated prices.    What's Next for F5 Investors?

A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint, you can visit the firm’s site: bgandg.com/FFIV. or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Client Relations Manager, Nathan Miller, of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 917-590-0911. If you suffered a loss in F5 you have until February 17, 2026, to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff.

No Cost to F5 Investors

We, Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC, represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys’ fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.

Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC for F5 Securities Class Action?

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide. More at www.bgandg.com

"Our practice centers on restoring investor capital and ensuring corporate accountability, which serves to uphold the essential integrity of the marketplace," said Peretz Bronstein, Founding Partner of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or Instagram.

Contact Info

Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or Nathan Miller
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
917-590-0911 | [email protected]

Attorney advertising.
Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Partner Reed Kathrein Urges Investors to Contact Firm Before January 5, 2026 Lead Plaintiff Deadline

January 04, 2026 12:00 ET

 | Source:

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- National investor rights law firm Hagens Berman alerts INSP investors to the pending securities class action lawsuit against Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE: INSP). The firm is urging INSP investors who suffered substantial losses to contact its attorneys before the January 5, 2026, Lead Plaintiff Deadline. The lawsuit, which is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, alleges that Inspire Medical and its executives misled investors by concealing critical operational failures surrounding the launch of its next-generation device, the Inspire V for obstructive sleep apnea.

Class Period: Investors who purchased Inspire Medical (INSP) securities between August 6, 2024, and August 4, 2025.

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: January 5, 2026

Submit Your INSP Losses Now: If you suffered a substantial loss on your INSP investment, you are encouraged to contact Hagens Berman Partner Reed Kathrein to discuss your legal rights:

Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/insp Email: [email protected] Call: 844-916-0895

The Heart of the Inspire Medical Systems (INSP) Fraud Allegations

The securities class action complaint details how Inspire Medical allegedly assured investors of its “operational readiness” for the Inspire V launch, claiming it was ready “to throw the switch” for full commercial rollout. These assurances, the lawsuit contends, concealed fundamental failures that made a successful launch impossible, leading to a catastrophic guidance cut and stock crash.

The undisclosed operational issues that allegedly rendered the Company’s statements materially false and misleading include:

Alleged Concealment The Truth Allegedly Revealed on Aug. 4, 2025 Impact on Business/StockMedicare & Billing Readiness The necessary software updates for Medicare claims processing did not take effect until July 1, 2025, meaning implanting centers could not bill for procedures, stalling early adoption. Delayed Inspire V rollout and bottlenecked revenue generation.Excess Inventory (Channel Glut) Customers and treatment centers held a significant surplus of the older Inspire IV device, impacting demand for the new Inspire V product and requiring an inventory “burn down.” The allegedly flawed Inspire V launch led Inspire to slash its 2025 EPS guidance by over 80%.Training & Onboarding “Many centers” had not completed the essential training, contracting, and onboarding required to implant the new device. $42.04 per share drop and 32.4% decline in value.
Hagens Berman’s Investigation of the Alleged Claims

“Our focus remains on the alleged concealment of two critical points: the Medicare claims software failure and the inventory glut of the prior Inspire IV device,” said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm’s investigation. “The suit alleges that Inspire’s stock collapse was the result of management allegedly prioritizing a narrative of seamless transition over operational reality.”

What You Can Do?: If you purchased Inspire Medical (INSP) securities during the Class Period, you may have legal options. If you wish to discuss your rights or have information that may assist our investigation, please contact Hagens Berman

Submit Your Inspire Medical (INSP) Stock Losses NowContact: Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected] If you’d like more information and answers to frequently asked questions about the Inspire case and our investigation, visit Hagens Berman’s INSP dedicated case page: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/insp »

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Inspire should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected].

About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs’ rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Berman’s team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw. 

Contact:
Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895

Hagens Berman INSP Alert

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J Mintzmyer of Value Investor's Edge discusses shipping in 2025, strategies for navigating market downturns, and the importance of focusing on quality investments (0:45). Dry bulk potential, Cmb.Tech a top pick for 2026, impact of geopolitical factors on shipping (4:30). Stock selection metrics (12:20). Role of dividends in shipping (15:10). Broad macro risks (16:45). Learning lessons, setting goals (22:20).

Transcript

Rena Sherbill: J Mintzmyer of Value Investor's Edge, shipping sector expert extraordinaire. Welcome back to Investing Experts. Welcome back to the show.

J Mintzmyer: Absolutely, Rena, thank you so much. And of course, we're recording during the holiday season here. So happy holidays and looking forward to the new year of 2026.

Rena Sherbill: Yes, I think everybody is looking forward to a new year. Why don't you catch listeners up as we're heading into 2026? Value Investor's Edge has been a place on Seeking Alpha that people have been able to come and learn about shipping, get real insights into shipping stocks.

