Stocks rise as AI anxiety abates and investors shake off Fed minutes

Despite minutes from last month's Fed meeting dimming hopes for rate cuts, stocks posted solid gains.

Your Evening Briefing February 18, 2026 Stocks rise as AI anxiety abates and investors shake off Fed minutes The S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Russell 2000 climbed higher, even though minutes from last month's Fed meeting revealed that the central bank is split on where interest rates could go. Energy was the best-performing sector gains as traders evaluated US-Iran negotiations, while utilities and real estate were the worst-performers. Stocks that moved higher: Nvidia climbed on yesterday's announcement that Meta will deploy "millions" of its GPUs and CPUs. Rackspace skyrocketed after unveiling a partnership with Palantir to help customers use its foundry and artificial intelligence platform. Mister Car Wash surged on news that it's being taken private by PE Firm LGP at $7 per share. Cadence Design Systems jumped after posting better-than-expected Q4 earnings after the bell on Tuesday, announcing a big pipeline of future business and a solid profit outlook for 2026. Garmin soared after beating Q4 revenue by 7%. Wingstop surged after reporting a Q4 comparable sales beat and better-than-expected earnings this morning. Upwork rallied after announcing a $300 million buyback plan. Riot Platforms rose on an activist push to accelerate its shift from bitcoin mining toward AI-focused data centers. Moderna gained after saying that the US FDA will review its flu vaccine application after initially refusing. Uber rose as the company plans to spend $100 million in the US on autonomous vehicle charging stations. Madison Square Garden Entertainment edged higher as its board approved exploring a possible Knicks/Rangers split. Palantir ticked higher as Mizuho upgraded the stock to outperform from neutral, saying the "risk/reward is now attractive." Snap got a boost after announcing its direct revenue hit $1 billion in annualized run rate and subscribers topped 25 million. The New York Times ticked higher after Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a new stake in the company. Stocks that moved lower: Nvidia's competitors Advanced Micro Devices and Arista Networks dropped on the news of partnership plans between Nvidia and Meta. WeRide and Applied Digital fell after Nvidia's 13F filing showed the chip designer sold its stake in these companies last quarter. Palo Alto Networks dropped after its earnings forecast disappointed investors. Fiverr tumbled after its Q1 and full-year sales guidance came in short of estimates. Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, and Sony slightly declined on news that Google is adding an AI music generation feature to its Gemini app. Berkshire Hathaway invests in The New York Times, cuts stakes in Amazon and Apple The latest SEC filing shows the company's first media buy since 2020. Read more. Infleqtion CEO Matt Kinsella on how the newly public quantum computing company is "following in the footsteps of Nvidia" We chatted with the CEO on Tuesday to discuss the technological and financial milestones he's working toward, the advice he got from fellow CEOs, what he'll keep his eyes on instead of the stock price, and how he's celebrating. Read more. POST-MARKET MOVE Co-founder & CEO of Figma Dylan Field (Kimberly White/Getty Images) Figma spikes after reporting better than expected Q4 results, strong Q1 and full-year sales guidance. Figma reported Q4 results that exceeded Wall Street's expectations and robust sales guidance for the current quarter and full year. Shares are spiking in after-hours trading. This marks the company's second earnings report since going public over the summer. Read more. With US coffee prices reaching record highs, will Americans rethink their consumption? Even after the US scrapped tariffs on coffee last November, new BLS data shows stateside prices are still soaring. Institutions continue to bet on ethereum amid "rock bottom" investor sentiment BlackRock, BitMine Immersion Technologies, and Harvard University have each increased their exposure to ethereum. Western Digital confirms plan to unload $3 billion in Sandisk stock at a discount The move was telegraphed, but "secondary offering" is never something you want to see in a headline about your company. Analyst says key bitcoin level to watch is "decision band" in $67,000 range Is bitcoin in the "hope and fear" stage or is there still farther for the price to fall? Was this email forwarded to you? Don't miss out on future stories — subscribe to The Wrap and get your daily dose of financial news straight to your inbox.  Craving more insights in your inbox? Subscribe to Chartr and Snacks for quality reads. We care what you think! 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