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U.S. consumer inflation continued to ease in January, with headline CPI rising 0.2% on the month and 2.4% from a year earlier, down from 2.7% in December and slightly below economists’ 2.5% consensus. Core CPI, excluding food and energy, climbed 0.3% on the month and 2.5% over 12 months, the lowest since March 2021. Shelter rose 0.2% and remained the largest driver of the monthly gain, while food prices increased 0.2% overall, with food at home up 0.2% and food away from home up 0.1%. Those moves were partially offset by a 1.5% decline in the energy index, helping to cap the…

Bitcoin may be headed for its worst first quarter in eight years, with data showing Bitcoin is already down 22.3% since the start of the year.The asset began the year trading around $87,700 and has declined by around $20,000 to current lows of around $68,000, putting it on track for its worst first quarter since the 2018 bear market — which fell almost 50%, according to CoinGlass. Bitcoin (BTC) has declined in seven of the past thirteen Q1s, with the most recent being 2025 when it lost 11.8%, 2020 when it shed 10.8%, and the largest ever, 2018, when it dumped…

Cotton futures are trading with 25 to 32 points at Friday’s midday. Crude oil futures are up $0.27 per barrel on the day at $63.11. The US dollar index was up $0.082 to $96.755. The markets will be closed on Monday for President’s Day.USDA’s Export Sales data has 8.034 million RB of cotton export commitments, which is 12% below last year. That is 71% of USDA’s revised export projection, back from the 88% average pace.   Don’t Miss a Day: From crude oil to coffee, sign up free for Barchart’s best-in-class commodity analysis.   The Seam showed sales of 15,617…

Global hedge funds kicked off 2026 with an unusually choppy month as geopolitical shocks, policy shifts, and energy price swings rippled through crowded trades, according to Hazeltree’s January Crowdedness Report. The data point to a market where managers are clustering in the same sectors on both the long and short sides, and making sizable shifts in single‑name exposure beneath the index surface.  Across regions, three sectors dominated crowding: Information Technology, Industrials, and Financials. In North America, Software & Services, and in APAC, Technology Hardware & Equipment, ranked among the most crowded tech segments. Industrials crowding centered on Capital Goods in both EMEA and APAC, while Banks…

US-based ETF issuer Roundhill Investments has filed with the US securities regulator to launch six exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tied to event contracts on the outcome of the 2028 US presidential election.ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said in an X post on Saturday that, if approved, the ETF products would be “potentially groundbreaking.” “Opens up huge door to all kinds of stuff,” Balchunas said, adding that prediction market applications are easy to sign up to, but ETFs are “just that much easier.”Roundhill Investments filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday to launch six ETF products that allow investors to…

March WTI crude oil (CLH26) on Friday closed up +0.05 (+0.08%), and March RBOB gasoline (RBH26) closed down -0.0049 (-0.26%).Crude oil and gasoline prices settled mixed on Friday, with crude rebounding from a 1.5-week low.  Crude prices recovered from early losses on Friday and posted modest gains, as a weaker dollar spurred short covering.  Crude prices initially fell on Friday amid easing US-Iran tensions.  Also, speculation that OPEC+ may soon boost crude production weighed on prices. Don’t Miss a Day: From crude oil to coffee, sign up free for Barchart’s best-in-class commodity analysis.   Geopolitical risk between the US and…

Kirk Sadler has been appointed as chief product officer at Red Oak, a financial compliance platform. In the newly created role, Sadler will work with Red Oak’s engineering, sales, marketing, and leadership teams to accelerate priorities and ROI for existing and future clients. Prior to joining Red Oak, Sadler served as VP of product at Mitratech.  Lance Terveen has joined Houston-based EIV Capital, a private equity firm. Terveen will support the firm’s investment evaluation, business development, and commercial diligence, with a primary focus on midstream infrastructure. Additionally, Terveen will also consult on post‑close value creation. Prior to joining EIV Capital, Terveen served as SVP of marketing and midstream at EOG Resources, where he…

Bitcoin investors are being forced to rethink why they hold the asset as inflation data cools, according to Bitcoin entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano.“I think the challenge for Bitcoin investors, can you hold an asset when there is not high inflation in your face on a day-to-day basis?” Pompliano said during an interview with Fox Business on Thursday. “Can you still believe in what Bitcoin’s value proposition is, which is that it’s a finite-supply asset. If they print money, Bitcoin is going higher,” he said.“Bitcoin and gold are great long-term things,” he said. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) fell to 2.4% in…

Corn futures are trading with 2 to 3 ½ cent gains in the front months on Thursday. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price is up 2 1/4 cents at $3.96 1/4. Export Sales data from this morning showed a total of 2.07 MMT of corn sold in the week of February 5, exceeding estimates of between 0.6-1.1 MMT. That was nearly double the pervious week and 25.5% larger than the same week last year. Sales for 2026/27 were 60,000 MT that week. Don’t Miss a Day: From crude oil to coffee, sign up free for Barchart’s best-in-class commodity analysis.   CONAB…

Middle market companies are entering 2026 with heightened confidence and a clear focus on strategic investment priorities, according to the 2025 Capital One Middle Market Strategic Investments Report. Surveying more than 1,000 U.S. middle market financial decisionmakers, the research shows firms are not just weathering economic headwinds—they’re investing to grow, innovate and compete in a dynamic operating environment.   U.S. middle market companies see strong growth opportunities in 2026, with 89% of decisionmakers expressing confidence that their businesses will grow in the next 12 months, while 73% say that the external environment presents more opportunities than challenges for their businesses.    Leading indicators point to…