The U.S. job market weakened appreciably in February, possibly putting back in play the chance of Federal Reserve rate cuts in the first half of 2026.

The country loss 92,000 jobs last month, according to Friday’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists had forecast an addition of 59,000 new jobs, compared with January’s gain of 126,000.

The unemployment rate rose to 4.4% versus economist expectations of 4.3%, and January’s reading of 4.3%.

Under pressure overnight ahead of the report and trading down to $70,000 as oil soared higher and equity markets dipped, bitcoin BTC$70,549.10 remained right around that mark in the minutes following the data.

U.S. stock index futures continue lower, with the Nasdaq down 1% and S&P 500 off 0.8%. The 10-year Treasury yield has fallen four basis points to 4.11%. Precious metals reversed an early decline, with gold now higher by 1% and silver by 2%. WTI crude oil is up 6.2% to $86 per barrel.

Ahead of this morning’s report, markets were pricing in a 95% probability that the Federal Reserve would hold rates steady at the March 18 meeting and an 85% chance of no rate cut in April.

Meanwhile, rising oil prices linked to tensions in the Middle East could add upward pressure to inflation expectations. If sustained, higher energy prices may feed into broader inflation, particularly through energy and food costs. Combined with signs that the U.S. economy may be re-accelerating, this could prompt markets to reassess the path of monetary policy.

Quick Summary

• BofA reinstated coverage with “buy” ratings for Ford, GM, and Tesla on March 4, 2026
• Price targets set at $17 for Ford (34% potential gain), $105 for GM (14% upside), and $460 for Tesla (14% upside)
• Both Ford and GM expected to capitalize on pivot away from EVs toward profitable trucks and SUVs
• Tesla’s buy rating driven primarily by robotaxi business, which BofA values at approximately 52% of total company worth
• Electric vehicle sales projected to decline over 20% in 2026 amid reduced incentives and slower manufacturer deployment

On March 4, 2026, Bank of America resumed its analysis of North American automobile manufacturers, designating Ford, General Motors, and Tesla as premier investment opportunities for the coming year.

According to analyst Alexander Perry, the automotive sector stands poised to exceed market projections in 2026. Perry cited evolving regulatory frameworks and renewed emphasis on traditional combustion engines as primary catalysts.

Ford earned a “buy” designation alongside a $17 price objective. This represents a potential 34% appreciation from the stock’s opening value on March 4.

Ford Motor Company, F

According to Bank of America’s assessment, Ford stands in an advantageous position to capitalize on emerging U.S. regulatory shifts. The financial institution anticipates Ford will intensify its concentration on truck and SUV production, segments that deliver superior profitability compared to electric vehicle offerings.

Ford commands more than 30% of the pickup truck segment, with its F-Series maintaining its position as America’s best-selling vehicle nameplate. The automaker expanded its domestic market penetration by 50 basis points throughout 2025.

General Motors similarly earned a “buy” recommendation, accompanied by a $105 price objective — representing 14% appreciation potential from March 4 levels. GM maintains the leading position among U.S. automakers with 17.1% market share.

Electric Vehicle Momentum Slows

Bank of America indicates that both Ford and GM stand to gain as the automotive industry retreats from ambitious electrification goals. Substantial EV investments and stringent emissions regulations had compressed profitability margins over recent years.

The investment firm calculates variable profit margins for trucks and SUVs at $17,500 per unit, substantially exceeding the corporate average range of $10,000 to $12,000.

BofA projects electric vehicle sales will contract by more than 20% throughout 2026 as government subsidies diminish and manufacturers decelerate their EV deployment strategies.

Perry observed that multiple manufacturers are postponing or abandoning lower-margin electric vehicle initiatives while prolonging their internal combustion engine production timelines.

Bank of America additionally highlighted that the elimination of CAFE penalty structures and greenhouse gas emission relief measures are empowering automakers to optimize their product portfolios toward higher-margin vehicle categories.

Tesla’s Autonomous Vehicle Strategy

Tesla secured a “buy” rating with a $460 price objective, likewise representing 14% upside potential from March 4 values. BofA’s investment thesis for Tesla centers predominantly on its self-driving vehicle operations.

The firm anticipates rapid expansion of Tesla’s robotaxi network. Tesla’s autonomous taxi services currently function in San Francisco and Austin, with deployments planned for seven additional metropolitan areas during the first half of 2026.

