RT The Bitcoin Conference (@TheBitcoinConf)WE'RE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE HEAD OF DIGITAL ASSETS RESEARCH AT VANECK @MATTHEW_SIGEL AS A BITCOIN 2026 SPEAKER 🧡"BITCOIN SHOULD REACH HALF OF GOLD'S MARKET CAP AFTER THE NEXT HALVING" 🚀 https://t.co/JPcoCVxOyE ...

RT The Bitcoin Conference (@TheBitcoinConf)WE'RE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE HEAD OF DIGITAL ASSETS RESEARCH AT VANECK @MATTHEW_SIGEL AS A BITCOIN 2026 SPEAKER 🧡"BITCOIN SHOULD REACH HALF OF GOLD'S MARKET CAP AFTER THE NEXT HALVING" 🚀 https://t.co/jgbZjcSNy9 ...

Core Viewpoint - Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has sold $545.7 million worth of stock over nine months, indicating a significant liquidation of his holdings without any purchases during this period [1]. Group 1: Armstrong's Selling Activity - Armstrong liquidated over 1.5 million shares between April 2025 and January 2026, with the largest single-day sale occurring on June 25, 2025, when he sold 336,265 shares at $355.37 each [2]. - The most recent sale on January 5 involved 40,000 shares sold at $254.92, netting approximately $101.6 million [2]. Group 2: Armstrong's Net Worth and Other Investors - Armstrong's net worth has dropped over $10 billion from a peak of $17.7 billion in July 2025, with his remaining fortune of $7.5 billion tied to a 14% stake in Coinbase [3]. - Other significant investors, such as Cathie Wood's Ark Invest, have also been selling Coinbase shares, liquidating $17.4 million on February 5 while investing $17.8 million into a competing digital asset exchange [3]. Group 3: Analyst Ratings and Market Sentiment - Goldman Sachs upgraded Coinbase (COIN) to a "buy" rating on January 5, setting a price target of $303, citing non-trading revenue growth as a buffer against market cycles [4]. - Conversely, JPMorgan reduced its price target by 27%, attributing this to lower trading volumes, softness in crypto prices, and decelerating stablecoin growth [4]. Group 4: Price Movement and Technical Analysis - COIN closed 6% down after breaking critical support at the $230-$240 level, which had previously held multiple times [7]. - The current technical indicators suggest bearish momentum, with a Supertrend at $189.46 and a Parabolic SAR at $168.59 confirming downside pressure [9]. - For recovery, COIN needs to reclaim the $168-$170 range and work towards the $190 Supertrend level, with significant resistance at $230-$240 [10].

Core Insights - The article discusses two ETFs, VanEck Short Muni ETF (SMB) and iShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (IGSB), which provide exposure to fixed-income assets with different focuses [1] Group 1: ETF Overview - SMB tracks short-term tax-exempt municipal bonds, while IGSB focuses on investment-grade U.S. corporate bonds [1] - SMB has an expense ratio of 0.07% and a 1-year return of 1.93%, while IGSB has a lower expense ratio of 0.04% and a higher 1-year return of 2.65% [2] - IGSB has a significantly larger AUM of $22.37 billion compared to SMB's $303.14 million [2] Group 2: Performance Metrics - Over the past five years, SMB experienced a max drawdown of -7.44%, while IGSB had a max drawdown of -9.44% [3] - The growth of $1,000 over five years is nearly identical, with SMB growing to $958 and IGSB to $960 [3] Group 3: Portfolio Composition - IGSB holds 4,532 bonds, primarily A- and BBB-rated, with significant positions in companies like Goldman Sachs and Bank of America [4] - SMB has a more concentrated portfolio with 334 municipal bonds, predominantly in the AA class, with 22% A-rated and 17% AAA-rated bonds [5] Group 4: Investment Considerations - Investors must consider volatility preferences, as corporate bonds (IGSB) are generally more vulnerable to default and volatility compared to municipal bonds (SMB) [6] - Municipal bonds are less risky but typically offer slower returns, with SMB having a higher allocation towards higher-rated bonds, reducing default risk [7] - Despite slower price growth, the high dividend yields of these ETFs can make them attractive investments [8]

Core Insights - The VanEck Bitcoin ETF (HODL) and iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA) provide investors with direct exposure to Bitcoin and Ethereum respectively, while mitigating some risks associated with holding cryptocurrencies directly [2][5] Group 1: Cost and Size - Both HODL and ETHA have an expense ratio of 0.25% [3] - As of February 14, 2026, HODL has a one-year return of -29.18% and ETHA has a return of -23.90% [3] - HODL has assets under management (AUM) of $1.1 billion, while ETHA has AUM of $6.29 billion, indicating a significant difference in scale [3] Group 2: Performance and Risk Comparison - HODL experienced a maximum drawdown of -49.25% over one year, while ETHA had a higher drawdown of -61.57% [4] Group 3: Fund Composition and Market Context - HODL, launched on January 4, 2024, exclusively holds Bitcoin, while ETHA, launched six months later, exclusively holds Ether [5] - Both funds are characterized by high volatility and have faced negative returns in 2025, marking the first annual decline since 2022 [6] - HODL has increased nearly 40% since its inception, whereas ETHA has decreased by 41%, suggesting a potential advantage for HODL in the long term [8]

