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Is a new market uptrend on the horizon? In this video, Mary Ellen breaks down the latest stock market outlook, revealing key signals that could confirm a trend reversal. She dives into sector rotation, explains why defensive stocks are losing ground, and shares actionable short-term trading strategies for oversold stocks. Don’t miss these crucial market insights to spot the next rally before it takes off!

This video originally premiered March 28, 2025. You can watch it on our dedicated page for Mary Ellen’s videos.

New videos from Mary Ellen premiere weekly on Fridays. You can view all previously recorded episodes at this link.

If you’re looking for stocks to invest in, be sure to check out the MEM Edge Report! This report gives you detailed information on the top sectors, industries and stocks so you can make informed investment decisions.

Here’s a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Wednesday (March 26) as of 9:00 p.m. UTC.

Bitcoin and Ethereum price update

Bitcoin (BTC) is currently trading at US$86,622.95, a 1.7 percent decrease over the past 24 hours. The day’s trading range has seen a low of US$85,862.55 and a high of US$87,812.64.

The crypto market is under pressure following an executive order from US President Donald Trump to issue “secondary tariffs” of 25 percent on countries that purchase oil from Venezuela.

Bitcoin performance, March 26, 2025.

Chart via TradingView.

Ethereum (ETH) is priced at US$2,002.36, a 3.6 percent decrease over 24 hours. The cryptocurrency reached an intraday low of US$1.985.69 and a high of US$2,058.49.

Altcoin price update

  • Solana (SOL) is currently valued at US$137.76, down 5.2 percent over the past 24 hours. SOL experienced a low of US$136.39 and a high of US$144.21 on Wednesday.
  • XRP is trading at US$2.38, reflecting a 3.3 percent decrease over the past 24 hours. The cryptocurrency recorded an intraday low of US$2.36 and a high of US$2.45.
  • Sui (SUI) is priced at US$2.58, showing a 4.6 percent increase over the past 24 hours. It achieved a daily low of US$2.52 and a high of US$2.64.
  • Cardano (ADA) is trading at US$0.7285, reflecting a 2.7 percent decrease over the past 24 hours. Its lowest price on Wednesday was US$0.722, with a high of US$0.7632.

Crypto news to know

GameStop’s Bitcoin bet sparks meme stock rally

GameStop (NYSE:GME) shares surged close to 20 percent on Wednesday after the company announced plans to add Bitcoin to its treasury reserve assets, mirroring Michael Saylor’s Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR). The move comes as GameStop struggles with declining brick-and-mortar sales, having pivoted toward e-commerce under CEO Ryan Cohen.

Speculation around the retailer’s crypto ambitions grew after Cohen was seen with Saylor on social media last month. Analysts warn that GameStop’s exposure to Bitcoin could introduce more volatility to its stock.

The company, however, has been aggressive in cutting costs, doubling its fourth quarter net income to US$131.3 million despite a 30 percent revenue drop.

Microsoft declines after data center news

Shares of crypto miners and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) closed down after TD Cowen alleged that the tech conglomerate has abandoned plans for new data centers in the US and Europe.

Share prices for Bitcoin miners, including Bitfarms (NASDAQ:BITF), CleanSpark (NASDAQ:CLSK), Core Scientific (NASDAQ:CORZ), Hut 8 (NASDAQ:HUT) and Riot Platforms (NASDAQ:RIOT), dropped between 4 and 12 percent. Microsoft closed down 1.31 percent, while daily losses for the miners fell between 7 and 12 percent.

According to Bloomberg, Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) have picked up some of the leases Microsoft has allegedly canceled or deferred over the last six months, although neither company has confirmed. In a statement from Microsoft obtained by the publication, the company said “significant investments” have left it “well positioned to meet (its) current and increasing customer demand.”

“While we may strategically pace or adjust our infrastructure in some areas, we will continue to grow strongly in all regions,” the spokesperson said. “This allows us to invest and allocate resources to growth areas for our future.”

Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade launches on testnet

Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade launched on the Hoodi testnet on Wednesday after a series of technical issues delayed the mainnet launch, which was originally slated for sometime in March.

If the launch is successful, Pectra could hit the mainnet by April 25. The Pectra upgrade aims to improve Ethereum’s scalability, staking efficiency and developer capabilities.

USDC launches in Japan

Circle launched its stablecoin, USDC, in Japan on Wednesday. The launch was made possible through a strategic partnership with SBI Holdings (TSE:8473), a Japanese financial firm.

The launch comes after Circle and SBI received regulatory approval from Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) earlier this month. The FSA’s green light paved the way for the companies to introduce USDC to the Japanese market, marking a significant step in the adoption of stablecoins in the country.

Following the regulatory approval, a launch date was announced on Monday (March 24).

At the time of this writing, USDC’s market capitalization was US$60.15 billion.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

(TheNewswire)

March 28, 2025 TheNewswire – Vancouver, BC – Providence Gold Mines Inc. (‘the Company’), The Company is pleased to announce that it has been granted an extension of its previously announced Private Placement (November 20, 2024, December 6, 2024, January 16, 2025 and February 14 th 2025) until April 30,2025. As announced, a placement of up to $1,800,000 Cdn for 36,000,000 units at $0.05 per unit is underway. Each unit will comprise of one common share and one non-transferable warrant, exercisable into one common share of the Company at a price of $0.09 for a period of two years from the date of closing.

The Company closed the first tranche of the placement on December 6, 2024, issuing 1,500,000 units for gross proceeds of $75,000 CAD. An officer of the Company participated for the full amount of $75,000 CAD.

USE OF PROCEEDS

The funds from this placement will be used for evaluation of the new gold surface discovery reported for reference on May 6,2024 and for a significant drilling program of up to 2500m designed to target the historical McCarthy and Mexican shafts and as well as an area north of the Mexican shaft where significant ground preparation provides a favorable structural setting for hanging wall splay veins analogous to the historical ‘Bonanza’ stope at the Providence mine alone produced 50,000 ounces. Ron Coombes states, ‘exploration efforts have modelled potential for several robust gold targets’.

All securities issued will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the closing date of the private placement, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

Qualified Person

Lee Groat Ph.D., P. Geo, a geologist and qualified person (as defined under NI 43-101) has read and approved of the technical information contained in this news release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

‘Ronald Coombes’

Ronald Coombes, President & CEO

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Ronald Coombes

Mobile: 1- 604- 724-2369

rcoombesresources@gmail.com

Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire – All rights reserved.

News Provided by TheNewsWire via QuoteMedia

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Bitcoin Well Inc. (TSXV: BTCW) (OTCQB: BCNWF) (‘Bitcoin Well’ or the ‘Company’), the non-custodial bitcoin business on a mission to enable independence, announced today that it has established an at-the-market equity program (the ‘ATM Program’) that allows the Company to issue and sell, at its discretion, up to $5,000,000 of common shares (‘Shares’) to the public from time to time.

Distributions of the Shares under the ATM Program will be made pursuant to the terms of an equity distribution agreement (the ‘Distribution Agreement‘) dated March 28, 2025 between Bitcoin Well and Haywood Securities Inc. (the ‘Agent‘). All Shares sold under the ATM Program will be sold through the TSX Venture Exchange or other recognized Canadian marketplace at prevailing market prices at the time of sale. The ATM Program will be effective until the earlier of March 28, 2027 and the completion of the issuance and sale of all of the Shares issuable pursuant to the ATM Program, subject to earlier termination by Company or the Agent in accordance with the terms of the Distribution Agreement.

