Today is Friday, January 16, 2026.
The Early Bird Index today is 86.23.
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J.B. Hunt's "Soft Demand"
J.B. Hunt Transport Services $JBHT ( ▲ 0.35% ) fell 4.19% in after-hours trading on Thursday after posting mixed financial earnings results.
Financials: J.B. Hunt reported earnings of $1.90 per share in the past quarter, which were better than expected. But revenue was just $3.1 billion, which was lower than expected.
Details: Revenue fell 2% in the quarter due to declines in fuel surcharge revenue, as well as a 7% drop in load volume in Integrated Capacity Solutions.
Overall operating income increased 19% in the quarter.
Powering the Story: The biggest disappointment came in the category of Final Mile Services, where revenue dropped 10%, and operating income plunged 43%. J.B. Hunt blamed “general soft demand across many of the end markets served.”
Meanwhile, lower segment revenue and higher equipment-related expenses caused the operating income in the Final Mile Services category to drop.
Early Bird’s Nest Egg Gains: J.B. Hunt’s Final Mile softness is largely tied to weaker big‑ticket household goods demand and specific customer losses, not a company‑specific execution issue.
Demand for discretionary, big‑ticket items like furniture and fitness equipment has cooled as consumers face macro uncertainty and tighter budgets, reducing home‑delivery volumes in those categories.
Final Thoughts: These results are a setback for J.B. Hunt. The stock had jumped 36% in the past six months.
Wall Street Isn’t Warning You, But This Chart Might
Vanguard just projected public markets may return only 5% annually over the next decade. In a 2024 report, Goldman Sachs forecasted the S&P 500 may return just 3% annually for the same time frame—stats that put current valuations in the 7th percentile of history.
Translation? The gains we’ve seen over the past few years might not continue for quite a while.
Meanwhile, another asset class—almost entirely uncorrelated to the S&P 500 historically—has overall outpaced it for decades (1995-2024), according to Masterworks data.
Masterworks lets everyday investors invest in shares of multimillion-dollar artworks by legends like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso.
And they’re not just buying. They’re exiting—with net annualized returns like 17.6%, 17.8%, and 21.5% among their 23 sales.*
Wall Street won’t talk about this. But the wealthy already are. Shares in new offerings can sell quickly but…
*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Important Reg A disclosures: masterworks.com/cd.
Notables
Notable Earnings Today: PNC (NYSE: PNC), Regions Financial (NYSE: RF), State Street (NYSE: STT), M&T Bank (NYSE: MTB).
Notable IPOs Today: Triton International Limited (NYSE: TRTN), FG Imperii Acquisition Corp. Units (Nasdaq: FGIIU), Infinite Eagle Acquisition Corp. Units (Nasdaq: IEAGU).
Notable Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns Ending Today: N/A.
Notable Economic Events Today: Industrial Production (9:15 a.m. ET).
Tron's MetaMask Moment
As most cryptocurrency prices slipped on Thursday, Tron’s $TRON ( ▼ 3.07% ) price increased by about 1% due to some positive news.
Details: On Thursday, the crypto wallet platform MetaMask (finally) added support for Tron, allowing users on MetaMask to trade and store Tron.
Background: Most crypto prices are coming off a rough year, but Tron is bucking the trend. The price of Tron jumped about 8% in 2025.
Final Thoughts: Tron is also off to a great start in 2026. The price is up 9%.
Washington Federal Bank Posts Bad Results
Washington Federal Bank (WaFd) $WAFD ( ▲ 2.09% ) fell 3.65% in after-hours trading on Thursday after posting bad financial earnings results.
Financials: WaFd reported earnings of 75 cents per share in the past quarter and revenue of $191 million. Both were lower than expected.
Final Thoughts: WaFd’s stock is up 5% in the past year.
Trends to Watch
Powerful Request: Trump Moves to Make Tech Giants Pay for Surging Power Costs (Bloomberg)
All Eyes on Oil: Oil prices extend losses as chance of US strike on Iran recedes (Reuters)
U.S. Energy Play: Mitsubishi to acquire shale gas assets in Texas and Louisiana in a $7.5 billion deal (CNBC)
Going Down: Mortgage rates fall to lowest level in more than three years (CNN)
Buying Batteries: Ford, China’s BYD in Talks for Hybrid-Vehicle Batteries After EV Market Flames Out (Wall Street Journal)
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The contents of Early Bird are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. They do not constitute trade or investment recommendations, and they are not financial or legal advice. Readers are encouraged to consult licensed professionals for personalized guidance regarding their financial or legal situations.
