Crypto World

Google Gemini AI Predicts an Explosive End to 2026 for XRP

Published

2 hours ago

19 September 2026

Ripple price prediction: Google Gemini AI predicts XRP could hit $7 in 2026 if specific conditions align. Check inside for a full breakdown

When prompted, Google Gemini AI predicts that under a full bull market structure between now and 2027, XRP could surge as high as $7, a 5x move from current prices, which will be sure to excite the Ripple army.

XRP currently trades near $1.30–$1.32, as of September 18, well below its prior cycle high near $3.65–$3.66. This outlook leans bullish relative to many base-case forecasts ($3–$5 range) and aligns with optimistic institutional views such as Standard Chartered’s ~$7 target for 2027 and Bitwise’s higher-end scenarios approaching $9–$10.

However, all of these forecasts assume strong liquidity, ETF inflows, regulatory clarity, and accelerated institutional adoption of the XRP Ledger. The core premise is a late-2026 return to sustained risk-on conditions, driven by improving macro liquidity, expanded XRP ETF inflows, growing use of XRPL for cross-border payments and tokenization, and broader altcoin rotation once Bitcoin leads higher.

In prior cycles, XRP has delivered sharp, high-beta moves once momentum returns; a move from the current ~$1.30 area through the prior highs near $3.65 and into the mid-to-high single digits would be consistent with a full bull-market environment and XRP’s positioning as a major large-cap asset with expanding institutional infrastructure.

Google Gemini AI Predicts the XRP Price: Does Technical Analysis Support the $7 Target?

On the higher timeframes, XRP has been consolidating after a significant pullback from recent highs, currently holding above key demand zones near $1.25–$1.30 while facing stacked short-term resistance around $1.33–$1.40 and higher supply near $1.50–$1.65.

A sustained break and weekly close above $1.40–$1.50 (with volume confirmation) would strengthen the intermediate bullish structure and open the path toward the prior cycle high near $3.65.

In a full bull-market regime, reclaiming that prior high often acts as a powerful psychological and technical catalyst for further extension; Fibonacci projections and measured moves from the multi-year base and recent recovery low project into the $5–$8 zone on continued momentum.

Price is holding above longer-term moving averages (such as the 50- and 100-day), with RSI in neutral-to-oversold territory on shorter timeframes, favoring mean-reversion upside once resistance is cleared.

Key supports to defend on any retests include the $1.20–$1.28 zone and the broader $1.00–$1.10 area; a decisive break below those would weaken the near-term recovery thesis.

Overall, the chart setup favors a multi-leg advance with strong upside potential if risk appetite returns, consistent with XRP’s historical pattern of sharp rallies once key resistances are cleared in bull-market conditions.

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The post Google Gemini AI Predicts an Explosive End to 2026 for XRP appeared first on Cryptonews.

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Bitcoin ETFs Now Own 6.29% of Every Bitcoin. What Happens When They Hit 10%?

Published

2 minutes ago

20 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Bitcoin ETFs Now Own 6.29% of Every Bitcoin. What Happens When They Hit 10%?

Quick Read

Four Bitcoin ETFs experienced losses in the week ending September 18, with the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF leading at $141.9 million. This demonstrates that funds can release coins as easily as they accumulate them.
The funds have accumulated $55.161 billion in net inflows over 32 months, averaging roughly $1.71 billion per month. At this rate, achieving an additional $60.5 billion will take about three years, targeting around mid-2029.
Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs together hold $68.4 billion in committed capital across two product lines that did not exist three years ago.
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As of September 18, 2026, spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US managed $102.532 billion in assets, equating to 6.29% of the total market capitalization of Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC).

To reach 10%, these ETFs would need to increase their holdings by $60.5 billion, bringing the total to $163.0 billion. So how long will that take, and what would it mean for Bitcoin?

A hand holds a smartphone horizontally, from which a holographic platform projects. On this platform, the yellow 3D letters 'ETF' are shown, accompanied by a rising yellow arrow and a dollar coin. Behind the main elements, blue bar graphs and a detailed candlestick stock chart with red and blue candles and a green wavy line graph are visible against a dark blue background. — Tapati Rinchumrus / Shutterstock.com

What 6.29% of Bitcoin Actually Looks Like

Peshkova / Shutterstock.com

With $102.532 billion representing 6.29% of Bitcoin, Bitcoin’s implied market capitalization stands at about $1.630 trillion. This means roughly one Bitcoin in every sixteen is currently held within a US spot ETF. These coins are stored in cold storage with custodians, meaning they cannot be spent, staked, or otherwise used, except as backing for shares traded on exchanges.

Since their launch, Bitcoin ETFs have attracted $55.161 billion in net inflows, while Ethereum ETFs have garnered an additional $13.250 billion, totaling $68.4 billion across two new product lines.

Reaching 10% Takes $60.5 Billion and Three More Years

A close-up shot of a miniature silver shopping cart holding a large silver Bitcoin coin, several smaller gold coins, and a bright green arrow pointing sharply upwards and to the right. The background is a blurred digital display of a financial chart with red and green lines on a dark screen. — Ja Crispy / Shutterstock.com

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If Bitcoin’s market capitalization remains around $1.630 trillion, the ETFs will need an additional $60.5 billion in assets to reach $163.0 billion, or 1.59 times their current holdings. If Bitcoin’s price rises, the target will rise proportionally, meaning the funds may need to acquire even more.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs began trading on January 11, 2024, and reached their cumulative total of $55.161 billion in just over 32 months, averaging around $1.71 billion per month. At this pace, the fund would reach an additional $60.5 billion in about 35 months, likely placing the 10% milestone around mid-2029.