The ATM Program is intended to provide the Company with additional financing flexibility should it be required in the future. The volume and timing of distributions under the ATM Program, if any, will be determined in the Company’s sole discretion. As Shares distributed under the ATM program will be sold at the prevailing market price at the time of sale, prices may vary among purchasers during the term of the ATM Program.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the ATM Program, if any, together with the Company’s current cash resources, to fund general corporate purposes, including ongoing operations and/or working capital requirements; to repay indebtedness outstanding from time to time; to complete future acquisitions; to fund research and development, intellectual property development; or for other corporate purposes.

The offering of Shares under the ATM Program is qualified by a prospectus supplement dated March 28, 2025 (the ‘Prospectus Supplement‘) to the short form base shelf prospectus dated March 6, 2025 (the ‘Shelf Prospectus‘). Copies of the Prospectus Supplement, the Shelf Prospectus and the Distribution Agreement are available under Bitcoin Well’s profile on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca. Alternatively, the Company or the Agent will send the Prospectus Supplement (including the Shelf Prospectus) upon request. Such requests may be made by sending an email to Haywood at ecm@haywood.com.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, the Shares, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

The securities being referred to in this news release have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ‘1933 Act‘), and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Bitcoin Well

Bitcoin Well is on a mission to enable independence. We do this by making bitcoin useful to everyday people to give them the convenience of modern banking and the benefits of bitcoin. We like to think of it as future-proofing money. Our existing Bitcoin ATM and Online Bitcoin Portal business units drive cash flow to help fund this mission.

Join our investor community and follow us on Nostr, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube to keep up to date with our business.

Bitcoin Well contact information

To book a virtual meeting with our Founder & CEO Adam O’Brien please use the following link: https://bitcoinwell.com/meet-adam

For additional investor & media information, please contact:
Adam O’Brien
Tel: 1 888 711 3866
ir@bitcoinwell.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking information

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information, which is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as ‘anticipate’, ‘plan’, ‘estimate’, ‘expect’, ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘intend’, ‘should’, or the negative thereof and similar expressions. All statements herein other than statements of historical fact constitute forward-looking information including, but not limited to, statements in respect of Bitcoin Well’s business plans, strategy and outlook; and the intended use of proceeds from the ATM Program. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information including, but not limited to, the risk factors described in Bitcoin Well’s annual information form and management’s discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2024. Forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents Bitcoin Well’s expectations as of the date hereof and is subject to change. Bitcoin Well disclaims any intention or obligation to revise any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable securities legislation.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/246488

News Provided by Newsfile via QuoteMedia

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The US Bureau of Economic Analysis released February personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index data on Friday (March 28). The figures show inflation increased 2.5 percent on an annualized basis in February, aligning with analyst expectations and reflecting no change from the 2.5 percent recorded in January. On a monthly basis, inflation rose by 0.3 percent, also matching January’s increase.

However, core PCE, which excludes the volatile food and energy prices, increased 2.8 percent year-over-year and 0.4 percent month-over-month. Both came in above analyst expectations of 2.7 and 0.3 percent, respectively.

The PCE is the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure for tracking inflation and will be significant when it meets next in May. Combined with recent consumer price index figures, the data indicates progress has stalled in bringing inflation to the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target rate.

To the north, Statistics Canada released January gross domestic product (GDP) numbers on Friday. The report shows that GDP grew by 0.4 percent in January, up from a 0.3 percent increase in December.

The largest gain was observed in goods-producing industries, which rose 1.1 percent, marking the highest increase since October 2021. As for Canada’s resources, the mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction sector increased by 1.8 percent during the first month of the year. This increase was driven by a 2.6 percent rise in the oil and gas extraction subsector. However, metal ore mining declined by 1.2 percent.

The agency also provided a brief estimate of February’s GDP numbers, as well as a look at Canada and the US’s metal manufacturing trade. Tariff threats from the United States appear to have kept numbers flat, as preliminary real GDP data is “essentially unchanged in February.” Official data for February will be released on April 30.

Markets and commodities react

In Canada, markets were in the red this week. The S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) fell 1.2 percent during the week to close at 24,759.15 on Friday, the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) decreased 1.04 percent to 633.63 and the CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) dropped 2.43 percent to 121.13.

