As February draws to a close, markets are grappling with volatility and shifting investor sentiment, and Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA, joins to break down what’s driving the turbulence. He notes that while a positive January and February historically signal strong full-year performance for the S&P 500, this year’s negative start reflects typical seasonal weakness and rising concerns about economic slowing. Stovall points to clear sector rotation into defensive and late-cycle areas like energy, utilities, healthcare, and consumer staples as investors weigh softer GDP growth and potential recession risks in 2026. Despite the cautious tone, he highlights strong earnings momentum, with recent quarterly results beating expectations and forecasts projecting steady growth over the next several years. He also explains that dramatic weather events, while attention-grabbing, rarely have lasting market impact and can sometimes even stimulate economic activity through rebuilding and replacement demand.
Crypto Market Update: Bitcoin Bottom Signal? Institutional ETH Accumulation Explodes
In today’s crypto market update, Bitcoin is hovering around $65,000 as tariff uncertainty pressures risk assets after Donald Trump raised global tariffs despite a ruling from the Supreme Court, keeping trade tensions elevated with partners including China. Major altcoins also moved lower, reflecting broader market caution, while search data from Google shows U.S. interest in “Bitcoin” hitting record highs during the recent dip, historically a signal that has aligned with past market bottoms in the United States. Meanwhile, Tom Lee’s firm continues aggressively accumulating Ethereum, with BitMine purchasing tens of thousands of ETH in its largest weekly buy this year as it builds a treasury strategy heavily weighted toward the asset. On the institutional front, BNP Paribas Asset Management has launched a tokenized share class of French money-market funds on public blockchain infrastructure, signaling growing interest from traditional finance in integrating regulated products with on-chain systems. Overall, the latest developments highlight a crypto market balancing macroeconomic pressure, rising institutional experimentation, and shifting investor sentiment signals.
Beyond the Software Sell-Off: Investing in the AI “Picks and Shovels”
Markets have opened for the final full trading week of February with AI disruption fears dominating investor sentiment, particularly across the software sector where major names like Adobe, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Snowflake are all down sharply year to date. Jeff Gitterman, managing director at Gitterman Asset Management, explains that while new AI tools capable of generating software have rattled markets, the sell-off also reflects a broader reset in growth expectations as interest rate cuts have not materialized as quickly as investors anticipated. He argues the disruption narrative may be somewhat overstated since enterprise adoption cycles are slow, but warns that volatility could persist as companies continue rolling out advanced AI models. Instead of chasing software names, Gitterman says his strategy is shifting toward defensive opportunities tied to AI infrastructure demand—such as energy, grid expansion, and water resources which he believes offer more stable returns in an uncertain macro environment. Looking ahead, he expects AI-driven market turbulence to continue shaping sector rotation throughout 2026, with investors favoring “picks and shovels” plays that support the technology boom rather than the end-product companies most exposed to competitive disruption.
Navigating Tariffs: The Economic Implications of Trump’s New Trade Policies
Nine months ahead of the 2026 midterms, the Supreme Court has struck down sweeping tariff measures introduced by Donald Trump, prompting the administration to pivot toward a proposed 15% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. Joining the discussion, Ryan Sweet, managing director of macro forecasting and analysis at Oxford Economics, explains that while the policy could restore overall tariff levels close to where they stood before the ruling, the real impact will vary by country and sector, reshaping trade dynamics with partners like China, India, and South Korea. He notes that if election results produce a divided government, the White House may lean more heavily on executive actions such as tariffs, which can be adjusted without congressional approval. Sweet also warns that policy uncertainty could slow business investment, hiring, and growth over the next several months while keeping inflation elevated near 3% before potentially easing later in the year. With a high-stakes meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping approaching, he suggests tariffs may function as negotiating leverage in trade talks, while the Federal Reserve is likely to hold interest rates steady until clearer signals emerge from inflation and labor data.
Market Analysis: Tariffs, Geopolitics, and the Escalating Iran Standoff
As markets prepare to open, Patrick Young, chairman and founder of Exchange Invest, joins the broadcast to break down the global forces driving investor sentiment, from trade policy to geopolitical tensions. He reacts to the Supreme Court ruling striking down sweeping tariffs introduced by Donald Trump, explaining why markets remain uneasy even after the administration proposed a replacement 15% global tariff. Young also analyzes escalating tensions involving Iran, stalled diplomacy, and friction between the United States and the United Kingdom, including criticism of Prime Minister Keir Starmer over military access decisions. Beyond the Middle East, he highlights deepening economic distress in Cuba tied to fuel shortages and black-market energy prices, while looking ahead to a high-stakes meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping, noting that despite tensions, both sides may seek a cautious path forward. Overall, Young argues that while markets face mounting uncertainty from tariffs, geopolitics, and energy shocks, the bigger story is how global power players including China are increasingly willing to push back, raising the stakes for trade, diplomacy, and financial stability.