However, this estimate assumes a consistent pace of inflows, and historical data shows that Bitcoin ETF inflows have fluctuated. A strong quarter could advance this timeline by months, while significant redemptions could push it back just as far.

One Bitcoin in Ten Would Leave the Tradable Float

Bitcoin cryptocurrency coin with a gold bullion bar. Investment concept — ARMMY PICCA / Shutterstock.com

As the percentage of Bitcoin held by ETFs increases, it affects market dynamics. Coins held by custodians on behalf of funds do not enter the order book of exchanges unless redeemed by authorized participants. Currently, at 6.29%, one Bitcoin in sixteen has been removed from circulation. At 10%, this would become one in ten.

This reduction in floating supply means fewer coins are available to meet demand, resulting in more volatile price movements. A market with limited floating supply tends to rise sharply on demand but also decline steeply when demand fades, as fewer coins are available to buffer selling pressure. Thin markets are not calm markets.

Corporate treasuries and long-term holders are also removing Bitcoin from the market, but the ETF share is one of the few measurable metrics monitored weekly.

What Happens If the Flows Reverse Instead

The week ending September 18 highlighted how quickly inflow directions can shift. On September 14, inflows totaled $160.04 million.

Just one day later, after the Senate rejected the CLARITY Act, the funds experienced an outflow of $450.33 million. The following day, after the Federal Reserve raised its target range by 25 basis points to 3.75% to 4.00%, another $295.98 million flowed out. Ultimately, the week closed with a net outflow of just $6.21 million.

Four funds lost money across those five sessions. The ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (CBOE:ARKB) saw the largest weekly outflow at $141.9 million, followed by Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (NYSE:GBTC) with a loss of $62.3 million, VanEck Bitcoin ETF (CBOE:HODL) shedding $5.3 million, and Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (NYSE:BITB) losing $2.7 million, per Farside.

So the 6.29% is not a ratchet. Any coins held by these funds can return to the market if shareholders decide to exit, and two sessions in September alone pulled $746.31 million back out. The key figure to monitor is the weekly cumulative inflows against the $60.5 billion gap, which shows how rapidly the funds are approaching the 10% threshold and how quickly they could retreat from it.

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Contact editorial@247wallst.com for any questions or corrections.

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A 63-Year-Old Inherited $118,000 of Savings Bonds From Her Father and Owes Tax on 30 Years of Interest He Never Reported

Published

25 minutes ago

20 September 2026

NewsAdmin

A 63-Year-Old Inherited $118,000 of Savings Bonds From Her Father and Owes Tax on 30 Years of Interest He Never Reported

Quick Read

Inherited savings bonds are classified as income in respect of a decedent, meaning all 30 years of deferred interest, which can amount to somewhere between $70,000 and $90,000, is taxable as ordinary income to the heir.
Executors have a one-time election to report all accrued bond interest on the decedent’s final return, potentially saving tens of thousands if the deceased was in a lower tax bracket.
Cashing all bonds in one year can push heirs into the 32% bracket, trigger Medicare surtaxes, and raise IRMAA premiums two years later at age 65.
Two retirees, same $1 million, same 4% rule, buy one finished with $1.4 million, the other hit $0 in 12 years. Our free reader guide explains the flaw that separated them, and the income-first method built to avoid it.

Inheriting a shoebox of paper savings bonds sounds like a windfall until the IRS shows up. A 63-year-old daughter receives $118,000 of bonds her father bought over three decades, discovers he never paid tax on any of the interest, and learns the entire accrued balance is now her problem. This scenario plays out in thousands of estates every year because Series E, EE, and I bonds allow interest to compound tax-deferred.

A focused senior woman with short, wavy grey hair and blue earrings sits at a light-colored table in a bright kitchen, holding papers and a blue pen. She is wearing a light blue denim-style shirt, and a laptop, a white coffee cup, and a smartphone are on the table beside her. — shurkin_son / Shutterstock.com

The Bogleheads and Reddit r/personalfinance forums are full of near-identical stories: a parent dies, an executor finds bonds in a safe deposit box, and the family realizes the interest has been quietly accruing since the Clinton administration. The tax bill is almost always larger than the heir expects.

Why This Inheritance Triggers a Six-Figure Tax Bill

Savings bond interest is classified as income in respect of a decedent (IRD). Unlike a brokerage account or a house, IRD assets keep the decedent’s original cost basis, so every dollar of deferred interest inside those bonds remains fully taxable as ordinary income to whoever ends up cashing them.

The 4% Rule is Broken, Built On A World That No Longer Exists

Every retiree knows about the 4% rule, but it frames retirement as a slow liquidation and still causes retirees with seven-figure accounts to agonize over a dinner out.

There’s a different way to run the math that makes more sense today. Build an income floor — dividends, interest, and Social Security that cover your essential bills every month — and you never have to sell shares into a down market just to pay them.

Our free reader guide, The 4% Rule Is Broken, walks through it in about 15 minutes. Access the report here.

On a $118,000 face-and-accrual position built over 30 years, the taxable interest portion could easily run $70,000 to $90,000 depending on issue dates and rates. Series E and EE bonds hit final maturity at 30 years and stop earning. Once a bond reaches final maturity, the IRS treats the interest as taxable in that year whether the bond is redeemed or not. Many heirs discover the tax is already technically due on bonds that matured years before the parent died.

