New York, February 13, 2026, 08:17 (EST) — Premarket
- Bank of America shares slipped a bit in premarket, coming off a steep decline the previous session.
- A U.S. judge ruled that the claims against the bank are sufficient for the Epstein-linked proposed class action to proceed.
- All eyes shift to the U.S. January CPI report, scheduled for release at 8:30 a.m. ET. Investors are bracing.
Bank of America Corp slipped roughly 0.3% ahead of the bell Friday, following a 2.47% drop to $52.52 at Thursday’s close. 1
Timing is key here. Wall Street has its eye on the January U.S. consumer price report set for 8:30 a.m. ET, and bank shares are known to react sharply when interest rate expectations shift. For lenders, net interest income — that’s the spread between loan earnings and deposit costs — usually tracks the path of interest rates.
Stock index futures in the U.S. hovered near flat as the market braced for the inflation release, following an AI-driven tumble. Rate bets stayed fixed on a possible cut in June. Bob Savage, who heads markets macro strategy at BNY, pointed out in a note, “The central question for equity investors is whether today’s surge in capex can translate into durable earnings growth.” 2
Bank of America faces fresh legal heat after a U.S. judge found that claims the bank “recklessly disregarded” signs of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking are solid enough to keep a proposed class action alive. The ruling also pins down a trial date: May 11. The bank says it welcomes a thorough review of the facts. 3
Thursday saw Bank of America drop along with the rest of the financial sector. JPMorgan Chase slipped 2.63%, Wells Fargo lost 2.99%. Major U.S. indexes sank sharply. 4
Rates are still the market’s other major swing factor. According to a Reuters survey, long-dated Treasury yields are expected to stay put for now, then pick up later this year. Investors have kept a close eye on the 10-year, which has barely budged from its 4.0%-4.3% range. “There’s nothing really to drive us out of this range,” said John Madziyire of Vanguard. But BlackRock’s Jean Boivin sees a potential jolt: “Once we see some evidence of the opposite, it’ll come as a wake-up call with some volatility.” Meghan Swiber at Bank of America pointed out the awkward mix of cutting rates while the Fed continues to trim its balance sheet. 5
Bank stock traders have their eyes on the yield curve—the difference between short- and long-term yields—which plays into lending margins and demand for fresh credit. Volatility’s impact isn’t one-way: some days it boosts trading desk results, other days it rattles risk appetite across the board.
A CPI surprise to the upside? Yields probably move higher, and that tends to push back the timeline for rate cuts—a combo that tightens financial conditions and stirs up concerns over loan appetite and possible credit losses down the road. A softer CPI number, on the other hand, breathes life into rate-cut hopes, though it may also weigh on net interest income forecasts if markets jump to price in lower rates more swiftly.
