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The US Markets
The U.S. Market Indexes
All the major U.S. indexes closed in positive territory today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 129.47 points, or 0.26%, to finish at 49,662.66. The S&P 500 rose 38.09 points, or 0.56%, ending the session at 6,881.31. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 175.25 points, or 0.78%, to close at 22,753.25, marking its second consecutive daily gain, led by strength in technology stocks.
The Russell 2000 Index added 12.02 points, or 0.45%, to settle at 2,658.61. After closing slightly lower yesterday, the small-cap index fully reversed that decline and extended gains today.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly topped the 50,000 mark on Friday but has not returned to that level so far this week. The Nasdaq has now posted two straight gains following five consecutive weekly declines. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 is trading above its 50-day moving average but continues to encounter resistance just above that level.
Today’s US Market Statistics
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE): Advancing issues outnumbered declining issues. There were 2,831 advancers, 1,752 decliners, and 428 issues unchanged, resulting in an advancer-to-decliner ratio of 1.61 to 1—approximately three advancers for every two decliners.
The exchange recorded 382 new 52-week highs and 70 new 52-week lows, compared with 188 new highs and 64 new lows in the previous session.
Total NYSE trading volume reached 5,174,151,320 shares, about 7% lower than the 5,527,781,401 shares traded yesterday.
NASDAQ: Advancing stocks also outpaced declining stocks on the NASDAQ. There were 2,795 advancers and 1,956 decliners, with 347 issues unchanged, producing an advancer-to-decliner ratio of 1.43 to 1—approximately three advancers for every two decliners.
The exchange posted 178 new 52-week highs and 155 new 52-week lows, compared with 149 new highs and 285 new lows yesterday.
Total NASDAQ trading volume amounted to 7,904,401,312 shares, essentially unchanged from yesterday’s 7,913,329,783 shares.
Commodities and Bonds:
Oil: U.S. crude oil prices surged 4.6% to $65.19 per barrel amid reports that the U.S. President is considering major military action against Iran. As of the time of this update, oil was up $0.22 at $65.40 per barrel.
Gold and Silver: Gold rose $26.60, or 0.50%, to $5,036.10 per troy ounce. Silver gained $1.41, or 1.86%, to $79.04 per ounce as of 11:30 a.m. EST Wednesday.
Bitcoin: Bitcoin (BTC-USD) traded higher earlier in the day and was up $928.33, or 1.44%, at $67,247.00 at the time of this update.
10-Year Treasury Yield: The 10-year Treasury yield rose three basis points to 4.08% after Federal Reserve meeting minutes indicated no clear consensus regarding the timing of the next rate cut. As of 11:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, the yield stood at 4.102%.
After-Hours Action: Futures were modestly higher Wednesday evening. Dow futures rose 51 points, or 0.10%, versus fair value. S&P 500 futures gained 15.50 points, or 0.22%, to 6,909.50, while Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 80.75 points, or 0.32%, to 25,037.25 as of 11:30 p.m. EST Wednesday.
Reminder: Overnight futures movements often have little correlation with the following day’s regular trading session. All figures reflect market conditions at the time of capture only.
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(c) This article is published by The Canadian Vanguard on February 18, 2026