Single Biggest Decision: Who Reports the Interest

The executor of the father’s estate has a one-time election under IRS rules: report all accrued interest through the date of death on the father’s final Form 1040, or pass the deferral through to the beneficiary.

If the father died with little other income, his final return may have empty space in the 10%, 12%, and 22% brackets. Stuffing $80,000 of bond interest into that return could tax it at a blended rate well below what the daughter, still working at 63, would pay. If she is in the 24% or 32% federal bracket, letting the interest flow to her can cost tens of thousands more than reporting it on the decedent’s return.

The catch: the election generally has to be made on a timely filed final return for the decedent. Once that window closes, the daughter is stuck with the deferred interest on her own 1040 in whatever year she redeems.

Two Realistic Paths Forward

Assuming the executor election is still available, the cleaner path for most families looks like this:

Report the accrued interest on the father’s final return. Pay the tax out of estate assets before distribution. The daughter then inherits bonds with a “basis” equal to their value at date of death, and any interest earned after that point is the only thing she owes tax on going forward. This usually wins when the decedent’s marginal rate is lower than the heir’s.
Take the deferral and stagger redemptions. If some bonds have not yet reached final maturity, she can cash a portion each year to keep herself out of the 32% or 35% bracket. This only helps for bonds still earning; anything past 30 years is taxable in the maturity year regardless of when she walks into the bank.

Holding the bonds indefinitely is usually the weakest option. The current I-bond composite rate of 4.26% and the 10-year Treasury yield near 5% mean matured paper bonds sitting in a drawer are earning zero while a Treasury or CD would pay competitive interest, and the tax bill is due either way.

What to Do This Week

Pull every bond and look up the issue date and final maturity date on TreasuryDirect’s savings bond calculator. Any bond dated before 1996 is almost certainly past final maturity, meaning the interest is already taxable and further delay only wastes purchasing power.

Then talk to the estate’s accountant before the father’s final return is filed. The election to accelerate interest onto the decedent’s 1040 is worth real money in most cases. If federal estate tax was paid on the bonds, the daughter also gets an itemized IRD deduction on her own return for her share of that tax, which is commonly missed. It is the kind of quiet rule that costs families five and six figures, and we mapped several more like it in a free guide to the tax traps that ambush retirees and their heirs.

The mistake to avoid: cashing all $118,000 in one calendar year without a plan. Doing so on top of a working salary can push an otherwise middle-bracket taxpayer into the 32% federal bracket, add a Medicare surtax, and trigger IRMAA premium increases two years later when she files for Medicare at 65.

Before Your Next Withdrawal, Run One Number ( It’s Not The 4% Rule Everyone Knows)

Take your essential monthly expenses and subtract your guaranteed income — Social Security, plus any pension. What’s left is your income gap, and how you close it determines whether retirement runs on share sales or on a paycheck your portfolio writes you every month. Our free reader guide, The 4% Rule Is Broken, shows exactly how to close that gap with portfolio income: a worked example (one retiree needed about $480,000 in income-producing assets to cover his essentials for good), an eight-point conversion checklist, and the 20-year numbers comparing dividends to withdrawals. It’s free and takes about 15 minutes to read. Get the guide here before you take your next withdrawal.

Contact editorial@247wallst.com for any questions or corrections.

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IRS has hidden fix for retirees who missed Sept. 15 deadline

Published

30 minutes ago

20 September 2026

NewsAdmin

IRS has hidden fix for retirees who missed Sept. 15 deadline

The Sept. 15, 2026, estimated tax deadline has come and gone, and retirees who pulled a large sum from a traditional Individual Retirement Account (IRA) this summer without directing enough to federal withholding now face a penalty that accumulates week by week.

The standard 10% default withholding rate on IRA distributions rarely covers the full tax bill on a five-figure withdrawal, and the estimated payment that should have closed the gap never arrived, IRS Publication 505 confirms.

The IRS adjusts the underpayment penalty rate each quarter, pegging it to the federal short-term rate plus three percentage points. The rate has stood at 7% annualized for the first, third, and fourth quarters of 2026 and dipped to 6% for the second quarter.

Section 6654(g)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code draws a hard line between how the IRS credits estimated payments and how it credits withholding from retirement distributions, creating a narrow window for retirees to act before year-end.

How federal withholding reaches back to cover earlier quarters

Estimated tax payments are credited on the exact date the IRS receives them, and each payment only satisfies the installment period in which it arrives, IRS Publication 505 confirms.

This rule means no future payment can erase penalties that have already started accruing from earlier quarters.

Federal income tax withheld from pensions, Social Security, and retirement distributions follows a completely different provision.

The IRS treats that withholding as paid evenly across all four installment periods regardless of when the money was collected, IRS Publication 505 confirms.

More Taxes:

A retiree who contacts the IRA custodian, requests a new distribution before Dec. 31, and directs a large portion to federal withholding can retroactively apply that payment against the underpaid first-, second-, and third-quarter installments in one transaction, 24/7 Wall St reported.

The distribution itself is taxable, so the withholding amount must cover both the original shortfall and the new tax the withdrawal generates.

Only traditional IRA, 401(k), and pension balances qualify, because Roth IRA distributions produce no taxable income and generate no withholding, IRS Publication 505 confirms.

Ed Slott: why withholding outperforms estimated payments late in the year

IRS Publication 505 confirms that the penalty disappears when withholding and timely estimated payments reach at least 90% of the current year’s tax liability or 100% of the prior year’s.