US equity markets fell even further this week. The S&P 500 (INDEXSP:INX) lost 2.4 percent to close at 5,5680.95, the Nasdaq 100 (INDEXNASDAQ:NDX) dropped 3.79 percent to 19,281.40 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) shed 1.41 percent to 41,583.91.

The gold price climbed to fresh all time highs this week gaining 2.02 percent to US$3,084.48 per ounce at 5:00 p.m. EDT Friday. The silver price rose higher with a 3.29 percent increase during the period to US$34.10.

In base metals, the copper price set an all time high of US$5.32 per pound on Wednesday before finishing the week flat to close out Friday at US$5.13 per pound on the COMEX. Meanwhile, the S&P GSCI (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) was up 0.41 percent to close at 560.50.

Top Canadian mining stocks this week

So how did mining stocks perform against this backdrop? We break down this week’s five best-performing Canadian mining stocks below.

Stock data for this article was retrieved at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Friday using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies trading on the TSX, TSXV and CSE with market capitalizations greater than C$10 million are included. Companies within the non-energy minerals and energy minerals sectors were considered.

1. Euro Sun Mining (TSX:ESM)

Company Profile

Weekly gain: 53.85 percent
Market cap: C$30.94 million
Share price: C$0.10

Euro Sun Mining is a copper and gold development company focused on advancing its Rovina Valley project in Romania.

The project’s mining license received full approval for 20 years in 2018, with the option to renew it in five-year increments.

An updated feasibility study from March 2022 demonstrated the project’s economics, showing a post-tax net present value of US$512 million and an internal rate of return of 20.5 percent, assuming a base case gold price of US$1,675 per ounce and a copper price of US$3.75 per pound.

Proven and probable mineral reserve estimates for the site show contained quantities of 197,522 metric tons of copper with an average grade of 0.16 percent, along with 1.84 million ounces of gold with an average grade of 0.47 grams per metric ton (g/t) from 123.3 million metric tons of ore.

Although Euro Sun did not release news this week, shares increased alongside a rising copper price.

2. Rackla Metals (TSXV:RAK)

Company Profile

Weekly gain: 50 percent
Market cap: C$22.58 million
Share price: C$0.225

Rackla Metals is a gold exploration company with a significant land package covering 59,000 hectares in the Eastern Yukon and Western Northwest Territories, Canada. The firm is specifically targeting properties within the Tombstone Gold Belt, which hosts a gold system that tends to produce deposits in clusters.

Among its key projects is the Astro plutonic complex in the Northwest Territories, which is in close proximity to significant discoveries at Snowline Gold’s (TSXV:SGD,OTCQB:SNWGF) Rogue plutonic complex and Fireweed Metals’ (TSXV:FWZ,OTCQX:FWEDF) Macmillan Pass project.

Besides Astro, Rackla has been exploring its Grad property, which it initially staked in August 2024. Work at the 4,000 hectare site has focused on anomalies identified in a government regional geochemical survey. In October 2024, the company reported that grab samples from the BiTe zone yielded grades of up to 92 g/t gold in its season-end exploration update.

The company’s latest release came on Tuesday (March 24), when it announced a non-brokered private placement to raise total gross proceeds of C$2.45 million. The company intends to use proceeds to advance work at its Tombstone gold belt properties.

3. Tidewater Renewables (TSX:LCFS)

Company Profile

Weekly gain: 49.55 percent
Market cap: C$112.45 million
Share price: C$3.35

Tidewater Resources is focused on the production of low-carbon fuels from facilities in British Columbia, Canada.

Its sole operation is a renewable diesel and hydrogen complex located near Prince George. The project has a nameplate capacity of 3,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel and 23.7 metric tons per day of hydrogen. The plant began production during Q4 2023 using feedstock that included soybean and canola oil.

The company is expanding the site to produce sustainable aviation fuel, which it plans to start producing in 2028.

