NEW YORK, Feb 11, 2026, 03:41 EST
- U.S. stock futures ticked up, with investors eyeing the postponed January jobs figures and additional economic data expected this week.
- The Dow managed to notch a fresh record on Tuesday, but both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq lost ground following subdued retail sales numbers.
- Brokerage stocks took a hit on AI disruption worries. Robinhood and Astera Labs, meanwhile, saw action after posting earnings.
U.S. stock index futures ticked higher late Tuesday, with investors eyeing a postponed January jobs report set for release Wednesday and an inflation readout coming Friday. By 8:11 p.m. ET, S&P 500 futures were up 0.2% to 6,978.25, Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.3% to 25,291.75, and Dow futures edged 0.2% higher to 50,385.
This month’s jobs report isn’t the usual read. Nonfarm payrolls are forecast to rise by just 70,000 in January, with the unemployment rate sticking at 4.4%, after the government shutdown delayed the release. The report also folds in a benchmark revision—payroll figures get a shakeup from more complete data—and an update to the BLS “birth-death” model, which adjusts for job creation and losses from new business activity. KPMG’s Diane Swonk called the labor market “very much frozen.” Ron Hetrick at Lightcast didn’t sound much more upbeat, labeling conditions “anemic.” Reuters
Traders kicked off the week still betting on rate cuts later this year, but Tuesday brought no clear signals. The Dow notched its third consecutive record, inching up 0.10% to 50,188.14. The S&P 500 slipped 0.33% to 6,941.81, with the Nasdaq off 0.59% at 23,102.47. December’s retail sales missed estimates, coming in flat when a rise had been forecast. “Bad news is good news,” Janney Montgomery Scott’s Mark Luschini said of the market’s reaction. Reuters
Treasury yields pulled back after weaker consumer data, with markets watching jobs figures set for Wednesday for hints at possible rate cuts. The 10-year slipped to roughly 4.147%. Peter Cardillo at Spartan Capital figures “the jobs report may be weaker than expected.” Reuters
But the jobs report isn’t a one-way street, and it’s not just about the headline payrolls. Benchmark revisions or tweaks to the models can flip the story quickly. A wage shock? That has the power to jolt yields faster than the jobs number ever does.
AI disruption didn’t stay confined to one corner of the market on Tuesday—brokerages and wealth management firms got caught up too. Charles Schwab sank over 7%, while LPL Financial and Raymond James each slid more than 8%. The catalyst: startup Altruist launched AI-powered tax-planning tools that can read files like Form 1040 and spit out custom tax strategies. “Traders sell first and ask questions later,” said Dennis Dick from Stock Trader Network. Still, Citizens analysts see the business as “earned … through judgment, behavioral coaching and personalization.” Reuters
Robinhood shares dropped 6.3% in late trading after missing Wall Street’s fourth-quarter revenue forecasts, with crypto trading weaker than hoped. CFO Shiv Verma noted, “the active traders were still really active,” though the company flagged pressure from pricing. Gold subscribers—the paid tier offering an AI investing assistant—jumped 58% to 4.2 million. Reuters
Astera Labs, a chip-adjacent AI infrastructure player, fell after hours—even with a top- and bottom-line beat—as its outlook failed to spark enthusiasm in a market prone to knee-jerk reactions on AI spending. The company posted a record $270.6 million in fourth-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings of $0.58 a share. For the first quarter, Astera is guiding for revenue between $286 million and $297 million. CEO Jitendra Mohan told investors the results “highlight a stellar 2025.” Investing.com