Taxpayers whose prior-year adjusted gross income (AGI) topped $150,000, or $75,000 if married filing separately, must clear the higher 110% mark to avoid the penalty.

Tax professionals view the withholding provision as one of the most effective tools for retirees managing uneven income.

Quarterly liabilities from retirement account withdrawals that carry penalty exposure shift between periods in ways the estimated payment system was not built to accommodate.

Ed Slott, a certified public accountant and founder of Ed Slott and Company, told Morningstar the withholding method gives retirees a timing benefit no catch-up payment can match, because the IRS spreads the credit across the full calendar year, regardless of when the distribution clears.

That money, even though he was holding onto it the whole year almost, is treated as having been paid in equally throughout the year, even though he held onto the money, even though it was in December. That’s the advantage because if you do the estimates, you must hit those quarterly estimates.

Slott’s warning lands hardest for retirees carrying a Q3 shortfall, since the Q4 estimated payment due Jan. 15, 2027, cannot reach back to cover earlier periods, only stops the penalty clock from that date forward.

Ed Slott says late-year tax withholding can give retirees a timing advantage over estimated payments when managing shortfalls and avoiding underpayment penalties.Bill Tompkins / Getty Images

What the distribution request requires before year-end

Executing the fix starts with a call to the IRA custodian to request a new distribution with a specific federal withholding percentage on IRS Form W-4R, which allows any rate between 0% and 100%. Some custodians process the request electronically, while others require a signed form.

The math starts with the full-year federal tax liability minus all withholding already collected, with the remainder showing how much the year-end distribution must carry.

The prior-year safe harbor is the more practical target because the amount is already fixed on the filed 2025 return, IRS Publication 505 confirms.

Retirees 73 or older can fold this strategy into their required minimum distribution by raising the withholding percentage on the mandatory withdrawal.

The approach also benefits retirees whose layered retirement income has shifted them into higher tax brackets and whose withholding has fallen behind.

State estimated tax rules operate independently, and the quarterly-credit distinction that makes this strategy work federally does not cure a state-level shortfall.

What happens when the December window closes

Once Dec. 31 passes, the 2026 tax year closes, and the window to use withholding as a backward-reaching credit shuts permanently, according to IRS Publication 505. Any remaining quarterly shortfall becomes a fixed penalty when the return is filed in April.

When year-end withholding pushes the total above the applicable safe harbor, the taxpayer owes no underpayment penalty and is not required to file Form 2210, the IRS worksheet used to calculate quarterly shortfalls, with the return, the publication confirms.

The withholding route is available to retirees 59½ and older with pre-tax retirement balances.

Distributions taken before that age trigger a separate 10% early withdrawal penalty on the gross amount, which typically erases the benefit of the strategy, IRS Publication 505 confirms.

This story was originally published by TheStreet on Sep 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Taxes section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Bank of America does the math on Apple’s $1,200 iPhone offer

Published

1 hour ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Bank of America does the math on Apple's $1,200 iPhone offer

The sticker price on a phone stopped being the price anyone actually pays a long time ago.

What you pay is a blend of a trade-in credit, a monthly installment, a plan tier you may not have chosen on your own, and a commitment that outlasts most car leases.

That structure is why two people can buy the identical phone in the same week and pay very different amounts for it. One trades in a three-year-old handset on a premium unlimited plan and pays almost nothing each month. The other buys outright and pays full retail on the spot.

Apple (AAPL) raised the price of its Pro iPhones by $100 this year. The Pro starts at $1,199 and the Pro Max at $1,299, and for a lot of households that jump is the difference between upgrading now and waiting another year.

Then the three major U.S. carriers made their counteroffer, and Bank of America (BAC) spent this week working out what it is really worth to you.

Bank of America says carrier trade-in credits hit $1,200 on the iPhone 18 Pro Max.TIMOTHY A. CLARY / Getty Images

How carrier trade-in credits actually reach your bill

Carrier promotions work as credits rather than discounts, and that distinction decides how much cash leaves your account on day one.

When a carrier advertises $1,200 off, the full retail price of the phone goes onto a 36-month installment plan, and the credit comes back to your bill in monthly slices across those same 36 months.

Leave early and the remaining credits stop. That structure is the point, because it keeps you on the account and on a plan tier that bills more each month than an entry-level one.

Apple sells the same phones outright with no strings. The trade-off is that you pay for all of it at once.

What the $1,200 iPhone 18 trade-in credit actually covers

Maximum trade-in credits for the iPhone 18 Pro Max have climbed to $1,200 at Verizon (VZ), AT&T (T) and T-Mobile (TMUS), Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan wrote in a Sept. 17 research note.

More Apple News:

That is $100 more than the top credit on the iPhone 17 Pro Max last year and $200 more than the iPhone 16 Pro Max the year before. The richer promotions largely cancel out Apple’s price increase, according to Mohan.

Here is the part that matters at the register. Even at the maximum credit, you are not walking out for nothing.

Carriers charge an activation or upgrade fee of $35 to $40, and sales tax is calculated on the full retail price of the phone rather than the discounted amount. On BofA’s figures, using New York City sales tax, that lands at $142 to $147 for the Pro and $250 to $255 for the Pro Max.

