Market Summary - February 18, 2026
U.S. Stock Market Overview
U.S. stocks opened strongly on February 18, 2026, continuing the upward momentum from the previous day. The major indices showed significant gains:
- DJ Industrials: +311.24 (0.63%) - 49,845
- S&P 500: +56.05 (0.82%) - 6,899
- Nasdaq: +270.65 (1.20%) - 22,849
- Russell 2000: +34.65 (1.31%) - 2,681
Technology stocks, particularly the "Magnificent Seven" (AAPL, AMZN, MSFT, NVDA, TSLA), led the charge, while energy stocks also saw gains due to rising oil prices. Small-cap stocks outperformed, and Treasury yields increased after hitting multi-month lows.
Economic Data
Recent economic data showed positive trends:
- Housing starts rose by 6.2% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.404 million in December.
- Building permits increased by 4.3% month-over-month to an annual rate of 1.448 million.
- New orders for manufactured durable goods fell by 1.4% month-over-month to $319.6 billion, which was below consensus expectations.
Market Movers
Sector Highlights
In the energy sector, oil prices surged over 2% following comments from U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance regarding Iran's nuclear negotiations. This raised concerns about potential military escalation.
In the cryptocurrency market, Bitcoin experienced early weakness, remaining below the $68,000 mark. Activist investor Starboard Value urged RIOT to expedite its transition from Bitcoin mining to a data center company.
Stock Gainers
- CDNS: +7% - Strong Q4 results and raised guidance.
- GPN: +10% - Announced a $2.5 billion share repurchase program.
- MCW: +15% - Entered a merger agreement at $7.00 per share.
- MRNA: +5% - FDA accepted its application for a new influenza vaccine.
- MSGS: +15% - Exploring a potential spin-off of its sports teams.
Stock Laggards
- ANET: -2% - Declined due to news related to a major customer.
- DINO: -11% - CEO took a voluntary leave of absence.
- LZB: -9% - Issued lower sales guidance despite above-consensus results.
- PANW: -9% - Mixed guidance despite beating key metrics.
- RXRX: -7% - NVDA sold its stake in the company.
Conclusion
The market showed resilience with strong performances across various sectors, particularly technology and energy. Economic indicators suggest a mixed but generally positive outlook, while individual stocks exhibited varied responses to earnings reports and market conditions.