Navigating Tech Turbulence: Insights on NVIDIA and Market Volatility
As Nvidia heads into its highly anticipated earnings report, markets are watching closely to see whether the world’s largest company by market cap can reignite momentum in a tech sector that’s had a volatile start to the year. Despite Nvidia holding gains in 2026, major peers like Microsoft and Amazon have faced sharp pullbacks amid investor concerns about AI disruption across software, cloud, and even real estate services. Joining the discussion, Dale Smothers, founder and CEO of RDS Wealth, explains why he believes Nvidia is now “priced for proof” rather than perfection and could move sharply depending on earnings results and guidance. He argues that while Wall Street often overreacts to AI-driven disruption fears, these sell-offs can create buying opportunities in companies such as Intuit and even in oversold mega-cap names. Smothers also outlines how investors can position portfolios during midyear volatility, emphasizing diversification, selective exposure to growth stocks, and tactical rotation strategies as leadership broadens beyond the traditional mega-cap tech giants.
Navigating New Tariffs: Implications for U.S. and Global Trade
The Supreme Court issued a landmark 6–3 ruling against Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, marking a major judicial check on executive economic authority, but the policy battle is far from over. Within hours, the White House pivoted to new trade measures, proposing a 15% global tariff under Section 122, with the possibility of longer-term duties through further investigations. Joining the discussion, Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING, explains that while countries like China may actually benefit from the shift, uncertainty is rising across European Union, where officials in Germany fear higher sector-specific tariffs could threaten export growth. He also notes that potential refunds tied to the ruling could total up to $170 billion, complicating fiscal dynamics for the United States, while warning that targeted tariffs on sectors like steel, autos, or pharmaceuticals could push inflation above 3% and limit rate-cut flexibility for the Federal Reserve. Looking ahead to anticipated talks between Trump and Xi Jinping, Brzeski cautions that with global powers increasingly willing to push back, the risk of a broader trade escalation may be higher now than at any point in the past year.
Empowering Women in Tech: Nidhi Gupta on SheTO’s Mission and Impact
Nidhi Gupta, CEO and co-founder of SheTO, joins the broadcast from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange after ringing the closing bell to celebrate a major milestone for her global community, which has surpassed 6,000 members across more than 65 countries through entirely organic growth. She shares her excitement about the recognition, emphasizing that it reflects both years of hard work and the importance of her organization’s mission: increasing female representation in technology and leadership, particularly in AI, where women currently make up less than 12% of engineers and under 9% of engineering executives. Gupta outlines her goal of raising that leadership figure to 20% within the next decade and urges business leaders and decision-makers to use their influence to build inclusive systems that serve the full diversity of humanity, stressing that the future of transformative technology must be shaped by voices that reflect the world it impacts.
Crypto’s Volatility and the Rise of Agentic AI
Ashley Ebersole, co-founder and chief legal officer at TX, joins FinTech TV to break down whether current market conditions truly signal a “crypto winter” or simply a natural correction following the major 2025 rally fueled by institutional demand and ETF-driven liquidity. He explains that recent volatility reflects crypto’s evolution into a mature financial market influenced by macroeconomic forces and geopolitical shifts rather than a structural downturn. Ebersole also outlines TX’s core mission to build a unified marketplace and operating system for tokenized real-world assets, comparing its long-term vision to Amazon for on-chain finance, while noting that the policy environment in the United States is increasingly supportive of innovation in digital assets. Looking ahead, he highlights the growing convergence between crypto and agentic AI, arguing that autonomous machine-to-machine economies will naturally transact using blockchain-based digital finance rather than traditional banking rails, reinforcing the long-term growth case for tokenization and decentralized infrastructure.
Navigating Market Volatility: Insights from David Russell on Earnings and AI Trends
David Russell, global head of market strategy at TradeStation, joins the broadcast to break down the market’s reaction to a 6–3 Supreme Court decision halting tariffs tied to Donald Trump, arguing that negative macro headlines are having less impact on markets than many expected. Russell explains that strong double-digit earnings growth and continued momentum in AI-related sectors are currently the dominant forces driving equities, outweighing concerns about GDP data or trade tensions. Looking ahead to earnings season, he highlights Nvidia as a key catalyst, noting that strength from related firms like Micron and pullbacks in leaders such as Microsoft could set the stage for renewed leadership from the Nasdaq. He also addresses concerns surrounding private credit and data-center demand, referencing firms including Blue Owl Capital and Apollo Global Management, while pointing to infrastructure-linked companies like Caterpillar, Quanta Services, and Seagate Technology as signals that the AI-driven investment cycle remains intact. Overall, Russell emphasizes that despite volatility and market fears, underlying trends suggest momentum could ultimately resolve to the upside.