🪦 RIP Gold Rally: Down to $4,900

😎 Market Vibes

⏰ Wall Street Limps Back After the Long Weekend Like It Hit Snooze Three Times

Markets returned from Presidents' Day weekend with all the enthusiasm of someone showing up to work after a three-day bender.

Here's the vibe: Last week was rough. The Dow dropped 1.23%, the S&P fell 1.39%, and the Nasdaq got absolutely wrecked with a 2.1% nosedive. Why? Because everyone suddenly remembered that AI might actually eliminate their jobs, software stocks are getting demolished faster than your New Year's resolutions, and nobody knows if we're buying the dip or catching a falling knife anymore.

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😵 Bitcoin Plays Dead at $68K While Everyone Pretends to Know What's Happening

Crypto markets woke up Tuesday morning and collectively decided "meh" was the mood. Bitcoin opened trading around $68,000 after sliding from the upper $60,000s overnight, proving once again that digital gold is about as stable as a house of cards in a wind tunnel. Ethereum's hanging out near $1,994, which is basically crypto's version of treading water while sharks circle below.

The real story? Bitcoin crashed 46% from its record high of $126,199. That's not a correction - that's a full-blown identity crisis. Support at $67,000 is holding for now, but attempts to push above $70,000 keep stalling like a 1987 Honda Civic on a cold morning. The derivatives market is looking weaker than gas station sushi, and retail traders are sitting on their hands harder than a mime convention.

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📉 Gold Slides Below $5k Because Even Shiny Metal Can't Escape Profit-Taking

Gold prices dropped to $4,920 per ounce Tuesday. After hitting near-record highs recently, the yellow metal is experiencing what traders call "renewed selling pressure" - which is Wall Street speak for "everyone's cashing out before things get worse."

Why the drop? A stronger US dollar is making gold less attractive, and after the massive rally that saw gold soar to record territory, some investors are taking profits faster than kids grabbing candy at a piñata party.

The technical picture isn't pretty either - analysts expect gold to continue declining as a "Rising Wedge" pattern develops, which in chart-speak means "more pain ahead." Still, the longer-term outlook remains bullish with experts expecting gold to trade in the $4,915-$5,719 range through February as geopolitical tensions and rate cut expectations continue supporting the metal.

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📝 Palo Alto Networks Reports Earnings Tonight: Cybersecurity Gets Its Report Card

After the closing bell today, Palo Alto Networks (PANW) reports fiscal Q2 2026 earnings, and Wall Street is watching closer than a helicopter parent at a spelling bee. Analysts are expecting a 16% bump in revenue year-over-year to $2.58 billion. The company's been on a platformization tear, growing its Next-Generation Security Annual Recurring Revenue by 29% to $5.85 billion last quarter.

But here's the catch: Growth is slowing. NGS ARR has decelerated for six straight quarters, and full-year guidance suggests less growth than last year and the year before. Translation: The easy money has already been made. DA Davidson just dropped their price target from $240 to $210, though they're still bullish because apparently "slightly less amazing" still counts as good in this market.

The real wildcard? Palo Alto recently completed acquisitions of both Chronosphere and potentially CyberArk, so tonight's guidance will need more adjustments than a chiropractor's schedule.

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💿 The Fed Minutes Drop Tomorrow Like a Mixtape Nobody Asked For

Wednesday brings the FOMC meeting minutes from the Fed's last gathering, and traders will dissect every word like they're analyzing Shakespeare for hidden meaning. The minutes will reveal what Fed officials were really thinking when they decided to keep rates steady while inflation remains stickier than gum on a sidewalk.

Market pricing currently suggests at least two rate cuts this year, with some optimists betting on three. The problem? The Fed keeps saying "we're data-dependent" which is fancy central banker speak for "we have no idea what we're doing either." Recent soft economic prints have increased dovish sentiment, but the Fed's also terrified of cutting too early and watching inflation roar back like a bad sequel.

Housing starts, building permits, industrial production, and jobless claims also drop this week, giving us a fuller picture of whether the economy is gently cooling or heading for a freezer burn. Spoiler alert: Nobody knows, and anyone who claims they do is lying.

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🛟 Walmart Earnings Thursday: Can Main Street Save Wall Street?

Later this week, Walmart (WMT) reports earnings, and it's basically a referendum on whether regular Americans are still buying stuff or if we've all collectively decided to become minimalists. As the largest retailer in the country, Walmart's numbers give us the clearest read on consumer health - and right now, the consumer is the only thing keeping this economy out of a ditch.

Also reporting this week: Booking Holdings, Deere, Alibaba, and a slew of other companies that will either confirm or deny the "soft landing" narrative the market's been clinging to like a security blanket.

📌 Bottom Line

Markets are in full "wait and see" mode, which is Wall Street's version of standing in the shallow end of the pool testing the water temperature with your toe.

The market remains volatile with key support levels being tested. Tonight's Palo Alto earnings could offer some fireworks worth watching.

🔥 What’s Heating Up This Week

Markets are moving - here's whats heating up with our partners:

• Small market shifts now produce outsized outcomes? ^[ad]

• The verdict is in for AI stocks in 2026 ^[ad]

• Sleeper Cells moved beige names like Shopify and Dell ^[ad]

✌️ Thanks for vibing with us.

⚠️ WARNING: Market data is subject to rapid change. Verify current information before making trading decisions.

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