On March 6, Tidewater announced that it had advised the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) to initiate an anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duty investigation into imports of renewable diesel from the US. The release indicated that the CBSA confirmed that Tidewater had provided sufficient evidence to support the allegations.

Tidewater expects that additional duties of between C$0.50 and C$0.80 will be applied to renewable diesel imports originating from the US, which would provide increased market stability for Tidewater products.

The company released its financial results for 2024 on Thursday, March 27. In the announcement, the company stated that its renewable diesel and hydrogen complex achieved an average daily throughput of 2,677 barrels per day in the fourth quarter, marking a significant increase from the 1,700 barrels per day throughput in Q4 2023.

4. Titan Mining (TSX:TI)

Company Profile

Weekly gain: 48.28 percent
Market cap: C$57.27 million
Share price: C$0.43

Titan Mining is a critical mineral mining and development company focused on advancing and exploring its zinc and graphite assets in New York, US.

Its Empire State Mines (ESM) zinc operations include ESM 4, which restarted production in January 2018, along with six past-producing mines capable of supplying additional feedstock for its onsite mill.

On January 7, Titan released an updated life of mine plan for its ESM properties, which projected a 35 percent increase in production compared to its previous plan released in 2021. The new plan extends the mine’s operational life to nine years, up from seven, and anticipates the production of 636 million pounds of zinc, increased from 470 million pounds in the prior plan.

In addition to zinc, the company also owns the Kilbourne graphite deposit located 4,000 feet from the existing mill at its Empire Mines operation.

A December 2024 maiden mineral resource estimate demonstrated an open pit inferred resource of 653,000 short tons of contained graphite from 22.42 million short tons of ore with an average grade of 2.91 percent copper.

Titan’s most recent news came on March 20, when it released its full-year 2024 results. In the announcement, the company stated it had achieved the upper end of production guidance with 59.5 million pounds of payable zinc. It also reported C1 cash costs of US$0.91 per payable pound sold, which was below the guidance range of US$0.98 to US$1.02.

5. Supernova Metals (CSE:SUPR)

Weekly gain: 39.71 percent
Market cap: C$14.1 million
Share price: C$0.475

Supernova Metals is an exploration company with rare earth mineral claims in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, as well as petroleum interests in Namibia.

Its TT rare earth claims comprise two licenses spanning 825 hectares in central Labrador and are adjacent to Canada Rare Earth’s (TSXV:LL,OTC Pink:RAREF) Two Tom project. The company shared plans to begin exploration in February.

In addition to its TT Claims, the company announced on January 31 that it had successfully completed its acquisition of NamLith Resources. The purchase provides Supernova with an 8.75 percent indirect ownership interest in Block 2712A and petroleum exploration license 107 in Namibia’s offshore Orange Basin.

In a follow-up on February 6, Supernova reported that a NI51-101 technical report is being prepared for the block. The company has since added two senior strategic advisors with experience in the energy industry.

The company has not released any project updates in the past week.

FAQs for Canadian mining stocks

What is the difference between the TSX and TSXV?

The TSX, or Toronto Stock Exchange, is used by senior companies with larger market caps, and the TSXV, or TSX Venture Exchange, is used by smaller-cap companies. Companies listed on the TSXV can graduate to the senior exchange.

How many companies are listed on the TSXV?

As of June 2024, there were 1,630 companies listed on the TSXV, 925 of which were mining companies. Comparatively, the TSX was home to 1,806 companies, with 188 of those being mining companies.

Together the TSX and TSXV host around 40 percent of the world’s public mining companies.

How much does it cost to list on the TSXV?

There are a variety of different fees that companies must pay to list on the TSXV, and according to the exchange, they can vary based on the transaction’s nature and complexity. The listing fee alone will most likely cost between C$10,000 to C$70,000. Accounting and auditing fees could rack up between C$25,000 and C$100,000, while legal fees are expected to be over C$75,000 and an underwriters’ commission may hit up to 12 percent.