What's going on at Value Investor's Edge with this new year? What do you have going on and what are you looking forward to in 2026?

J Mintzmyer: 2025 was a big year for us. We launched the platform in the middle of 2015. So we celebrated our 10-year anniversary as a platform. This past summer, we were able to have a big meetup in New York City alongside the Marine Money Conference. We hosted about 40, 45 members out there for that. So that was a nice celebration of the team.

And of course, it's grown. It was just myself in 2015. We added to someone in James Catlin in 16, and now we have a full team of 11, just what a year of growth and it hit that 10 year milestone. So that's been good on the big picture business front in terms of shipping investments. 2025 was a good year for us, but it was not a excellent year. I mean, I think we've been spoiled a little bit in the shipping markets where we were putting up returns in 2021.

We did 133% with just long only stocks in 22 and 23, we put up 50% to 55% those years. And so this year, we're recording on December 30th. So we're about as close to the end of the year as we can get, possibly, unless we want to work on the holidays. But we're here at 23% year to date. And that's long only stocks.

In the shipping markets, it's a good year. Russell was only up 12%. And I think S&P (SP500) was up 16%. So we beat the market, beat it quite handily. It's not the 55, it's not the 133%.

So we're always striving for bigger and better, but that's kind of the big rundown there between celebrating the community, just a fantastic community, we have over 700 active members and a research team of 11 celebrating the 10 year anniversary and then putting up another good year in the markets.

Rena Sherbill: What would you say, because you're not alone in that the returns haven't been as good as you would have liked, what would you say in terms of navigating downturns in the market, sector downturns, when things you know aren't going to go as well despite your investing strategy?

What do you keep in mind? And are there particular stocks that you're more focused on? Are there particular metrics that you're more focused on? Are there particular stories that you're more focused on? What do you keep in mind as the downturn happens, as a way to see yourself out of it?

J Mintzmyer: That is the right question. And this year, in 2025, that was a totally pertinent question for us when we got into March and April. Think back to so-called Liberation Day.

And that was when, if you go and look at our models, we were down 15 or 20% year to date at that point. And pretty much anything in the market was down about that amount. So it wasn't like shipping did any worse, necessarily. But it was a time of testing our convictions.

I think when we get into a period of time where there's either greater macro risk from tariffs or from economic slowdown or maybe some of the stocks look a little bit more heavily valued, you really got to focus into quality.

And that's one thing we're setting up as we set up our 2026 top picks. We will be publishing those to the Value Investor's Edge platform right on the 31st to get ready for the new year. And as we construct those models, we have a value model and a speculative model.

And we're really looking at, we always try to look at high quality, but we're really looking a little bit more defensive, a little bit more higher quality, a little bit bigger backlogs, stronger balance sheets.

We're taking a little bit more of, I don't know if defensive is the right word or cautious. These can be loaded words, but I think we're definitely going a little bit more in that direction as we look at a more uncertain global macro setup.

Rena Sherbill: You've been on previously talking about tanker stocks.

I know that you also released an article around Thanksgiving about CMB.TECH (CMBT) as being one of your outperform picks for 2026. What would you say about the different columns within shipping, be it tankers, et cetera?

J Mintzmyer: I think the big exciting flashy sector for the last couple of years has been tankers. And there's been several reasons for that. You had the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which led to lots of sanctions and rerouting of the ships. And then you had the Houthis disrupting the Red Sea.

And that particularly impacted some of the smaller tankers, the products, they carry gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, that kind of stuff. And that sector was really top of mind for the last couple of years.

Rates were at multi-year highs, asset values were at record highs. More recently, and you alluded to it, you mentioned the CMB.TECH article that we put out. That is our top public pick.

Of course, we have private picks as well. I just finished building the list with my head of research today. We have seven names in our value model and six names in our speculative. So 13 picks there.

CMBT is indeed in the models, of course. It was a public pick, is a private pick as well. And that one is primarily dry bulk. And so the segue there is the dry bulk sector has been kind beaten down for most of the past decade. So the shipping companies have not properly invested in new tonnage and replacement capacity.

At the same time, there's new mines opening up across the world. The biggest one is a iron ore mine in Guinea. It's sponsored by China.

And China wants to diversify away from Australia and Brazil into a more friendly corner of the market. so this iron ore mine in Guinea is a national security priority for China. And so we're going to see them shift a lot of their cargoes in that direction. And for shipping nerds, we always look at the distance on the map. And whenever the imports and exports are very far away, shipping owners are very happy.

And Guinea, you have to pull out a map of Africa and look, it's Western Africa, is a lot further away from China than Australia. And so every cargo that is displaced that China replaces Australia with Guinea is very bullish for the dry bulk sector, particularly the big ships.

CMBT is the stock symbol, the name of the company is CMB Tech. It's kind of a silly name in my opinion, but they are 60% dry bulk and they're about 30% tankers.