What you actually pay upfront for an iPhone 18

iPhone 18 Pro: $142 to $147 in fees and tax, or $291 to $296 with AppleCare+, according to Bank of America.
iPhone 18 Pro Max: $250 to $255 in fees and tax, or $400 to $405 with AppleCare+, according to Bank of America.
Activation or upgrade fee: $35 at AT&T and T-Mobile, $40 at Verizon unless waived, per the carriers’ published terms cited by Android Authority.
Sales tax: charged on full retail, roughly $107 on the Pro and $115 on the Pro Max, on BofA’s New York City math.
Credit delivery: monthly bill credits across 36 months, per carrier promotion terms, highlighted by Tom’s Guide.

Add AppleCare+ at $150 a year and the upfront total runs $291 to $296 for the iPhone 18 Pro and $400 to $405 for the Pro Max, according to the note. Verizon waives the fee for loyalty and new customers, which is the only line item you can negotiate away.

Which older iPhones qualify for the $1,200 credit

The offers target frequent upgraders. Someone holding a five-year-old handset will not see anything close to the top number.

Verizon and AT&T generally require an iPhone 14 or newer to hit the top credit, while T-Mobile sets the bar at an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, per BofA’s survey of carrier terms. AT&T excludes the 16e.

Condition requirements are loose. AT&T and T-Mobile accept qualifying devices in any condition, and Verizon does the same with the exception of battery damage, which matches the carrier deal roundups at Tom’s Guide.

The catch sits in the plan. Credits at every carrier are tiered by plan, number of lines and customer status, so the advertised number is a ceiling rather than an offer. T-Mobile reserves its full credit for its Experience Beyond and Go5G Next tiers, according to Android Authority.

What the iPhone 18 upgrade cycle means for Apple stock

In my analysis, the interesting thing about this note is that it is an argument about affordability rather than about Apple itself. The carriers absorbed the price increase on Apple’s behalf, in Mohan’s framing.

Early signals have been mixed. Bank of America also found shipping times on the new Pro models running shorter than last year, which usually reads as softer initial demand.

BofA kept a buy rating and a $370 price objective, about 11% above Apple’s $332.41 close on Sept. 16. The firm cut that target from $380 a week earlier, after the iPhone Duo came in cheaper than expected.

What I would watch is whether subsidies this rich show up later as a margin problem for the carriers, or as a churn problem when 36 months of credits run out. For now the benefit sits with Apple, which collects full retail either way.

If you are upgrading, the question that decides your real cost is whether you plan to stay with the same carrier until 2029.

This story was originally published by TheStreet on Sep 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Markets section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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If a Stock Market Crash Is Coming, I’m Buying This 1 Vanguard ETF Without Hesitation

Published

2 hours ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

If a Stock Market Crash Is Coming, I'm Buying This 1 Vanguard ETF Without Hesitation

Nobody knows when the next stock market crash will happen. It could be next week. It could be years from now. But I know what I’d want to buy if it happened.

The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (NYSEMKT: VIG) is a portfolio of high-quality companies that generate big cash flow and demonstrate a history of paying and growing dividends over time.

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But that’s not the biggest selling point in a down market. It provides the combination of growth and income that helps cushion against downside risk when weaker companies are getting hit hard, yet maintains a more growth-oriented profile that should capitalize on an eventual recovery.

In a sense, it potentially allows you to take advantage of both the crash and the rebound.

Dollar bills growing in a garden. — Image source: Getty Images.

In this case, VIG isn’t really a dividend story

The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF tracks an index that requires companies to have grown their annual dividend for at least 10 consecutive years. It eliminates the highest-yielding stocks right off the bat, helping to avoid companies that could be signaling financial trouble.

That last piece effectively serves as a quality screen for the fund, which is incredibly important during crashes. In volatile markets, investors often turn to safer, more durable stocks that can withstand tough environments. The dividend growth requirement and high yield elimination essentially help create a portfolio of those very stocks.

The fund’s portfolio is a bit unique for a dividend ETF. Technology accounts for around 25% of the portfolio, which is one of the highest allocations in this category. While that could increase volatility, I’d point out that half of that allocation goes to Broadcom, Microsoft, and Apple. Those are three heavyweight tech companies with huge revenue streams that should be able to hold up. These aren’t speculative growth names.

The additional sector weightings to financials (22%) and healthcare (18%) provide an attractive combination for an eventual recovery, quality companies with meaningful exposure to economically sensitive areas of the market.

The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF will almost certainly fall in the next market crash. Investing in this fund isn’t meant to be a way to avoid it altogether. But it’s got durability, balance sheet strength, cash flows, and an improving income stream. These are the kinds of companies that are built for down markets.

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Fossil fuel emissions set to fall in after oil shock

Published

2 hours ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Fossil fuel emissions set to fall in after oil shock

Every energy shock teaches the same lesson, and nobody enjoys learning it. When fuel stays expensive long enough, people stop buying it. Not because a rule told them to, but because the math at the pump stopped working.

That math broke in late February, when strikes on Iran began and tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz seized up. Brent crude settled at $104.82 a barrel on Sept. 17, according to CNBC.

The national average for a gallon of regular reached $4.4386 that same day, and diesel in California averaged $8.3496, according to AAA.

Seven months of those prices do predictable things. Airlines thinned schedules, Asian petrochemical plants idled, and car buyers from Jakarta to Berlin went looking for anything with a plug.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) now expects global oil consumption to shrink by 2.5 million barrels per day in 2026, a 2.4% drop from 2025 levels.

Which brings us to a figure published Sept. 16 that the market barely registered. Global emissions from fossil fuels are set to fall by roughly 0.5% this year, according to Carbon Brief.

That would be the first annual decline since the pandemic year of 2020. No treaty produced it.