BofA calculates that the robotaxi division comprises approximately 52% of Tesla’s overall enterprise value. While competing platforms employ comprehensive sensor arrays combining cameras, radar, and lidar technology, Tesla utilizes an exclusively camera-based system that the firm characterizes as more cost-effective and readily scalable.

Perry also identified favorable macroeconomic conditions supporting the broader automotive industry. The average age of vehicles on American roads has reached 12.8 years, while vehicle miles traveled have achieved record levels — dynamics that BofA suggests may initiate a significant vehicle replacement wave.

Shares of Palantir Technologies (PLTR), a company specialising in big data analytics software, have become one of the stock market’s standout performers at the start of this spring.

While the closing price on the last trading day of February was around $137, during yesterday’s session the stock climbed to $155.

Why Is PLTR Rising?

The stock’s strong performance is driven by a combination of fundamental factors, including:

→ Competitors’ problems at the Pentagon: News about temporary restrictions placed on the AI start-up Anthropic in its work with US government agencies has strengthened Palantir’s position as a reliable partner.

→ Use in the Middle East conflict: Analysts at Baird highlighted this week the ability of Palantir’s systems to operate in real time and deliver predictive analytics on the battlefield.

→ Higher price targets: Several agencies (including Zacks and Trefis) have raised their forecasts for PLTR shares amid expectations that revenue growth could reach around 78% by the end of the year.

In addition, technical factors are also playing a role.

Technical Analysis of the Palantir Technologies (PLTR) Share Price

In November 2025, we noted that the chart had taken on a bearish tone and that the $190–200 zone could act as resistance. Indeed, in December PLTR shares made a bearish reversal from that area and fell to around $130 in less than two months, breaking support near $166 (which later turned into resistance).

New data now makes it possible to outline a broader ascending channel. In this context, the price formed a bullish inverted head-and-shoulders pattern (H&S) near the lower boundary in February.

The bullish gap around the $139 level appears to represent a breakout above the neckline of the pattern, while the surge in trading volume highlights the strength of demand.

Considering that the stock has risen by more than 10% over the past week, it may now be regarded as technically overbought, making a short-term pullback a reasonable expectation.

From a broader perspective, however, the bulls’ attempt to resume the long-term upward trend in PLTR shares may ultimately prove successful.

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Here’s everything most interesting surrounding BTC, ETH, and ADA.

The past few days have been quite positive for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), whose prices soared to a one-month peak.

Cardano’s ADA also headed north, but the bears intercepted the move, and the asset is now deep in red territory on a weekly scale. The correction aligns with recent whale behavior, suggesting they may be scaling back their exposure to the token.

BTC’s Performance

Nearly a week ago, the US and Israeli forces attacked Iran, thus marking the start of a new major military conflict that stunned the world and sent shockwaves through the financial and crypto markets. BTC reacted with an immediate plunge below $64,000, but just hours later, it rebounded above $67,000 following reports that the supreme leader of the Asian country, Ali Khamenei, had been killed.

The primary cryptocurrency continued its uptrend, reaching a monthly high of nearly $74,000 on March 4. Some of the potential catalysts behind the rally could be the initial indications that Iran is willing to discuss terms for ending the war, as well as the growing interest in the asset from large investors.

Data from SoSoValue show that inflows into spot BTC ETFs have been substantial over the past several days. The trend indicates that big investors, such as hedge funds and pension funds, have been increasing their exposure to the asset through these funds, whose issuers must buy real Bitcoin to back these purchases.

Some analysts, such as Ali Martinez, believe BTC could post much more significant gains in the short term. Earlier this week, he underlined the importance of reclaiming the $70,685 resistance level, adding that the $72,000-$81,000 zone has very little supply and describing it as “open air in that range.”

“The next major supply clusters appear around $83,307 and $84,569, which could act as the significant resistance zones,” he claimed.

Others were not so bullish. X user Ted reminded that shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, BTC showed a similar upside move before undergoing a severe correction, suggesting history could repeat itself.

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How’s ETH Doing?

The second-largest cryptocurrency followed BTC’s footsteps, posting a painful decline below $1,900 but later rising to almost $2,200. As of this moment, it trades at around $2,060, representing a 4% increase on a seven-day scale.

Earlier this week, Ali Martinez assumed that a sustained close above $2,147 could set the stage for a further ascent to $2,335 or even $2,542. On-chain indicators such as the plummeting supply of ETH stored on exchanges support the bullish case.