So this is a shipping company, not a tech company. They're just getting a little hokey with the company name there but they are extremely well positioned to benefit from nocturnal dry bulk and not only that we got the 30% in tankers that is riding a very very strong tanker market.

We are at multi-year highs in current rates for both VLCCs, the largest tankers and Suezmaxes, the medium sized. So tankers were hot the last couple years. They're still hot right now, we believe '26, '27, dry bulk is the place to be.

And that public article, I'm sure it'll be linked in our interview or in the transcript, but that's available on Seeking Alpha. It's a public article, public pick for '26. Totally stand by that. It is indeed going to be in our top models for 2026, but keep in mind, we will have 13 total picks in those top models.

Rena Sherbill: One of the things that you mentioned in that article was that the headwinds that were coming for the shipping sector are shifting into tailwinds, particularly around the tariff conversation and the international picture.

What else would you add to that geopolitical international conversation about why the headwinds are becoming tailwinds?

J Mintzmyer: Yeah, I think it's all sort of related, but earlier this year, as I mentioned, we had the liberation day and sort of the panic involved in that.

And at the time, it didn't even seem like panic. It just seemed like a rational market reaction to increasing tariffs and global confrontation. As I mentioned, and you mentioned in your question, we believe those headwinds are shifting to tailwinds as the US and China are negotiating more and more and we're seeing more agreements and backing off. There was a lot of talk of port fees for ships. Those got canceled or at least delayed.

There's been an endorsement with China for them to buy more strategic minerals, oil and coal and things like that.

And then not only that, we have the upcoming Supreme Court decision right on the tariff. So we'll see what goes on with that. But regardless of the Supreme Court one way or another, it's clear that President Trump wants to strike trade deals with these countries, you could say better trade deals than we've had. You could frame it in that way.

But we're not trying to turn off or destroy trade. And I think there are some voices in the administration, some advisors who you could say they're more hawkish on trade. And I think some of those voices were louder in April and May of this year. And those voices have taken a back seat in the last few months. And so I think that's the headline.

But I think so much of that is related. So you have global economic growth that is so dependent on growing trade and strong proper negotiations as opposed to just shutting down the ports and doing confrontational things. And so I think we'll see higher than expected economic growth both in the United States in terms of GDP. We already saw that, right?

The preliminary numbers for GDP came out, I think it was about a week ago. It was kind of highlighted as like an early Christmas gift and it was very strong, over 4% GDP. And so some of that is related to the trade flows coming back.

But those are stronger economic numbers than even I had anticipated. And I think we'll also see a potential for some stronger numbers out of Asia. Because a lot of folks were saying that Asia could enter a recession based on the US trade confrontation. I don't think that's the case.

And so I think we're going to see stronger macro stuff going on in 2026. I think Drybulk kind of outlined the basic case. It's also in the free public article. James Catlin did a phenomenal macro article on Drybulk that I recommend everybody should read. But we're very bullish on that into '26.

And then finally, sorry, I get long winded on these things, I appreciate your patience. finally, I think we are due for a potential, I call it a thematic rotation. I think the Mag 7 and Big Tech and the AI themes have had such a strong run. And I don't want to talk negative about that. That's not my lane or take away from that.

But a lot of classic value stocks and small cap stocks and commodity stocks have been totally left behind. And we're seeing some of that rotation start to play out in weird different ways.

We're seeing it in precious metals. We're seeing a very, very strong run in gold (GLD). The silver (SLV) markets are crazy. I don't understand them. I'm not the expert, but we're seeing more push towards commodities, towards minerals and things like that.

And we're classic value stocks. I think shipping benefits if we do indeed see a thematic rotation. And I think mag seven tech AI, it's kind of had its day and I think we're seeing stagnation in that momentum. And if some of that money rotates into these more value oriented, real money, real industry sectors, I think that would be very positive for shipping.

So I mentioned we're conservative or cautionary in some ways in our model picks, but we're not cautious or scared or pulling back in shipping. Not at all. In fact, we're deploying a higher percentage of our cash in the models. We are very optimistic. It's just the companies we're picking are higher quality.

Rena Sherbill: There's definitely a big play for the rotation out of tech and certainly interesting to see what the new year will bring vis-a-vis that.

What would, or is there anything else you would add in terms of particular metrics that you're using to call these top picks for the new year? And is there anything different when you're looking at stocks that you're picking for the new year as opposed to along the way? Like, is there something in particular that you're keeping in mind for the whole year?

J Mintzmyer: I think the metrics that we use, we cover almost 50 shipping companies on Value Investor's Edge. And when we pick our models, the picks should not be too surprising to our current members because we start with our fair value estimates, which are basically like price targets.

This is what we believe the companies are worth. And we look at those with the most upside. And then we curate those. We take out some that have maybe sketchier management teams, riskier balance sheets, or maybe we already have two tanker companies, so we exclude the third one.