The exchange lists a handful of other fees and expenses companies can expect, including but not limited to security commission and transfer agency fees, investor relations costs and director and officer liability insurance.

These are all just for the initial listing, of course. There are ongoing expenses once companies are trading, such as sustaining fees and additional listing fees, plus the costs associated with filing regular reports.

How do you trade on the TSXV?

Investors can trade on the TSXV the way they would trade stocks on any exchange. This means they can use a stock broker or an individual investment account to buy and sell shares of TSXV-listed companies during the exchange’s trading hours.

Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

The gold price continued moving higher this week, reaching yet another record.

After trading as low as US$3,006 per ounce on Monday (March 24), the yellow metal took off midway through the week, closing at US$3,085 on Friday (March 28).

So what factors are moving gold right now?

Many experts agree that the precious metal is benefiting from long-term underlying drivers — like central bank buying — as well as recent turmoil surrounding tariffs, the US economy and global conflicts.

Tariffs were definitely in focus this week, with US President Donald Trump signing an executive order to impose 25 percent tariffs on all automobile imports starting on April 3.

Trump’s reciprocal tariffs are also set to go into effect on that day.

Anything can happen, but at this point it seems fairly certain that gold itself is unlikely to face tariffs. Here’s how Dana Samuelson of American Gold Exchange explained it:

‘My opinion is that it doesn’t make sense to tariff gold because it is a tier-one asset — it’s equivalent to a Treasury. So they’re not going to tariff Treasuries, right?

‘The commodity uses for gold are about 5 percent compared to 95 percent being a monetary metal. So I don’t think it makes sense to tariff gold.’

He added that silver, which has strong industrial applications, could face tariffs.

Copper is another story entirely — Trump previously ordered the Department of Commerce to investigate copper tariffs, and while it was supposed to provide a report within 270 days, sources now indicate it could come sooner. People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the investigation ‘is looking like little more than a formality,’ and the news has bolstered prices for the red metal.

Copper futures on the Comex in New York rose to an all-time high this week, although London copper prices declined, creating a larger spread between the two.

Going back to gold, the precious metal is also digesting last week’s US Federal Reserve meeting, which saw the central bank leave rates unchanged. While officials are still calling for only two cuts this year, Danielle DiMartino Booth of QI Research thinks the Fed could cut as many as four to five times in 2025.

Here’s what she said:

‘I do see the pace of layoffs and bankruptcies in the US economy as probably (putting) the Fed in a tight position going into May. We’ve got two nonfarm payroll reports before they meet on May 7, and I think that because the unemployment rate is just a rounding error shy of being at 4.2 percent, that there is a risk — a very tangible risk given, again, all of the layoffs, store closures that we’ve seen in 2025 — in economic fallout, not just in the public sector, but more so in the private sector.

‘The Fed (could) be at its 4.4 percent year-end unemployment rate target a lot sooner than it foresees, such that the president could be right here — we could be seeing quite a few more than two interest rate cuts this year. I foresee maybe four or five.’

Friday brought the release of the latest US personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index data, and it shows that core PCE was up 0.4 percent month-on-month in February, the largest gain since January 2024. On a yearly basis, core PCE was up 2.8 percent.

Both numbers are higher than analysts’ estimates of 0.3 and 2.7 percent, respectively.

PCE is the Fed’s preferred gauge for inflation, and is expected to impact its next rate decision.

Bullet briefing — Silver squeeze 2.0?

Elsewhere in the precious metals space, silver is spending time in the spotlight as social media users plan a ‘silver squeeze 2.0’ for this coming Monday (March 31).

Many market participants will be familiar with the 2021 silver squeeze, when members of Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum tried to squeeze the market like they did for GameStop (NYSE:GME).

The movement got a lot of attention and resulted in some price movement before petering out.

This time around, the push seems to have originated on X, formerly Twitter, where it’s quickly gained traction among key players in the silver community.

