New York, February 14, 2026, 12:15 (EST) — The market has closed.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) added 48.95 points, or 0.1%, to finish Friday at 49,500.93. Despite the late lift, the blue-chip index dropped 1.2% for the week. The S&P 500 lost 1.4% and the Nasdaq Composite sank 2.1% this week, even as smaller stocks managed a stronger showing on Friday.
Investors took solace from a softer-than-expected inflation reading in January. Data showed the consumer price index climbed just 0.2%, while core CPI, stripping out food and energy, advanced 0.3%. Year-on-year, core CPI rose 2.5%—the smallest gain in almost five years. “The direction of travel for inflation continues to look to be lower,” said James McCann, senior economist at Edward Jones. Still, he warned the road ahead could prove “bumpy.” Reuters
That support gave some relief to rate-sensitive sectors, but tech remained under pressure. “Large cap tech stocks continue to be an anchor on the market, and any whiff of optimism continues to get rejected,” said Michael James, managing director at Rosenblatt Securities. Traders put the chance of a 25-basis-point cut in June at 52.3%, according to CME’s FedWatch tool. With the NYSE closed Monday for Washington’s Birthday, the main U.S. indexes just logged their biggest weekly drops since November. Reuters
Bond yields slipped on the heels of the inflation numbers. The 10-year Treasury yield, which influences everything from mortgages to business loans, dropped to 4.05% following the CPI release. It had ended Thursday at 4.11%.
Dow movers showed little consensus. Nike, UnitedHealth, and Walt Disney landed in positive territory, but Apple, Visa, and 3M lagged behind, according to Markets Insider data.
Still, inflation’s outlook isn’t clear-cut, so the risk of a pullback sticks around. Economists speaking with the Financial Times flagged potential distortions muddying the inflation numbers after the U.S. government shutdown. Add to that January’s jobs report: 130,000 new jobs, nearly twice what was expected. It’s the sort of mix that could easily keep the Fed on alert. If the numbers heat up again, yields can jump and stocks could feel the squeeze in a hurry.
Walmart, a Dow component, plans to roll out its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings at roughly 6 a.m. U.S. Central on Feb. 19, the company’s investor events page shows. A conference call is slated for 7 a.m.
After the holiday lull, the market’s looking ahead to a fresh set of data. On Tuesday, the New York Fed’s Empire State manufacturing index is on tap, along with the NAHB’s latest read on the housing market. Fed minutes hit Wednesday. Then Friday brings a heavy slate: the first take on fourth-quarter GDP, the core PCE price index — the inflation measure the Fed watches closest — and the flash PMI surveys for a quick pulse on business momentum.
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