We look a little bit at diversification, but really all those picks are fundamentally based, and they're based on where the fleet is positioned, what's the value of the fleet, what are the spot rates, what are the long-term rates, what are projected earnings and dividends for the upcoming year, all the initial picks and fundamental, it is embedded in fundamental research.

We don't do a lot of trading, at least not in our models. Some of our members are more active traders. Our chat room is very active with people talking about trades, but that's not really how we set up our models.

Now, you asked, is there a big difference between the annual portfolio and the monthly updates? Because every month we do a monthly update. We post a letter. We do a short video. We rotate some of our picks. We rebalance. Yes and no.

No, in the sense that there's a similar type update, nothing's going to be a total surprise. We're not going to just totally delete all of our picks from last month and start anew. Most of the, a lot of the picks are going to carry over. So in that sense, it's not that much different.

However, one of the things we try to do at Value Investor's Edge is reduce our turnover because we know people look at our models and try to follow those names and we don't want to be trading in and out of a name every month or two months.

Our normal holding period for our picks is anywhere from about six to 24 months. And so we've had a couple picks in our models that we picked as top ideas of 2025, and they've done well for us, but the upside is not as big as it used to be.

But instead of cutting it out in December or November, we just let it ride for the year. It's a year long pick. And we just show the year long performance and then we get to 2026, we replace it.

So there are a couple names that we're taking out of last year's picks and a of new names that we're bringing in, but we're sticking to the same recipe and we're looking at the same kind of category of stocks. So I guess it's kind of a yes and no, but hopefully that helped expand on that.

Rena Sherbill: Yeah, definitely. Anything that you would about dividends in this space in particular?

J Mintzmyer: The biggest thing with dividends is just be really cautious on and don't just bite off on a high percentage income yield. So there's a lot of shipping companies, especially in the past, they've had 10, 11% yields, and they brag about how they have fixed contracts.

But what they might not say is that the contracts are only maybe a year and a half long, or maybe only half the fleet is on contract. And so then if you have a market downturn, and the ships need to be recontracted, they can't cover the big dividend anymore.

And we've seen so many stories where the dividend, it was almost like a rug pull, right? Like people got in these income stocks and then suddenly they couldn't make the payments.

So be really careful in income. It's not something where you should ever, in my opinion, in shipping, scream by dividend yield, never. The dividend yield can be incidental. You can find a good company and then be happy that they also have a good dividend. But that should not be a starting point. There's just too many.

And I'm speaking to just general, people, generalists in the audience who aren't necessarily familiar with the sector. I mean, if you're on Value Investor's Edge and you have access to our analytics and you have access to our team, you can sort out some of the good names, right? But if you're just a generalist and you're just generally looking at shipping, I would not start with dividend yield.

I would definitely try to search for quality companies and read the quality research and then only after that, you know, figure out what sort of dividend they have, if that makes sense.

Rena Sherbill: The dividend being the cherry on top, not the sundae itself?

J Mintzmyer: That's exactly right.

Rena Sherbill: And in terms of risks that you see coming, is it mostly uncertainty? Or how would you define the risks that you're concerned about or looking at?

J Mintzmyer: I think the biggest risk to shipping is the same it's been all year. It's really a macro, broad market pullback risk. It's no secret that the S&P 500 is trading at close to all-time highs. It depends on what metric you use. And I think at '98, '99 might be higher. But if you exclude '99 dotcom bubble, we're close to all-time record highs and valuations in the S &P 500. And that requires a couple things.

It requires steady economic growth. 2%, 3% minimum GDP. requires a stable job market, a stable consumer environment. Inflation can't be running away. Interest rates probably have to be below. I don't want to name a number. I'm not the Fed, but lower than they are now, for sure.

The current interest rates at the Fed are not compatible with the broad market valuations. The broad market valuations are pricing in at least half a percent, if not a full percent in cuts in the next year or two.

And so that's the risk, I think, is that if the broad market catches a cold, everybody gets sick, and shipping tends to be a little bit more volatile, has a little bit higher beta. It might not impact the fundamentals of our companies, which is how we analyze and invest.

But if the S&P 500 drops 10%, shipping stocks are going to go down too.

That's our biggest concern and biggest thing that we're watching. And then of course, if the tariff situation goes back, if the temperature comes back up, if some of the hawks get a bigger voice, and I'm thinking of folks and I don't mean to cast any shade. I'm just thinking of folks like Mr. Lutnick, some of the President Trump's advisors who are more hawkish on trade. I'm not saying that's good or bad.

Obviously shipping, we prefer more trade. If I'm a consumer, I prefer more trade. But if I'm an American worker, I prefer more protections. So those political realities are understood. But if those voices get a louder presence again, that's going to be challenging for the macro and shipping.

