The fourth-quarter earnings season is winding down, but we still have several bellwethers due to report this week.Leading home improvement retailer Home Depot will release its fourth-quarter earnings tomorrow before the market opens, with analysts anticipating a challenging but resilient performance amid ongoing housing market pressures.According to our latest Zacks Consensus Estimates, the company is projected to post earnings per share of $2.52, reflecting a 19.5% decline year-over-year, while revenue is ...

Market Overview - The S&P/ASX 200 closed up on February 17, 2026, gaining 21.80 points or 0.24% to reach 8,958.90, with a 1.03% increase over the last five days and currently 1.71% off its 52-week high [1][10] - The mining subindex rose by 1.3%, driven by BHP's strong performance [2][10] Top Performers - JB Hi-Fi Limited (JBH) led the gains, closing at A$89.10, up A$6.70 or 8.13% [6][11] - Pro Medicus Limited (PME) followed, finishing at A$125.96 after rising A$8.99, a gain of 7.69% [6][11] - Other notable gainers included A2 Milk Company Limited (A2M) up 6.26%, PEXA Group Limited (PXA) up 4.76%, and BHP Group Limited (BHP) up 4.73% to A$52.74 [7][11] Sector Performance - The materials sector was the best-performing sector, gaining 1.28% on the day and 1.41% over the past five days [8][11] - Financials remained relatively unchanged, with losses in three of the big four banks offsetting Westpac's 0.3% gain [9][11] Upcoming Events - Investors are awaiting Rio Tinto's earnings report on February 19, 2026, and Fortescue's report next week, focusing on iron ore demand and sector outlook [3][10] - Traders are also eyeing upcoming jobs data expected to show a cooling in hiring and a slight uptick in unemployment, which will be crucial for the country's rate outlook [10][11]

Market Performance - Major averages have moved mostly higher, offsetting last Tuesday's sell-off [1] - The Dow is up 171.22 points (0.4%) at 49,269.93, the Nasdaq is up 95.59 points (0.4%) at 23,596.83, and the S&P 500 is up 29.87 points (0.4%) at 6,945.48 [2] Company Performance - Apple shares are up 1.9% and Meta shares are up 1.2% ahead of their quarterly results [3] - Microsoft and Tesla are also set to report quarterly results soon [3] Economic Indicators - New orders for U.S. manufactured durable goods surged significantly in November, exceeding expectations [6] - Gold stocks are experiencing substantial strength, with the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index spiking by 4.6% to a record intraday high [6] - Networking stocks are also showing strength, reflected by a 2.0% increase in the NYSE Arca Networking Index [6] Sector Performance - Utilities, computer hardware, and oil service stocks are seeing notable strength, while airline stocks have moved to the downside [7] International Markets - In Asia-Pacific, Japan's Nikkei 225 Index fell by 1.8%, while China's Shanghai Composite Index edged down by 0.1%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index increased by 0.1% [8] - Major European markets have moved modestly higher, with the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index up by 0.3%, Germany's DAX Index up by 0.2%, and France's CAC 40 Index up by 0.1% [8] Bond Market - Treasuries are seeing further upside, with the yield on the benchmark ten-year note down by 2.8 basis points at 4.211% [9]

Economic Growth - The U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 4.3 percent in Q3 2025, significantly higher than the expected 3.3 percent, following a 3.8 percent growth in Q2 2025 [3] - This stronger-than-expected economic growth may create uncertainty regarding future interest rate policies [3] Durable Goods Orders - New orders for U.S. manufactured durable goods fell by 2.2 percent in October, contrasting with an upwardly revised increase of 0.7 percent in September; economists had anticipated a decline of only 1.5 percent [4] - Excluding transportation equipment, durable goods orders rose by 0.2 percent in October, after a 0.7 percent increase in September; the expected rise was 0.3 percent [5] Stock Market Performance - Major stock indices experienced a modest decline in early trading, with S&P 500 futures down by 0.2 percent, as traders looked to capitalize on recent market strength [1] - Tech stocks, including Oracle, Nvidia, and Micron Technology, which had previously led the market recovery, are showing signs of decline in pre-market trading [2] Global Market Trends - Asian stock markets mostly moved higher, with Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index increasing by 1.1 percent, while Japan's Nikkei 225 Index remained stable [8] - European markets displayed mixed performance, with the German DAX Index slightly above the unchanged line, while the French CAC 40 Index decreased by 0.3 percent [9] Commodity Prices - Crude oil futures rose by $0.15 to $58.16 per barrel, following a previous surge of $1.49 [9] - Gold futures increased by $46.70 to $4,516.10 per ounce, after a significant spike of $82.10 in the prior session [9]

