Today is Monday, October 26, 2026.

The Early Bird Index today is 81.76.

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Most of us are not very good at spotting lies. Research by Bella DePaulo, an authority on lying, found that people correctly detected lying and deceit just 53% of the time. That’s barely better than a coin toss.

Which brings us to statistics, and why the lies they can tell are particularly insidious.

Numbers carry an air of authority. Put a percentage in a headline, or a chart in an investor deck, and the argument suddenly looks objective. The trick is in choosing which number to show, what to compare them with, and what context to leave out.

Whether you’re reading a corporate earnings report or a pitch for a seemingly lucrative investment opportunity, the same techniques show up again and again. 

Want to make smarter financial and business decisions? Subscribe to the FP Weekly newsletter for free, easy-to-digest, independent analysis that helps you make sense of the numbers and stories that matter.

A combination of investors pulling money from Bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds) and a broader retreat from risky assets caused Bitcoin $BTC ( ▲ 0.0% ) to fall to $80,000 this past week.

Background: Bitcoin spent most of the past 30 days pushing up to $86,000 before the recent retreat this week.

Powering the Story: In the past few days, investors became more cautious about interest rates and risky assets. Bitcoin weakened alongside technology stocks. Middle East tensions and higher oil prices compounded those concerns.

Behind the Numbers: U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded approximately $635.6 million in net outflows on Thursday and another $137.9 million on Friday.

Early Bird’s Nest Egg Gains: Bitcoin could rise again before the end of October if selling pressure eases and buyers get a reason to return—most plausibly through a less-threatening Federal Reserve outlook, renewed ETF inflows, or easing geopolitical tensions.

Final Thoughts: The price of Bitcoin is down about 8% in 2026, although it has recovered in the second half of the year. 

Notable Earnings Today: Verizon (NYSE: VZ), Cadence Design (Nasdaq: CDNS), Bank of Hawaii (NYSE: BOH), Nucor (NYSE: NUE), Welltower (NYSE: WELL), Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR), Public Storage (NYSE: PSA), Amkor (Nasdaq: AMKR), Easterly Government Properties (NYSE: DEA), Hartford Financial (NYSE: HIG), Cincinnati Financial (Nasdaq: CINF), Brown & Brown (NYSe: BRO), Acumen Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ABOS), Agilysys (Nasdaq: AGYS), Alexandria RE (NYSE: ARE), Alliance Resource Partners (Nasdaq: ARLS), Bank of Marin (Nasdaq: BMRC), Brixmor Property (NYSE: BRX), Business First Bank (Nasdaq: BOH), Celestica (NYSE: CLS), Custom Truck One Source (NYSE: CTOS), Dorman Products (Nasdaq: DORM), HBT Financial (Nasdaq: HBT), Kforce (NYSE: KFRC), Lakeland Financial (Nasdaq: LKFN), Noble Corporation (NYSE: NE), Phillips Edison & Company (Nasdaq: PECO), PriceSmart (Nasdaq: PSMT), Principal Fincl (Nasdaq: PFG), Rambus (Nasdaq: RMBS), Simpson Manufacturing (NYSE: SSD), Sun Communities (NYSE: SUI).

Notable IPOs Today: Gunnison Copper Corp. (NYSE American: GUNN).

Notable Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns Ending Today: N/A.

Notable Economic Events Today: N/A.

Instacart $CART ( ▲ 9.21% ) jumped about 9% on Friday as multiple reports suggested that the delivery service is weighing a potential sale to competitors.

Details: The Information reported that Instacart hired an investment bank and has been in contact with DoorDash $DASH ( ▼ 3.53% ) about a potential sale. Another report from Bloomberg said that the company was in talks to sell to Uber $UBER ( ▼ 3.43% ), but the talks have reportedly been called off.

Powering the Story: Instacart is exploring a potential sale amid increased competition in the delivery space.

Final Thoughts: Shares of Instacart are up 28.54% in 2026.

Audi, which is owned by Volkswagen $VWAGY ( ▼ 0.52% ), is planning to expand in the United States through a new plant in Georgia, according to multiple reports on Saturday.

Details: The reports said Audi will invest $4 billion in the new plant to build 200,000 SUVs annually.

Final Thoughts: Shares of Volkswagen are down 39.07% this year.

Changing Housing Market: Home sellers are lowering their price and helping buyers to make a deal in a stagnant market (Associated Press)

A Perfect Storm: AI Spending Fears Threaten to Swamp Big Tech’s Strong Earnings (Bloomberg)

Soda Setback: How Pepsi fell behind in the cola wars—and then lost KFC (Fortune)

AI Warning: Bill Gates predicts 20 years of turmoil before AI creates 'true abundance' (Business Insider)

Going Green: These Mini Power Plants Aim to Make Green Fuel, Using the Air Around Them (Wall Street Journal)

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