And so what we're doing is in our value and speculative model, we will have a cash component. So we're not 100 % invested. We have a slight cash component. And that's meant to reduce the volatility a little bit in the models and give us some optionality. Maybe we have some dips and we have opportunities to deploy that cash. And we'll see what happens there.

Rena Sherbill: I appreciate that. What would you say is most talked about with subscribers at Value Investor's Edge? Is it macro concerns? Are they stock specific questions? What is most of the discussion centered on?

J Mintzmyer: So the discussion really ranges based on who it is, right? And how active they are in the chat platform.

But like I mentioned, we have 700 members on the platform. And every single day, I would say there's at least 100 unique people discussing things on there. it's anywhere from here's my super advanced model on like Zim (ZIM), what do you think? Or what do you think about this earnings forecast? And I'm like, wow, can I hire you to be an analyst on the team? This is awesome.

Or it might be like, hey, I noticed all the oil tankers are down today. Why do you think that is? And we'll look at some of the news reports or discuss that. Or there'll be discussion around the latest ceasefire or crane peace deal rumors or this new mine that just opened up. was talking about that.

There'll be like people share news clips and there'll be debates about what it means for our companies. Any time an earnings release comes out, people will, of course, the earnings release will be posted and there'll be dozens of people sharing their thoughts about good or bad or think about it. And so it ranges, it depends.

And I think the chat platform and the overall community we have, I'm just so grateful for it. It is just so enjoyable every day to log in and everyone has been so polite and professional. I think we have a very high, I would call it signal to noise ratio. No one's posted pictures of their cats and their other sports teams and there's no memes and you know, it's a very professional platform, but it's also very cordial platform and folks are so generous with sharing their own research and their own ideas and just a lot of idea generation that comes out of it.

I love the chat platform. I hope it just continues to grow and improve as our membership gets even bigger.

Rena Sherbill: High quality and kind. Can't really ask for anything more these days. My gosh, those are good things to have.

J Mintzmyer: It's true, that's tough.

Rena Sherbill: In investing and in life, are you the kind of person that takes a moment as the year ends and a new one begins to reflect, or are you pretty much doing that all along the way?

J Mintzmyer: Well, the right answer is that I constantly reflect, but we are creatures of habit and it's natural for us to get to the end of the year or the quarter or whatever and say, how did we do and how do we reflect?

And one thing I do on VIE is every year I write a letter to the members, but it's almost like a diary post to my, a journal post to myself. It's a letter to members, letter to the community, but it's a lot of kind of self-reflections about, here are a couple of things that did well and here are a couple of things we can work on and here are some highlights. And so, of course, one of the highlights this year will include a picture and talk about the great 10-year anniversary celebration that we had in New York City. And of course, that'll be one of the highlights.

And then we'll talk about some of the investment successes we had in the year and then some of the challenges. We'll probably reflect back on Liberation Day and how we handled that situation, if we could have done better, maybe we could have been a little bit more aggressive with the models in April and May. And we weren't, right?

We had a lot of cash on the side and maybe we could have been more aggressive. And you got to be careful with hindsight bias and things like that. now this is something we do almost ritualistically at Value Investor's Edge at the end of the year. As an investor, I tend to reflect the most when I'm reviewing a position.

I'm closing a position, I'm taking profits, or it's a loser and the thesis has changed and I'm dumping it. I tend to carve out some time to reflect on that. And not to say I shouldn't sell or whatever, I try to make that decision quick and cold and calculated. But after I've sold the position, gain or lose, even a gainer, it's time to sit back and say, why was this a gainer? Or what could I have done better? Did we maximize the profits? Did I hold on too long? All those sorts of things.

And I encourage that with everybody. You can learn so much. think people spend, I don't know how much time, but basically all their time studying and reflecting on the losses and the mistakes.

And I think you can actually learn a lot from the winners as well. First of all, how can I do that again? How can I get more winners? But secondly, was it perfect? Probably not. There's always room for improvement.

Rena Sherbill: Yeah, that's a very nice reframe for those who need it. Would you say that there was one salient lesson above all this year?

J Mintzmyer: You know, I think Value Investor's Edge being 10 years old and I've personally been involved in the shipping industry now for about 17 years. I think it's important. You don't want to get too confident, too cocky, but I think it's important to trust your process and trust your fundamentals and trust what you've built.

I think even this year coming up on our 10 year anniversary, when we got to March and April and we had the liberation day, the tariffs in that situation, I was cautious. I was very concerned about the broad market.

I'd seen how shipping stocks reacted to this news flow before. And I didn't go full bore. And I mean, maybe that was the right choice. Again, we have to be careful, hindsight bias.

But I think I should have had more confidence and trust in our platform and our system and our fundamentals and just stuck with a little bit more aggressive picks at that point in time.