Recently, the balance plunged to 15.93 million tokens, the lowest point since the summer of 2016. This means that investors continue to abandon centralized trading venues and move their holdings to self-custody, thereby reducing immediate selling pressure.

On the other hand, analysts like X user Emirhan suggested that a break below the key $2,109 level could open the door to a drop to under $1,900. The price did indeed slip beneath that mark, and we have yet to see whether an additional decline will come next.

The ADA Whales

Cardano’s native token tried to reclaim $0.30 but failed, and it is now worth around $0.26 (per CoinGecko’s data), representing a 7% decrease over the last week.

According to Martinez, the big investors have “redistributed” 230 million tokens in the span of just seven days. His graph displays a reduction in their total holdings, which can be interpreted as a major sell-off that could impact the price for several reasons.

This development increases the amount of ADA circulating on the open market, and without a corresponding rise in demand, the additional supply could suppress the valuation. Additionally, whale distribution signals fading confidence that may unsettle smaller players and prompt them to cash out as well.

It is important to note that the big investors had a much different strategy in recent months, accumulating roughly 820 million ADA between August 2025 and February this year.

Kazakhstan’s central bank revealed plans to allocate up to $350 million from its gold and foreign exchange reserves to investments linked to cryptocurrencies and digital assets.

The bank’s governor, Timur Suleimanov, said the institution is developing a list of acceptable investments, which will extend beyond direct cryptocurrency holdings, according to a Reuters report on Friday.

The country became a major bitcoin BTC$69,935.37 mining hub after China’s 2021 mining ban pushed operators abroad. In 2025, Astana-based Fonte Capital introduced central Asia’s first spot bitcoin ETF (BETF), offering regulated, physically backed exposure to bitcoin.

The investment strategy is expected to include shares of high-tech companies connected to digital assets, cryptocurrency infrastructure firms and index funds whose performance tracks crypto markets.

Deputy central bank chair Aliya Moldabekova said the investments would be made in April and May, emphasizing that authorities are taking a measured approach.

“We are not talking about any large investment in cryptocurrencies,” Moldabekova said, according to Reuters. “We are currently selecting companies that deal with digital assets, for example those involved in cryptocurrency infrastructure.”

The allocation represents only a small share of the country’s overall reserves. As of Feb. 1, the central bank held $69.4 billion in gold and foreign exchange reserves, while the country’s national fund, which accumulates oil revenues, held $65.23 billion in assets, according to the central bank data.

Quick Summary

• Quarterly earnings per share reached $4.58, surpassing analyst expectations of $4.55; total revenue of $69.6 billion exceeded the $69.3 billion forecast
• Comparable sales across stores increased 7.4%, while digitally-driven comparable sales jumped 22.6%
• Net income increased nearly 14% compared to the prior year, reaching $2.035 billion
• Revenue from membership fees expanded 13.6% to $1.355 billion; paid membership base grew to 82.1 million
• COST shares gained 14% year-to-date but declined 0.2% during premarket hours following the earnings release

Costco reported strong fiscal second-quarter 2026 results that exceeded Wall Street’s projections on most important performance indicators. The warehouse retailer’s net income advanced nearly 14% from the same period last year to $2.035 billion, translating to $4.58 per diluted share and beating the consensus forecast of $4.55.

Total revenue reached $69.6 billion, modestly surpassing the anticipated $69.3 billion. Comparable sales across the company’s warehouse locations increased 7.4% overall, or 6.7% when adjusted for gasoline price fluctuations and currency exchange impacts.

This marks an acceleration from the prior quarter ending in December, when adjusted comparable sales grew 6.4%. Sequential monthly trends also demonstrated strengthening momentum — comparable sales climbed 7% in December, 7.1% in January, and accelerated to 7.9% in February.

Costco Wholesale Corporation, COST

The company’s digital operations delivered particularly impressive results. Comparable sales through digital channels surged 22.6%, supported by a 32% increase in website visitors and a 45% jump in mobile app traffic throughout the quarter. Personalized product recommendation features alone generated more than $470 million in online revenue.

COST stock traded 0.2% lower in premarket activity on Friday following the earnings announcement, although shares remain 14% higher year-to-date — positioned to fully recover the losses experienced during the previous year.

Membership Revenue and Profitability Remain Strong

Income from membership fees increased 13.6% year-over-year to $1.355 billion. Approximately one-third of this growth stemmed from the membership fee adjustment implemented in September 2024 across U.S. and Canadian locations. When excluding the fee increase and foreign exchange impacts, membership income still expanded 7.5%.