How the Hormuz shutdown rewired global fuel demand

About a fifth of the world’s oil trade moves through a 21-mile-wide channel between Iran and Oman, along with a similar share of seaborne liquefied natural gas (LNG). Close it, and everything downstream reprices within weeks.

The forecasting record tells this story better than any headline does. In January, the IEA expected global oil demand to grow by 930,000 barrels per day in 2026. By September, it was modeling a 2.5 million barrel per day contraction, according to the IEA.

More Oil & Gas:

I ran those two numbers against each other, and the swing comes to roughly 3.4 million barrels a day in nine months. That is not a forecast being trimmed at the edges. That is a demand curve snapping.

Demand destruction is the polite term for it. Jet fuel got too expensive to fly certain routes. Naphtha got too expensive to crack. Gasoline got too expensive to commute on five days a week.

The scale is without precedent. The agency has called the loss of Gulf barrels the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, a point TheStreet covered when Exxon’s CEO warned the shock was not fully priced.

Why fossil fuel emissions are set to fall in 2026

The arithmetic is stranger than it first looks, because one fossil fuel is having an excellent year. Expensive gas pushed power systems in Europe, Japan, Korea and China back toward coal, and the resulting jump in coal emissions is “more than offset by declines for oil and gas,” according to Carbon Brief.

Global coal demand is now set to rise 1.2% this year to “a record 8.94 billion tonnes,” according to the IEA, reversing a forecast for a slight decline. Almost no coal moves through Hormuz. The missing LNG cargoes did the work.

Here is how the year’s forecasts have moved:

Oil demand went from growth of 930,000 barrels per day in January to a decline of 2.5 million barrels per day in September, according to the IEA.
Gas demand went from a forecast 2.0% increase in January to a 0.6% drop, according to the IEA’s third-quarter gas report.
Coal demand went from a slight expected decline to a record 8.94 billion tonnes, according to the IEA’s Sept. 10 mid-year update.
Fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions hit a record 38.1 billion tonnes in 2025, according to the Global Carbon Project.

What struck me in my analysis of the emissions record is how little precedent this year has. Fossil CO2 emissions have fallen clearly twice in two decades, in 2009 and 2020, according to the Global Carbon Project.

A banking collapse and a pandemic. The record set in 2025 was announced during COP30, the 30th United Nations climate conference, in Belem, Brazil.

Oil demand is set to fall by 2.5 million barrels daily in 2026, cutting fossil emissions 0.5%.J Studios / Getty Images

What a shrinking demand curve means for energy stocks

Energy equities have spent 2026 pricing the supply shock and ignoring the demand break. The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) traded near $65.83 on Sept. 14 against a 52-week range of $42.35 to $66.17, after a total return of about 53% over the past year, according to StockAnalysis.

Spot barrels and terminal demand are two separate trades, and only one of them is in the price. The IEA now expects oil use to stay close to flat for two years, which puts a question mark over its own call that demand would not peak until 2030.

Every month the conflict runs raises “the probability of permanent demand destruction,” according to consultancy DNV. Electric vehicles (EVs) took record shares of car markets from Australia and China to Indonesia and Thailand this year.

For a portfolio, that is the difference between a cyclical win and a structural one. Oil majors such as Exxon Mobil (XOM) have printed refining and trading profits off this crisis, and those profits are real.

The customers are the variable nobody can hedge. Diesel crossed $6 a gallon nationally for the first time on Sept. 11, against about $3.70 a year earlier, according to AAA. Households and fleets that responded by buying something electric, or by driving less, do not automatically unbuy that decision when crude eases.

That is also the quiet risk in owning energy at a 52-week high. The sector is being valued on a barrel count that the agency in charge of counting barrels has stopped forecasting upward.

What to watch before the 2026 emissions drop sticks

Next year is a coin flip that trades on shipping lanes. If LNG flows through Hormuz recover and gas prices ease, global coal demand falls 0.4% to 8.91 billion tonnes in 2027, according to the IEA. If the strait stays shut, coal climbs again.

The Global Carbon Project will publish its next full budget at the end of the year, and that number will tell you whether 0.5% was a blip or a turn.

The world found a way to cut emissions this year. It cost $104 a barrel, a war, a record year for coal, and the first $6 diesel in American history. Nobody is putting that on a banner in Belem.

The number worth watching is not this year’s half a percent. It is how many of the drivers, airlines and utilities that switched decide to stay switched once the tankers sail again.

This story was originally published by TheStreet on Sep 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Economy section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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How to Earn $600 a Month From the Pipeline Stocks Powering AI Data Centers

Published

3 hours ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

How to Earn $600 a Month From the Pipeline Stocks Powering AI Data Centers

When most investors think about what companies are cashing in on the AI data center boom, they typically picture chipmakers or utilities. Many investors don’t initially consider pipeline companies that supply gas to data centers or utilities. That’s a missed opportunity for generating income. For example, you could generate $600 a month in dividend income by investing around $141,000 into some of the pipeline companies cashing in on AI power demand.

Here’s a look at some of the top pipeline stocks to buy to generate income from the AI data center boom.

Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a “Double Down” signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same “Total Conviction” signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »

A cart full of money on hundred dollar bills. — Image source: Getty Images.

Pipeline AI profits into your portfolio

Pipeline giants Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET) and Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) are leaders in capitalizing on surging gas demand to support AI data centers. Here’s the math for generating $600 a month from these energy stocks:

Data source: Google Finance and the author’s calculation.

