Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures steady with Wall Street on win streak despite AI fears

Rian Howlett · Front Page Editor

Thu, February 19, 2026 at 8:40 AM GMT+9 1 min read

In this article:

•                                       StockStory Top Pick 
  

  NVDA

  +1.63%

 WMT  

 -1.73%  

 

 

 ^IXIC  

 +0.78%  

 

 

 ^GSPC  

 +0.56%  

 

 

 ^DJI  

 +0.26%  

US stock futures were little changed late Wednesday, following a solid advance across the major benchmarks during the regular session.

Contracts tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) hovered just above the flatline. Futures linked to the S&P 500 (ES=F) also edged just above the baseline, while Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) futures ticked about 0.1% higher.

Earlier in the day, equities finished in positive territory, led by the S&P 500 (^GSPC) and Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC). Technology megacaps helped power the rally, with renewed strength in the so-called “Magnificent Seven” lifting sentiment. Shares of Nvidia (NVDA) and Amazon (AMZN) both showed strength.

Outside equities, tariff headlines have returned as President Trump’s administration lashed out against the New York Federal Reserve. The regional Fed bank earned the White House’s ire by releasing a report indicating that US consumers and businesses are bearing the brunt of the fiscal weight of Trump’s favorite economic tool.

Investors also parsed minutes from the Federal Reserve’s January meeting, which revealed deep divides among policymakers regarding the path forward for interest rates. But even as the minutes revealed talk of potential rate hikes amid stubborn inflation, investor expectations for two rate cuts by the end of the year were not immediately swayed.

On the economic calendar, traders will turn their focus to weekly jobless claims data due Thursday, along with the pending home sales report. Earnings continue, with Walmart (WMT) acting as a bellwether for the health of the retail sector, reporting before the market opens Thursday.

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Stock market coverage for Thursday, February 19, 2026.

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