Markets News, Feb. 17, 2026: Stocks Eke Out Gains in Volatile Session To Start Week of Inflation, GDP Data

The major stock indexes shook off early losses to eke out tiny gains on Tuesday at the outset of a holiday-shortened week that will be capped off by inflation and GDP data.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ticked up 0.1% after recovering from a more than 1% slump early in the session. The benchmark S&P 500 and blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average also rose 0.1%.

Stocks were coming off their worst week of 2026. The Nasdaq fell more than 2% last week when concerns about AI-driven disruption in the software and IT services industries flared up again. Tech jitters overshadowed last week’s tamer-than-expected inflation report and an unexpectedly strong January jobs report.

Big tech stocks were mixed in recent trading. Apple (AAPL) stock rose 3.2%, pacing the Magnificent Seven amid reports its stepping up work on AI-powered wearables. Nvidia (NVDA) and Amazon (AMZN) rebounded from early losses to gain about 1%. Tesla (TSLA), Alphabet (GOOG), and Microsoft (MSFT) each slid more than 1%, while Meta (META) ticked lower.

Shares of Paramount Skydance (PSKY) rose 5% after Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) said it would resume acquisition negotiations with the company, giving it another shot to best Netflix’s (NFLX) successful bid to acquire the storied Hollywood studio. Warner Bros. stock advanced nearly 3%, while Netflix inched up 0.2%.

The December Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure, is the biggest event on the economic calendar this week. The report, due Friday morning, is one of several inflation and labor market data points that will factor into deliberations when officials decide the course of monetary policy in a month’s time. Friday will also bring the release of fourth-quarter GDP data.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences interest rates on a variety of consumer loans including mortgages, rose to 4.07% from 4.05% at Friday’s close.

Gold and silver futures slumped, continuing the bumpy ride that began with the metals’ worst sell-off in decades late last month. Gold fell 3% to $4,895 an ounce, and silver fell nearly 6% to $73.50 an ounce. West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, dipped 0.9% to $62.35 a barrel.

Bitcoin was trading around $67,700 about an hour after equity markets closed, down from its weekend high above $70,000. The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the value of the greenback against a basket of currencies, rose 0.2% at 97.10.