I chose these pipeline stocks for their strong financial profiles and meaningful exposure to the AI power trend.

Energy Transfer has signed several deals to support AI data center power demand, including those to directly supply gas to data centers and to power producers. The master limited partnership (which sends a Schedule K-1 Federal tax form) is also investing in several large-scale gas pipeline projects to support rising gas demand. These investments should give it the fuel to grow its distribution by 3%-5% each year.

Meanwhile, Kinder Morgan currently has $8.2 billion of natural gas pipeline projects under construction to support rising gas demand. Additionally, it’s pursuing over $10 billion in other opportunities beyond its backlog to support growth in gas demand. These projects should give Kinder Morgan the fuel to continue increasing its dividend, which it has done for nine straight years.

You can collect real income today by investing in the pipeline stocks cashing in on the AI data center boom. While $141,250 is a lot to begin with, you can also start small and steadily build your income, as a $12,000 investment would produce over $600 in dividends each year.

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Kalshi Files to Launch US Crypto-Linked Perpetual Futures on Coinbase

Published

3 hours ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Kalshi has filed with U.S. regulators to launch perpetual futures contracts linked to individual U.S. stocks, a move that would extend a crypto-style derivatives structure into traditional equity markets. The company’s proposal was submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission as a rule change and simultaneously sent to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for review, according to the filing.

The development arrives as Coinbase has also put forward a separate plan to offer single-stock perpetual futures. Both efforts point to growing competition among regulated crypto derivatives venues to adapt perpetual contract mechanics—particularly the use of ongoing funding payments—to equity instruments.

Key takeaways

Kalshi filed a proposed rule change with the SEC and submitted the related materials to the CFTC to enable perpetual futures tied to specific U.S. equities.
The contracts would have no fixed expiration date and would use periodic funding payments between long and short positions to keep pricing aligned with the underlying stocks.
Kalshi said the products would be treated as security futures and cleared through its CFTC-registered clearinghouse, Kalshi Klear.
Coinbase filed a parallel proposal the same day, and Kraken’s parent company Payward also moved forward with filings through Bitnomial.
These proposals come amid renewed uncertainty in U.S. crypto-related regulatory pathways following the Senate’s failure to advance the CLARITY Act earlier this month.

Kalshi’s SEC and CFTC filing targets stock-linked perpetuals

According to Kalshi’s rule change submission to the SEC, the company is seeking approval to list perpetual futures tied to individual U.S. stocks. The filing was made on Friday and the CFTC has not yet approved the proposal.

The key feature of Kalshi’s design is that the futures would be structured without a preset expiration date. Instead of settling at a particular maturity, the price relationship to the underlying stock would be maintained through “periodic funding payments” exchanged between long and short positions, a mechanism widely used in crypto perpetual futures.

Kalshi also indicated that the proposed contracts would be treated as security futures products and cleared using Kalshi’s CFTC-registered clearinghouse, Kalshi Klear—an element that matters for market participants because it points to an operating model built around regulated clearing rather than bespoke settlement arrangements.

The filing is available through the SEC’s website as part of Kalshi’s proposed rule change: https://www.sec.gov/files/rules/sro/kalshiex/2026/34-106422.pdf.

Coinbase moves in parallel as the “equity perp” race expands

Kalshi’s submission followed the same day as a separate announcement from Coinbase. Cointelegraph previously reported that Coinbase has also filed a proposal to bring perpetual futures tied to individual U.S. stocks to the market, using the same broad idea: perpetual exposure without a traditional expiration, balanced through periodic funding payments. The earlier Coinbase coverage is linked here: https://cointelegraph.com/news/coinbase-files-to-bring-single-stock-perpetual-futures-to-us-market.

These filings are significant not only because they replicate a familiar crypto derivatives template, but because they attempt to translate it into the equity derivatives framework—where product categorization, clearing arrangements, and regulator oversight can differ materially from crypto-native contracts.

Payward and Bitnomial also seek approval for stock perpetuals

Kalshi and Coinbase were not the only players advancing this concept. Payward—the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken—also filed to offer single-stock perpetual futures. The proposal was submitted through Payward’s Bitnomial Exchange, and Payward said it expects the products to be available to U.S. traders on Kraken.

Payward stated it plans to start with perpetual futures tied to 10 U.S. equities, including Tesla, Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon, and that it is working toward 24/5 trading.

The underlying SEC filing for Payward is available here: https://www.sec.gov/files/rules/sro/btnl/2026/34-106421.pdf. Payward’s public statement is referenced in a post on X: https://x.com/Payward/status/2101013602790490360.

Crypto-style funding meets a policy moment after the CLARITY Act setback

The push for single-stock perpetual futures comes after the U.S. Senate did not advance the CLARITY Act on Sept. 15, according to reporting referenced in the source. The bill failed to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to proceed.

In the immediate aftermath, SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the agency would act “decisively” within its existing statutory authority “with or without legislation,” signaling that regulators may pursue frameworks through other channels even if broader legislation stalls. The source ties this statement to an Atkins post on X: https://x.com/SECPaulSAtkins/status/2100256253645668860.

For investors and traders, these details matter because regulatory clarity is often what determines whether and how new derivative structures can be launched at scale. Perpetual futures can be attractive to market participants seeking continuous exposure, but they also shift how risk is managed over time—especially given the role of funding payments in maintaining price relationships.

Kalshi has already been operating in the perpetual futures space for crypto assets in the U.S. The source notes that Kalshi received CFTC approval for its Bitcoin perpetual contract in May and offers perpetual contracts tied to assets including Ether, Solana, and XRP.