And I think if we had done that, and this has been a good year. We're 23% year to date. Again, the Russell is like 12%. The S&P is like 16, 17. So it's a good year.

But I think if we would have been a little bit more aggressive at that point in time, we might be at 35 % or something instead of 23%. And again, we have to be careful with hindsight. We have a 10-year track record, 38% annualized returns, which is about 25x over the last decade.

And it's from our approach, from our fundamentals-based approach. And we just have to stick with it and trust the system and realize there's going to be moments of volatility that are going to test us.

Rena Sherbill: Is that the main thing on your vision board for 2026 or is it like stick to your vision and stick to what's got you here or is there something else in particular for this year?

J Mintzmyer: I think that's true. I don't want to say like be true to yourself. You know, like one of those posters you put on the wall or something. And I don't want it to be the situation where we learn the wrong lesson.

We're always fighting the last war and so if we get into '26 and something bad happens in macro and I'm like, trust the system, trust the gut and then the market blows up, you know. So I don't want to over learn a lesson.

Rena Sherbill: Yeah, it's a dance.

J Mintzmyer: Yeah, I don't want to over learn a lesson, but I think it is important. We have a 10 year track record. We've seen all sorts of different types of markets, especially in shipping.

People might say, well, the broad market was bullish. Yeah, mostly. We had taper tantrum. We had COVID. We just had the recent issues, we've seen a lot of stuff with all sorts of shipping sectors and the proof is in the pudding, as they say. That's a weird saying, but it is in there in the pudding.

38% annualized returns, we are going to stick to what got us there. And that's what's going to keep propelling us forward. And as we set up these picks in 2026, we are sticking with our highest quality basket of companies we've had, probably ever, but if not ever, at least top two, top three years of quality picks.

We do have a little bit of cash. So we're not going all in. We're not full bore ahead, abandon all caution here. But we're using our models, we're using our systems, and we're using our approach to hopefully deliver a phenomenal year to our members.

If it's 23% again, and the Russell's 12 and the S&P 16, that's a pretty damn good year. I mean, let's put it in context. But we want 55%, let's see if we can do that again.

Rena Sherbill: We want profits and perspective. We want them both. There's always more to get to, but also a lot to be appreciative of.

I always appreciate our conversations, J, and I know our audience does as well. Always a lot to chew on.

Again, your investing group on Seeking Alpha is Value Investor's Edge. Anything else you would leave for our listeners as we head into a new year? And again, thanks for making the time.

J Mintzmyer: Yeah, absolutely, Rena. Thank you for carving it out. I think for folks reading, either reading a transcript or listening to the recording, first of all, thank you. I hope we learned something here.

Go look up that CMBT article. It's free on Seeking Alpha. It's our top public pick for 2026. James Catlin, he's our macro guy. We have a team of 11, but he's our macro guy and he's written an excellent dry bulk report. If you want to learn more about Value Investor's Edge, there should be several links, hopefully, when this is published.

But we do have some exciting stuff for you, we have one month trials so you can see the entire platform, see the analytics, see the new website we're developing, be a part of the chat we were talking about. They're available for one month and they're only $500. So you can see everything we got, open kimono, you'll even see the top picks for 2026. We're really giving access to everything because we wanna be transparent. We wanna make sure that it's a good fit for everybody. And so that's available through mid January. So go ahead and sign up for that.

If you decide after that one month trial that Value Investor's Edge is right for you, we do have an additional discount on our 2025 rates. We are raising the rates in 2026 for new members. But if you join in January, you'll get those discounted rates from 2025 and you'll have that one month trial to decide if everything is right for you.

Feel free to comment below. I'll engage as well as I can in the comments. If you have questions about VIE, I'm happy to address those as well.

Once again, a Happy New Year 2026 to everybody. And I just look forward to engaging and working together even more in the coming year.

HomeDividends AnalysisREITs AnalysisReal Estate Analysis

SummaryInvenTrust Properties offers attractive value, trading below its historical P/FFO and supported by a 3.4% dividend yield.IVT's Sunbelt-focused, grocery-anchored portfolio delivers robust NOI and FFO growth, with high occupancy and strong rent spreads driving performance.Management targets accelerated Sunbelt concentration by divesting Southern California assets, aiming for enhanced FFO/share growth and capital flexibility.I maintain a 'Buy' rating on IVT, citing conservative leverage, ample liquidity, and potential for 10%+ total returns.Looking for a portfolio of ideas like this one? Members of iREIT®+HOYA Capital get exclusive access to our subscriber-only portfolios. Learn More » Daniel Grizelj/DigitalVision via Getty Images

A new year spells new opportunities, especially after retail investors had one of their best years ever in 2025. This was reflected by mom-and-pop investors buying the dip during tariff tantrum as they have become ‘hardened’ after

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

I am not an investment advisor. This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute as financial advice. Readers are encouraged and expected to perform due diligence and draw their own conclusions prior to making any investment decisions.