Core Viewpoint - The Federal Reserve is expected to maintain its current interest rate stance for the foreseeable future, with potential for a 25 basis point cut in January due to ongoing labor market softness and uncertainty surrounding economic data releases [1][1][1] Group 1: Federal Reserve's Current Position - The Fed's guidance is less reliable regarding interest rate outlook due to limited economic data availability caused by the shutdown [1][1] - The upcoming change in Fed leadership in May 2026 may influence future monetary policy decisions, potentially leading to more significant rate cuts than currently indicated [1][1][1] Group 2: Economic Growth and Monetary Policy - The Fed has raised its growth expectations for the next year, which, combined with increased cash flow to households from tax policy changes, complicates the monetary policy outlook [1][1] - This shift in economic dynamics raises the threshold for any potential rate cuts at the Fed's next meeting in January [1][1]

Market Sentiment and Rate Cut Expectations - The market's mindset has shifted, with the mood changing after indications of potential rate cuts [2] - The stock market is highly dependent on rate cut expectations, with improved expectations leading to a better market mood [8] - A previous drop in rate cut expectations from approximately 80% to 30-35% correlated with a difficult November for the market [7] - The market appears to need a Federal Reserve rate cut to continue moving higher [5] Macroeconomic Factors and Correlations - The market is moving higher on fundamentals, specifically improving rate cut expectations [4] - Bitcoin's correlation with the NASDAQ and S&P 500 is seen as a proxy for risk among investors [9][11] - The AI trade is a powerful force in the markets and may interplay with the rate cut story [9] Technical Analysis and Market Positioning - The market experienced a paradigm shift, breaking through the 50-day moving average [10] - The market broke through the 100-day moving average but is now back above it [11] Crypto Market Dynamics - Many new investors ("crypto tourists") entered the crypto market this year due to ETFs, broadening exposure [12] - Crypto, excluding ETFs, often involves high leverage (e g, 20:1), making it susceptible to downswings [13]

Core Viewpoint - Samsung Electronics has appointed TM Roh as co-CEO and head of its device experience division, reinstating its traditional co-CEO structure after the death of co-CEO Han Jong-Hee in March [1][2] Group 1: Leadership Changes - TM Roh has been acting head of the consumer business since April, indicating a continuity in leadership during a transitional period [2] - The appointment is seen as a "safe and predictable" choice aimed at strengthening competitiveness in key business areas [2] Group 2: Business Focus - Samsung's strongest-performing sectors this year have been memory chips and mobile, and the appointment of TM Roh signals a strategic emphasis on these divisions [3] - The memory business is currently benefiting from a favorable market and is making progress in the AI chip sector under co-CEO Jun Young-hyun's leadership [3] Group 3: Organizational Structure - The reshuffle follows the appointment of a new head of the business support office, which is a critical decision-making body within Samsung Group [4] - This office acts as a strategy unit that coordinates across various business units and affiliates within the conglomerate [4] Group 4: Market Reaction - Samsung Electronics shares fell by 4.2%, while the benchmark KOSPI index dropped by 3.2%, attributed to broader market trends rather than the leadership changes [5] - Analysts noted that the decline in shares was linked to concerns over AI valuations and unclear U.S. job data affecting interest rate outlooks [5]

Core Viewpoint - The stock market experienced fluctuations but ended mostly higher, with major averages closing in positive territory after a volatile trading session [1] Market Performance - The Nasdaq closed up 131.38 points (0.6%) at 22,564.23, having surged by as much as 1.7% earlier [2] - The S&P 500 rose 24.84 points (0.4%) to 6,642.16, while the Dow increased by 47.03 points (0.1%) to 46,138.77 [2] - Early strength was attributed to traders buying stocks at reduced levels following recent market weakness [2] Sector News - Semiconductor stocks rebounded, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index climbing by 1.8% after a recent decline [7] - Gold stocks also showed strength, as indicated by a 1.2% gain in the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index [7] - Conversely, energy stocks fell sharply, with the NYSE Arca Oil Index declining by 1.7% due to lower crude oil prices [8] Company Focus - Nvidia's upcoming earnings report is highly anticipated, with investors closely monitoring CEO Jensen Huang's comments for insights into AI investments [4] - Nvidia's stock rose by 2.9% ahead of its third-quarter results, following a period of low closing levels [3] Federal Reserve Insights - The minutes from the Federal Reserve's recent meeting revealed differing views on future interest rate decisions, with some participants suggesting a potential rate cut while others preferred to keep rates unchanged [5][6]