Core Insights - The Global X - Silver Miners ETF (SIL) and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) provide targeted access to mining companies, differing in metal focus and portfolio construction [2][9] - SIL is silver-centric with a higher recent return and drawdown, while GDX is gold-focused, lower cost, and more diversified [1][4] Cost & Size Comparison - SIL has an expense ratio of 0.65% and AUM of $6.2 billion, while GDX has a lower expense ratio of 0.51% and AUM of $30.5 billion [3][4] - The one-year return for SIL is 167.2% compared to GDX's 136.8%, with SIL offering a higher dividend yield of 1.0% versus GDX's 0.6% [3][4] Performance & Risk Metrics - Over five years, SIL has a max drawdown of 55.63% while GDX has a max drawdown of 46.52% [5] - Growth of $1,000 over five years is $2,169 for SIL and $2,765 for GDX, indicating GDX's superior performance [5] Portfolio Composition - GDX tracks 55 companies in the gold mining industry, with top holdings including Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd (9.25%), Newmont Corp (8.88%), and Barrick Mining Corp (6.79%) [6] - SIL focuses on the silver mining sector with 39 holdings, heavily weighted towards Wheaton Precious Metals Corp (21.80%), indicating a more concentrated portfolio [7][12] Investment Implications - Both ETFs provide diversification and have a high correlation to the prices of their respective metals, with GDX having more holdings and a lower expense ratio [9][13] - SIL offers a higher dividend yield, and recent performance indicates that silver has outperformed gold [13][11]

Core Viewpoint - Floating rate notes (floaters) are considered an attractive fixed income option as Treasury yields rise, and the VanEck IG Floating Rate ETF (FLTR) remains appealing even with expected interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve [1] Group 1: ETF Overview - FLTR is a $2.56 billion ETF that yields 4.28% and tracks the MVIS® US Investment Grade Floating Rate Index [1] - The ETF holds investment-grade corporate floaters, providing a yield advantage over Treasuries [1] - FLTR has a low correlation of 0.12 to the S&P 500, making it a good diversification tool for equity-heavy portfolios [1] Group 2: Suitability and Benefits - FLTR is suitable for a wide range of client portfolios, helping to broaden income streams and offering higher-yielding alternatives to cash instruments [1] - Floating rate notes (FRNs) can serve as a cash complement for investors with intermediate holding periods, accepting modest volatility for higher income potential compared to money market instruments or Treasury bills [1] - Approximately 82% of FLTR's holdings are rated AA or A, indicating high credit quality [1] Group 3: Investment Strategy - FRNs are recommended when seeking higher income compared to risk-free rates in environments with elevated or rising short-term rates, while avoiding duration losses of fixed-rate bonds [1] - Investors should be aware of issuer credit risk in exchange for spread-based yield when considering FRNs [1] - FLTR charges an annual fee of 0.14%, equating to $14 on a $10,000 investment [1]

Core Viewpoint - Amazon's stock is experiencing a significant decline, with a 16.5% drop for the month ending February 10, largely due to the announcement of a $200 billion investment in artificial intelligence [1][2] Financial Performance - The company's stock has only increased by 25.3% over the past five years, which is underwhelming compared to the returns of the Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500 [2] - Concerns are rising regarding how Amazon will finance its AI investments, with discussions suggesting that these expenditures could lead to cash-flow-negative conditions [2] Growth Potential - Despite current challenges, AI investments could serve as a catalyst for Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is a significant part of the company's growth strategy [4] - Amazon's advertising business saw a year-over-year growth of 22% in the fourth quarter, indicating it may be an underappreciated growth driver [4] Investment Options - For investors looking to gain exposure to Amazon without directly investing in the stock, several exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are available, with the Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF allocating 21.2% to Amazon [6] - The Vanguard ETF is noted for its low annual expense ratio of 0.09%, making it a practical choice for long-term investors [7] - The VanEck Retail ETF also has a significant allocation to Amazon, with a 17.2% weight, highlighting the company's dominance in online retail [8]

RT BSCN (@BSCNews)📉 $14M raised. Backed by Polychain, VanEck, Circle, Arthur Hayes. Down 45% on day one.@superformxyz launched $UP into the worst market in months. 180K users. $60M TVL. Real product. Terrible timing.Here's what happened ⬇️ ...

RT BSCN (@BSCNews)📉 $14M raised. Backed by Polychain, VanEck, Circle, Arthur Hayes. Down 45% on day one.@superformxyz launched $UP into the worst market in months. 180K users. $60M TVL. Real product. Terrible timing.Here's what happened ⬇️ ...