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.

The cruise ship operator has ambitious plans to further its success.

In a challenging industry, Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL +1.56%) has stood out for its exemplary returns for shareholders over the past five years. The first two articles in this three-part series have looked at Royal Caribbean's history in the context of the broader cruise industry, as well as the financial prowess that allowed the company to navigate the painful COVID-19 pandemic period with minimal long-term impacts on its business.

In this final installment, you'll get a closer look at the plans Royal Caribbean has to keep up its momentum and continue fostering growth. The progress it has made so far and the targets it has set for the future has led me to make Royal Caribbean the first stock in my new Voyager Portfolio for 2026.

Image source: Getty Images.

A perfect(a) strategy
Royal Caribbean has traditionally followed a simple recipe for building long-term shareholder value. It has aimed to increase its capacity at a moderate rate steadily over time. It has also tried to produce moderate yield growth, reflecting its efforts to offer more value to customers in a way that prompts them to spend more. And finally, Royal Caribbean has maintained a diligent, disciplined approach to controlling its costs, allowing for margin improvement and faster growth in net income than its sales gains would suggest.

The company has further cemented its near-term financial goals in a new strategy it calls Perfecta. Royal Caribbean still intends to remain true to its core mission of delivering the best vacations to travelers in a responsible manner. Yet it also believes it can generate average annual growth rates of 20% in earnings per share between now and 2027, along with returns on invested capital in high-teen percentages. Doing all this is important, but Royal Caribbean is also committed to ensuring that it maintains its investment-grade bond rating so as to keep its financing costs from rising sharply.

Expanding its fleet and its map
Royal Caribbean has concentrated on two key areas in which it thinks it can excel and stay ahead of its competition. The company has already begun an ambitious schedule of new cruise ships, with the Star of the Seas and Celebrity Xcel vessels taking to the water during 2025 along with the German Mein Schiff Relax. 2026 should see another ship from the Mein Schiff line as well as the Legend of the Seas. And over the following two years, three new Celebrity ships -- Compass, Seeker, and Xcite -- will take to the seas, along with the Icon 4 and Oasis 7. The variety of new vessels will support Royal Caribbean's efforts to cater to all classes of travelers, ranging from budget-conscious bargain hunters to ultra-premium elite travelers.

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Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean expects to build on the past success of its Labadee and Coco Cay exclusive destination resorts by adding several more locations between now and 2028. These are expected to include new Royal Beach Club resorts on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, Cozumel in Mexico, and Lelepa in the South Pacific. Travelers are also excited about other new properties like Perfect Day Mexico in the Cormorant at 55 South in Chile, which should act as a gateway for expeditions to Antarctica.

Why Royal Caribbean is worth an investment in the Voyager Portfolio
I'll admit it: I've never taken a cruise, and I'm not the target audience for Royal Caribbean. I prefer calling my own shots with my travel, exploring on my own away from crowds without fixed itineraries.

But even I'll admit that there's some appeal to the cruise lifestyle. Having endless dining and entertainment options makes travel a lot simpler, and being able to enjoy some downtime between destinations without worrying about driving, biking, or flying is attractive.

What makes Royal Caribbean an attractive investment, though, is the company's strong business execution. Even before the pandemic, the cruise operator had put a successful strategy in place. As it turned out, Royal Caribbean was best-placed to weather the COVID-19 storm and emerge on top. That's why I'll be investing in Royal Caribbean shares in my Voyager Portfolio as soon as disclosure and trading restrictions allow, and I'm optimistic about the travel stock's chances for 2026 and beyond.

Investing in these tech leaders can help you profit from a generational opportunity.

Like the internet was 30 years ago, artificial intelligence (AI) is the next major technological shift that will reshape the economy. That also makes it a generational opportunity for investors to accrue wealth by buying and patiently holding the right growth stocks. Research from Morgan Stanley projects that AI could deliver operating efficiencies worth as much as $40 trillion to the global economy over the long term.

Investors don't need to gamble on unproven companies and excessively risky stocks for the chance to profit from this trend. Simply sticking with leading tech stocks could help you achieve market-beating returns. After all, it's the world's largest and most profitable companies that are doing much of the work involved in enabling the wider adoption of AI. To position your portfolio to profit from this opportunity, I suggest adding shares of these two tech titans that will likely still be leading their respective industries 20 years from now.

Image source: Nvidia.

Nvidia
For those seeking to profit from the AI trend over the past few years, Nvidia (NVDA +1.14%) has been one of the best stocks to own, and the company's innovation and financial fortitude should keep it in the driver's seat. Its high-end graphics processing units (GPUs) are used by all the leading cloud infrastructure providers, and those data center GPUs are sold out for the foreseeable future.