Days ahead of the official squeeze, the white metal’s price is on the move. It rose to the US$34.50 per ounce level on Thursday (March 27), although it had pulled back to around US$34.10 by Friday’s close.

The activity has sparked optimism about what will unfold next week — while silver is known to be frustrating, it can also move quickly when it does break out.

Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev is betting that by rolling out a large enough portfolio of digital investment products, more consumers will be willing to pay a monthly subscription for its product suite.

Subscribers to Robinhood Gold pay $5 a month or $50 a year for perks like 4% interest on uninvested cash, access to professional research, and no interest on the first $1,000 of margin borrowed.

Now the company is adding wealth management features called Robinhood Strategies, which offers curated access to exchange-traded fund portfolios and mixes of handpicked stocks. The service, available to Gold Subscribers, carries a 0.25% annual management fee, capped at $250.

Robinhood also said this week that with its new Robinhood Banking offering, Gold subscribers will get private banking services with tax advice and estate planning tools, perks like access to private jet travel, five-star hotels and tickets to Coachella, and 4% interest on savings accounts. Customers will also soon be able to get cash delivered to their doorstep, saving them a trip to the ATM, though few details were provided.

Tenev told CNBC in an interview that Robinhood’s subscription service could be similar to what users get from Amazon Prime or Costco membership, where their monthly fee feels justified by the quality and quantity of the perks, which keep them coming back.

“My philosophy behind it is subscriptions are about loyalty,” Tenev said. “So if you’re a subscriber to something, then that service is sort of the first in mind when you think about trying something else from that category.”

Tenev said that in financial services, loyalty is particularly important because it’s “equivalent to wallet share.”

Tenev said the number of subscribers increased from about 1.5 million a year ago to 3.2 million today, adding that it’s a “nine-figure business,” meaning at least $100 million in annual revenue.

Robinhood grew in popularity among younger investors by making it easy to buy and hold fractional shares in companies using a simple mobile app, and then moving into crypto. Tenev said on Thursday that over the longer term, Robinhood wants to be “the place where you can buy, sell, trade, hold any financial asset, conduct any financial transaction.”

Robinhood shares are up 19% this year after almost tripling in 2024, when crypto prices soared.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

President Donald Trump moved Thursday to end collective bargaining with federal labor unions in agencies with national security missions across the federal government, citing authority granted him under a 1978 law.

The order, signed without public fanfare and announced late Thursday, appears to touch most of the federal government. Affected agencies include the Departments of State, Defense, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Health and Human Services, Treasury, Justice and Commerce and the part of Homeland Security responsible for border security.

Police and firefighters will continue to collectively bargain.

Trump said the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 gives him the authority to end collective bargaining with federal unions in these agencies because of their role in safeguarding national security.

The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 820,000 federal and D.C. government workers, said late Thursday that it is “preparing immediate legal action and will fight relentlessly to protect our rights, our members, and all working Americans from these unprecedented attacks.”

“President Trump’s latest executive order is a disgraceful and retaliatory attack on the rights of hundreds of thousands of patriotic American civil servants — nearly one-third of whom are veterans — simply because they are members of a union that stands up to his harmful policies,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said.

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement, “It’s clear that this order is punishment for unions who are leading the fight against the administration’s illegal actions in court — and a blatant attempt to silence us.” She also vowed, “We will fight this outrageous attack on our members with every fiber of our collective being.”

The announcement builds on previous moves by the Trump administration to erode collective bargaining rights in the government.

Earlier this month, DHS said it was ending the collective bargaining agreement with the tens of thousands of frontline employees at the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA union called it an “unprovoked attack” and vowed to fight it.

A White House fact sheet on Thursday’s announcement says that “Certain Federal unions have declared war on President Trump’s agenda” and that Trump “refuses to let union obstruction interfere with his efforts to protect Americans and our national interests.”

“President Trump supports constructive partnerships with unions who work with him; he will not tolerate mass obstruction that jeopardizes his ability to manage agencies with vital national security missions,” the White House said.

