Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures edge lower with rate-cut bets and Walmart earnings in focus

February 19, 2026

Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures edge lower with rate-cut bets and Walmart earnings in focus

Breaking News

Image source: Wikimedia Commons



US stock futures slipped on Thursday as investors digested minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting and geared up for Walmart earnings for insight into the American consumer.

Contracts on the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 reversed earlier small gains to hover just below the flatline.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures nudged down 0.1%, following a solid advance across the major benchmarks the previous session.

Investors parsed minutes from the Fed’s January meeting, which revealed deep divides among policymakers regarding the path forward for interest rates.

But even as the minutes showed discussion of potential rate hikes amid stubborn inflation, expectations for two rate cuts by the end of the year were not immediately shaken. Yahoo Finance reports.

EdgeUp

🧠 Samsung shares surge to record after report on higher chip price

Samsung Electronics shares jumped to a fresh record high on Thursday after local media reported the firm is negotiating a price for its latest artificial intelligence memory chip that is up to 30% higher than the previous generation.

The chipmaker’s stock rose as much as 5.4% on the Korea Exchange as the market reopened following a three-day holiday.

Samsung is looking to price its HBM4 at around $700 per unit, according to the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.

Samsung declined to comment on the media report. Yahoo Finance reports.


💪 Interactive Strength acquires subscription-rich Ergatta in growth push

Interactive Strength Inc. stock rose in Thursday’s premarket session after the company announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ergatta, a provider of game-based connected fitness.

Ergatta is a Brooklyn-based connected fitness company that pioneered game-based fitness content, building a stable and cash-generating subscription business with industry-leading monthly net retention of more than 98%.

The deal is expected to close by the first quarter of 2026.

The acquisition is expected to significantly enhance Interactive Strength’s revenue potential, contributing to a more robust financial outlook. Benzinga reports.


🚚 DASH stock pops 14% premarket as CEO pushes plan to merge DoorDash, Deliveroo and Wolt into one platform

DoorDash’s quarterly results did not impress investors initially, but a stronger gross order value forecast for the current quarter and plans to consolidate all three platforms into one are now drawing attention.

DoorDash stock is heading for another day in the green, jumping 14% in premarket trading on Thursday, driven by a better-than-expected marketplace gross order value forecast for the first quarter.

According to LSEG data cited by Reuters, DoorDash’s first-quarter marketplace gross order value forecast of $31 billion to $31.8 billion topped expectations of $29.61 billion. StockTwits reports.


⛏️ B2Gold stock slides 10% after-hours as earnings miss dulls shine of record revenue

B2Gold shares tumbled about 10% in extended trading on Wednesday after a fourth-quarter earnings miss overshadowed the miner’s record annual revenue and strong operating performance.

The stock had risen more than 2% during Wednesday’s regular trading session.

B2Gold reported adjusted earnings of $0.11 per share in the fourth quarter, below the $0.18 consensus estimate.

Meanwhile, fourth-quarter gold revenue climbed to $1.05 billion, more than double the level from a year earlier. StockTwits reports.


🤖 How Amazon’s underappreciated AI potential could drive the stock 50% higher

Investors are overlooking a major artificial intelligence opportunity that sits right in front of them, according to one analyst.

Amazon’s stock is a top pick for Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak, who believes both Amazon Web Services and the company’s retail business are shaping up to be massive beneficiaries of the AI wave. MarketWatch reports.


🚗 Online used-car retailer Carvana shares tumble as vehicle reconditioning costs climb

Shares of Carvana fell sharply in premarket trading on Thursday after the online used-car retailer posted fourth-quarter profit that fell short of Wall Street expectations, pressured by higher-than-anticipated costs.

Shares of the online-only used vehicle retailer were last down 16% at $302, putting them on track to open at their lowest level since early November 2025.

At least four brokerages, including J.P. Morgan and RBC, cut their price targets on the stock after the results were announced after market hours on Wednesday. Reuters reports.

Top 5 Movers in Early Pre-Market

(All pricing and percent gains are based on Early Pre-Market from 4:00 AM to 7:00 AM Eastern Time)
Stock Analysis reports.


1) BOXL: Boxlight Corporation
Total gain: +29.23%

2) RELY: Remitly Global, Inc.
Total gain: +21.75%

3) ETSY: Etsy, Inc.
Total gain: +17.66%

4) RUBI: Rubico Inc.
Total gain: +17.41%

5) NP: Neptune Insurance Holdings Inc.
Total gain: +14.56%

Yesterday’s Biggest Movers

The closing price of the top three market percent gainers trading near or above $3 on February 18.
Stock Analysis reports.

*All pricing and percent gains are based on regular market trading hours from 9:30am to 4:00pm Eastern Time

1) SNSE: Sensei Biotherapeutics, Inc.
Total gain: +187.51%
The companyannounced that it has acquired Faeth Therapeutics Inc. (“Faeth”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing multi-node therapies that target tumor metabolism and signaling.

The acquisition brings Faeth’s lead asset PIKTOR, a proprietary investigational all-oral combination of serabelisib and sapanisertib that inhibits multiple nodes of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway through PI3K-alpha and dual mTORC1/2 targeting, into Sensei’s pipeline. Businesswire reports.


2) NLOP: Net Lease Office Properties
Total gain: +101.08%
The stock appeared to be moving on no notable news.


3) MLEC: Moolec Science SA
Total gain: +49.90%
The stock appeared to be moving on no notable news.

Today’s Notable Earnings

*Estimate and Actual numbers represent Earnings Per Share in US Dollars


ULS: UL Solutions
Q4 2025
Before Market Open
Estimate: 0.440
Actual: N/A

NEM: Newmont
Q4 2025
After Market Close
Estimate: 1.940
Actual: N/A

LYV: Live Nation Entertainment
Q4 2025
After Market Close
Estimate: -1.040
Actual: N/A

Today’s Economic Dates

Time (ET) / Report / Period

8:30 AM - Initial jobless claims - Feb. 14
8:30 AM - U.S. trade deficit - Dec.
8:30 AM - Philadelphia Fed manufacturing survey - Feb.

Parting Thoughts

“The market is a mirror of collective human behavior.”

– Raghuram Rajan

Sourced in: Raghuram Rajan speeches – RBI.

Disclaimer

TradeZero America, Inc., a United States broker dealer, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC); TradeZero, Inc., a Bahamian broker dealer, registered with the Securities Commission of the Bahamas ; TradeZero Canada Securities ULC, a Canadian broker dealer, member firm of Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) and member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF); and TradeZero Europe B.V., a Dutch broker dealer, authorized and regulated by the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) (collectively, the “TradeZero Broker Dealers”).

TradeZero Broker Dealers offer self-directed electronic securities trading to their customers. TradeZero Broker Dealers do not provide financial or trading advice and do not make investment recommendations to their customers. This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security or instrument which it may reference. There is a risk of loss in online trading of securities including equities and options. Trading on margin is for experienced investors whereby the loss can be greater than your initial investment. Likewise, short selling as a securities trading strategy is extremely risky and can lead to potentially unlimited losses. Options trading is not suitable for all investors as it can involve risk that may expose investors to significant losses. Please read the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options, also known as the Options Disclosure Document (ODD) at OCC.

If you have any specific questions about TradeZero's brokerage services, please reach out to the TradeZero Broker Dealer servicing your jurisdiction.