Nvidia's data center revenue surged by 66% year over year last quarter to $51 billion. This high-growth trajectory reflects a long-term transition from traditional computing that relies more on central processing units (CPUs) to accelerated computing that demands massive quantities of parallel processors such as GPUs.

The good news for investors buying Nvidia stock today is that this transition will unfold over many years. Capital spending on AI infrastructure is expected to grow from $600 billion in 2026 to at least $3 trillion by 2030. This massive buildout portends significant growth for Nvidia.

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Nvidia will have to continue innovating to maintain its lead over other semiconductor companies that are designing chips to handle AI workloads. However, in recent years, it has accelerated its pace of innovation, moving to a cadence of introducing new and better GPU architectures annually. That continually pushes its chips' performance to new levels, and will make it difficult for competitors to keep up. It is already preparing to launch its Vera Rubin chips in 2026 -- those will deliver significant performance improvements over its current Blackwell generation.

Facilitating Nvidia's steady innovation is its financial fortitude. It's one of the most profitable companies in the world, with net profits of $99 billion over the last four reported quarters on $187 billion in revenue.

In a world where AI is increasingly driving everything, Nvidia looks likely to remain a solid investment for the next 20 years. It is investing in solutions that will underpin the future economy, such as robots, autonomous vehicles, and AI agents. Analysts expect the company to experience 37% annualized earnings growth over the next few years, pointing to substantial returns ahead for shareholders.

Alphabet
Alphabet (GOOG +0.48%) (GOOGL +0.69%) delivered market-beating returns for investors over the last decade, driven by strong growth in advertising through Google Search and YouTube. The stock climbed 700%, but the next decade could see more returns as demand for AI and cloud computing takes off.

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The stock rocketed to new highs in 2025 as investors started to recognize Google as a leader in AI, but that was likely just the beginning. Google Gemini is one of the most capable AI models, and it's being layered into all of Alphabet's services, including enterprise tools in Google Cloud. Revenue from its cloud segment increased 34% year over year in the third quarter.

Alphabet just surpassed $100 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time, as AI features are driving Google Search usage higher. The Gemini app has over 650 million monthly active users, making it the second-most-used AI model behind ChatGPT.

The company is benefiting from profitable revenue streams across its diverse business lines, including online advertising, subscription services (e.g., YouTube TV and Google One), and cloud services. This will support the hiring of top AI engineers and an expanding base of data centers that will help it maintain its leadership in AI.

The company was on course to spend more than $91 billion on capital expenditures in 2025, and plans a significant increase from that in 2026. It can cover those outlays through its operating cash flow, which totaled $151 billion over the last four reported quarters. These investments are strengthening its competitive position, paving the way for compounding returns for investors over the long term.

Investors were bracing for futures to start trading later on Sunday after the U.S. captured Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro.

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.

Donald Trump's election turned out to be a buy-the-rumor, sell-the-news situation for the cryptocurrency industry. After softness in 2025, can Bitcoin bounce back in 2026?

Altcoins have been steadily recovering over the first two days of the new calendar year, and one popular analyst has stated that we could see sustained upward price action over the next 2-3 months. The larger cryptocurrency market, and altcoins in particular, have been under a major bearish spell since the flash crash of October 10 last year. Still, now there are indications that a trend reversal may be on the cards.

Altcoins to Take Charge
Michael van de Poppe, the analyst in question, has over 815,000 followers on X. He is upbeat about a potential recovery, driven by altcoins as we have bid farewell to a bearish 2025. He tweeted:

“Many #Altcoins have been correcting all the way down to their wick of the 10th of October.

Finally, things start to turn upwards.

The same can be said for $LINK, which is currently breaking the 21-Day MA for the first time since the Summer. 

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This would imply that the markets are ready for an upward run coming 2-3 months.”

Image Source: X
Van de Poppe highlighted the positive development for LINK, a major altcoin with a $9.2 billion valuation. Here is the price action of LINK:

Image Source: TradingView
The short-term moving averages are convincingly trending upwards, and a similar pattern can be seen across multiple other altcoins. Historical data from previous cycles shows similar MA breaks often precede 20-50% rallies in altcoins over 2-3 months, provided Bitcoin stabilizes above $90K, as seen in Q4 2024’s post-halving uptrend.

The Future
Altcoins are looking to start 2026 on a positive note, but the bullish forces have their work cut out for them if they wish to shed the bullish baggage from 2025.

One X user replied:

“As long as Bitcoin is ranging, any altcoin strength stays fragile.

Sustainable alt moves need a Bitcoin breakout first.”

The “ranging” in question is the premier cryptocurrency being stuck in a narrow trading zone dominated by the nervousness of the bullish forces.

The market has remained under pressure and squeezed for the better part of the last 3 months, and it will take some effort from the bulls to ensure a sustainable turnaround. Only a strong move to $100k is likely to open up the altcoin market in the near future.