The total paid membership count reached 82.1 million, representing a 4.8% increase from the prior year. Executive-level memberships climbed to 40.4 million, up 9.5%. The global renewal rate remained stable at 89.7%, unchanged from the previous quarter.

Renewal rates in the U.S. and Canada decreased 10 basis points sequentially to 92.1%, which management attributed to online membership enrollments — which historically renew at marginally lower rates compared to in-warehouse signups.

Gross profit margin expanded to 11.02% from 10.85% in the year-ago period. Core-on-core margins improved by 22 basis points, with improvements spanning food, non-food, and fresh merchandise categories. Selling, general, and administrative expenses rose modestly to 9.19% of sales from 9.06% last year, partially driven by increased general liability reserves.

Tariff Environment, Store Growth, and Forward Outlook

CEO Ron Vachris described the tariff landscape as “extremely fluid.” Recently eliminated IEEPA tariffs have been substituted with new global tariffs scheduled to remain in place for at least 150 days. Costco filed legal action in the Court of International Trade to preserve its ability to claim refunds if those tariffs were invalidated — which occurred in February.

Vachris noted the retailer did not transfer complete tariff costs to members in numerous instances. Should refunds materialize, the company intends to pass that value back through reduced prices and enhanced promotional offers. The company has already reduced prices on eggs, cheese, coffee, select paper goods, and certain tariff-impacted merchandise including textiles and cookware.

The retailer operated 924 warehouses globally at quarter-end. Management projects 28 net new location openings in fiscal 2026 and aims to sustain 30-plus new openings annually moving forward. Capital expenditures for the full year are estimated at approximately $6.5 billion.

February net sales totaled $21.69 billion, increasing 9.5% year-over-year. Total comparable sales rose 7.9% for the month (7.0% adjusted). Digital-enabled sales climbed 21.8%.

No special dividend was declared. The board indicated it would continue evaluating the possibility, but stated there were no announcements to make at this time.

Bitcoin (BTC) traded 4.5% below the $74,000 high reached on Thursday, with traders conflicted over whether this level may have marked the local top for BTC price. 

Key takeaways:

• Bitcoin charts still show similarities to the 2022 bear cycle, suggesting another leg down below $60,000 is possible. 

• Others say the bottom is in and expect a breakout rally to $75,000–$80,000 to be next. 

Is the 2022 BTC price cycle repeating?

BTC’s current technical structure, following the latest recovery from $60,000, shows similarities with the middle of past bear cycles.

Bitcoin’s latest rise to $74,000 came 149 days after its bull market peak of $126,000 in October 2025.

Related: Bitcoin ‘anomalous’ outflow sees 32K BTC leave exchanges in a single day

“$BTC made a local high around 140–150 days after its all-time high in the previous two cycles before pushing lower,” said analyst Bitcoin Hyper in an X post on Thursday.

Echoing this view, pseudonymous trader Bitcoin Isaiah called the rally to $74,000 a “perfect local top indicator,” pointing to premature celebrations by the bulls as a signal for further dumping.

The analyst referred to the 2022 cycle, when similar euphoria preceded a 68% crash from $48,200 to $15,500, suggesting that history could repeat with a revisit to sub-$60,000 levels.

Master of Crypto said that the brief pump above $70,000 was a liquidity trap, wiping out both shorts and longs before targeting lower zones between $62,000-$65,000 where more ask-orders are located, adding:

“The price usually goes where the bigger money sits.”

As Cointelegraph reported, signs of a pullback emerged this week after the rally to $74,000, namely a classic bearish chart pattern and major overhead resistance.

Is Bitcoin’s relief rally over?

The bulls, however, argue that $60,000 was the likely market bottom, marking a structural shift.

For example, crypto analyst Bitcoin Munger said the 2022 Bitcoin bear fractal was not a “reason to be bearish” because this cycle is different.

An accompanying chart showed that while the 2022 drawdown saw the price “cut through” the 200-week exponential moving average (EMA), the current only retested the trend line and bounced.

Meanwhile, analyst Mister Crypto says the BTC/USD pair is breaking out of an ascending triangle with the expectation of a “strong move to the upside,” if the upper trend line at $70,000 holds as support.

Other differences from the 2022 cycle include strong institutional ETF inflows and tightening supply, which may help Bitcoin avoid another crash and set it up for a rally to $75,000-$80,000.