Stock Market Update Thursday February 12, 2026
- Feb 12
- 3 min read
Stock Market Update Thursday February 12, 2026 U.S. equities endured a broad-based risk-off session, with the major benchmarks closing near their intraday troughs and erasing year-to-date gains for the broader market. The S&P 500 declined 1.6%, settling at session lows and reverting to flat on a year-to-date basis. Price action reflected persistent distribution, as an early attempt to extend last week’s rebound failed to clear prior resistance levels, signaling that upside momentum has stalled. The initial gap higher quickly faded, underscoring waning buying conviction and renewed supply at overhead technical resistance. Selling pressure was widespread across asset classes. The major equity indices, industrial metals, and energy contracts all finished firmly in negative territory. AI-related disruption themes resurfaced, triggering pronounced multiple compression within the technology complex and driving an aggressive rotation out of high-beta growth. At the same time, an undercurrent of macroeconomic anxiety—centered on growth durability and policy uncertainty—pressured cyclicals and rate-sensitive segments, leaving defensive sectors as relative outperformers.
Market Scorecard
S&P 500: -1.59% to 6,831.17
Nasdaq 100: -2.04% to 24,687.61, leading the downside amid sharp weakness in mega-cap tech
Russell 2000: -2.01% to 2,615.83, as small caps underperformed on growth concerns
Commodities & Crypto
Gold: -3.2% to $4,918–$4,933/oz, reflecting profit-taking and reduced safe-haven demand
WTI Crude: -2.8% to $62.84/bbl, breaking below the $63 threshold on softer demand expectations
Bitcoin: Hovered below $66,000, consolidating amid broader risk aversion
Away From Stocks: Treasury prices increased, causing yields to decrease across the yield curve, with longer-term yields falling more than shorter-term yields. The 2-year Treasury yield decreased by 5 basis points to 3.47%, the 30-year yield decreased by 10 basis points to 4.72%, and the 10-year yield decreased by 8 basis points to 4.10%. This flattening of the yield curve indicates growing expectations of slower economic growth or more accommodative monetary policy. The VIX, a measure of market volatility, rose to nearly 21, signaling increased demand for hedging and a reassessment of short-term stock market volatility.
Our investment approach is disciplined and long-only. We do not engage in short selling. In our long-term portfolio, we focus exclusively on high-quality companies with a demonstrated history of operational excellence and consistent shareholder value creation. However, in our short-term speculative portfolio, some stocks we post may be driven by other factors, such as notable options flow, proprietary algorithms and seasonality. We rely on our proprietary algorithms to identify high-probability entry points, whether to initiate new positions or to strategically add to existing holdings.
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