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Lululemon beat Wall Street expectations for fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue, but issued 2025 guidance that disappointed analysts.

On an Thursday earnings call, CEO Calvin McDonald said the athleticwear company conducted a survey earlier this month that found that consumers are spending less due to economic and inflation concerns, resulting in lower U.S. traffic at Lululemon and industry peers. However, he said, shoppers responded well to innovation at the company.

“There continues to be considerable uncertainty driven by macro and geopolitical circumstances. That being said, we remain focused on what we can control,” McDonald said.

Shares of the apparel company plunged 15% on Friday morning.

Lululemon was only the latest retailer to say it expects slower sales for the rest of this year as concerns grow about a weakening economy and President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Even so, the Canada-based company said it expected only a minimal hit to profits from the U.S. trade war with countries including Canada, Mexico and China.

Here’s how the company did compared with what Wall Street was expecting for the quarter ended Feb. 2, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

Fourth-quarter revenue rose from $3.21 billion during the same period in 2023. Full-year 2024 revenue came in at $10.59 billion, up from $9.62 billion in 2023.

Lululemon’s fiscal 2024 contained 53 weeks, one week longer than its fiscal 2023. Excluding the 53rd week, fourth-quarter and full-year revenue both rose 8% year over year for 2024.

Lululemon expects first-quarter revenue to total $2.34 billion to $2.36 billion, while Wall Street analysts were expecting $2.39 billion, according to LSEG. The retailer anticipates it will post full-year fiscal 2025 revenue of $11.15 billion to $11.30 billion, compared to the analyst consensus estimate of $11.31 billion.

For the first quarter, the company expects to post earnings per share in the range of $2.53 to $2.58, missing Wall Street’s expectation of $2.72, according to LSEG. Full-year earnings per share guidance came in at $14.95 to $15.15 per share, while analysts anticipated $15.31.

CFO Meghan Frank said on the Thursday earnings call that gross margin for 2025 is expected to fall 0.6 percentage points due to higher fixed costs, foreign exchange rates and U.S. tariffs on China and Mexico.

Lululemon reported a net income for the fourth quarter of $748 million, or $6.14 per share, compared with a net income of $669 million, or $5.29 per share, during the fourth quarter of 2023.

Comparable sales, which Lululemon defines as revenue from e-commerce and stores open at least 12 months, rose 3% year over year for the quarter. The comparison excludes the 53rd week of the 2024 fiscal year. Analysts expected the metric to rise 5.1%.

Comparable sales in the Americas were flat, while they grew 20% internationally. Lululemon has been facing a sales slowdown in the U.S., although McDonald said its U.S. business stabilized in the second half of the year and partially attributed the improvement to new merchandise. He added that Lululemon will expand its stores to Italy, Denmark, Belgium, Turkey and the Czech Republic this year.

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The Federal Communications Commission has alerted the Walt Disney Company and its ABC unit that it will begin an investigation into the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the media giant.

The FCC, the agency that regulates the media and telecommunications industry, said in a letter dated Friday that it wants to “ensure that Disney and ABC have not been violating FCC equal employment opportunity regulations by promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination.”

“We are reviewing the Federal Communications Commission’s letter, and we look forward to engaging with the commission to answer its questions,” a Disney spokesperson told CNBC.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who was recently appointed by President Donald Trump, began a similar investigation into Comcast and NBCUniversal in early February.

The inquiry comes after Trump signed an executive order looking to end DEI practices at U.S. corporations in January. The order calls for each federal agency to “identify up to nine potential civil compliance investigations” among publicly traded companies, as well as nonprofits and other institutions.

“For decades, Disney focused on churning out box office and programming successes,” Carr wrote in the letter to CEO Bob Iger. “But then something changed. Disney has now been embroiled in rounds of controversy surrounding its DEI policies.”

An FCC spokesperson didn’t comment beyond the letter.

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and NBC News.

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