What to watch next

With multiple exchanges now seeking permission to list stock-linked perpetual futures, the immediate focus should be on regulatory review timelines at the SEC and CFTC and whether the proposed contract structures—no fixed expiration plus funding-based pricing alignment—survive scrutiny in practice. Market participants will also want to monitor how funding mechanics and clearing arrangements are handled as these proposals move from filing to approval.

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Cathie Wood Sold Palantir and AMD, Then Poured $3.35 Million Into Archer Aviation. Is ARK Betting Big on Flying Taxis?

Published

3 hours ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Cathie Wood Sold Palantir and AMD, Then Poured $3.35 Million Into Archer Aviation. Is ARK Betting Big on Flying Taxis?

All companies that have more than $100 million in investments are required to submit quarterly 13F filings that disclose their holdings. Additionally, individuals and funds have to submit filings when their ownership stakes cross 5% and 10%. When holdings reach the 10% threshold, each subsequent trade must be disclosed. Meanwhile, Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest firm takes things to another level when it comes to transparency.

Ark Invest publishes regular updates disclosing all trades for the exchange traded funds (ETFs) that it manages, giving investors a clear look at all the moves made by Wood and her team of analysts and managers. Ark recently disclosed that it made some notable moves, selling shares of Palantir and Advanced Micro Devices and buying roughly $3.35 million worth of Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) for its flagship Ark Innovation ETF.

Cathie Wood. — Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood:Image source:Getty Images.

What do Ark’s moves mean for investors?

Ark Invest tends to take a very active approach to portfolio management, and Wood and her team will regularly trim holdings when they feel that stocks have posted big gains and present worthwhile profit-taking opportunities — or simply no longer offer sufficient upside potential to justify the associated risks. Palantir and AMD have generated significant wins for Ark, and recent sales of these stocks look like profit taking rather than a fundamental loss of confidence in the companies.

Coming in as the Ark Innovation ETF’s 11th- and 12th-largest holdings, respectively, Palantir and AMD are larger positions in the fund than Archer Aviation, which ranks as the fund’s 30th-largest holding and accounts for roughly 1.2% of the portfolio by weight. On the other hand, Ark’s move to increase its holdings in Archer Aviation, the maker of the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, clearly reflects growing confidence in the company.

Archer has been making some interesting moves lately, most notably entering into a deal with Boeing to acquire its Insitu, SkyGrid, and Wisk Aero subsidiaries. Integrating these companies could significantly improve Archer’s positioning in eVTOLs, drones, and autonomous aerial navigation. While the deal will result in Boeing receiving a 16.5% stake in Archer, it will also bring the aerospace and defense giant on board as a partner — a development that could prove a substantial boon to the eVTOL company in ways beyond the subsidiary purchase.

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Nashville’s Traffic Nightmare Is Now a $9.2B Ferrovial (FER)-Led Project

Published

3 hours ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Nashville’s Traffic Nightmare Is Now a $9.2B Ferrovial (FER)-Led Project

On August 19, Ferrovial (NASDAQ:FER) announced it had been selected to deliver the I-24 Southeast Choice Lanes, a 26-mile project running between Nashville and Murfreesboro. It is the largest single capital investment in Tennessee’s history and the state’s first public-private partnership. The price tag is $9.2 billion, though Ferrovial isn’t carrying it alone, since its DriveTN consortium also counts Transurban and Tikehau Star Infra as partners.

The Model Travels Well

Choice lanes are familiar ground for Ferrovial, which has replicated the model in Washington, D.C., Charlotte and Dallas-Fort Worth. On Virginia’s 66 Express corridor, similar lanes shaved up to 50% off peak-hour travel times. That is the pitch for I-24, a stretch of highway that already ranks among the region’s most jammed: drivers who opt in get steadier speeds, and those in the free lanes should see less traffic too.

The business behind the bid looks healthy, too. Ferrovial’s July 28 results showed adjusted EBITDA up 21.6% on a like-for-like basis to €746 million over the first six months of the year, with U.S. highways doing most of the lifting. Those roads are sending cash home as well, since Ferrovial received €357 million in dividends from North America. And the construction order book reached an all-time high of €18 billion, so plenty of work is already in hand. The pipeline keeps filling: Ferrovial bid on I-285 East in Georgia in July, and its D35 Highway bid in the Czech Republic was the most cost-effective submitted, with technical evaluation still underway.

Beyond the roads, the balance sheet looks sturdy. Ferrovial ended the first half with €1.3 billion in net cash, excluding infrastructure projects, meaning cash outweighs debt outside those projects. The airport arm is progressing too: Ferrovial has finished funding the $1.1 billion in equity it pledged for New Terminal One at JFK, and construction there is 92% complete.

Fine Print Worth Reading

Start with the line that looks worst on the page. Net profit for the first half of 2026 came in at €258 million, versus €540 million for the same period of 2025. That earlier figure included capital gains from asset rotation, which makes the comparison harsh, but the mismatch is still there: EBITDA climbed while reported profit fell.

Then there is the work itself. Construction turned 3.5% of revenue into adjusted EBIT, right on target, so there isn’t much room for a costly overrun on a big job. North America also accounts for 47.9% of the order book, so plenty rides on one region. The $24.8 billion in concession value cited for the project is a figure for Tennessee, not a profit forecast for Ferrovial. And a winning bid is not a finished road: I-24 still has to be financed, built and operated, and the CEO talks in terms of decades.