World shares are mixed, while US futures advance following a Wall St
rally led by Nvidia
[February 19, 2026] By
ELAINE KURTENBACH
European shares opened lower and Asian shares were mostly higher
Thursday after a rally on Wall Street that was led by computer chip
giant Nvidia.
Oil prices rose as media reports said the likelihood was rising of U.S.
conflict with Iran.
President Donald Trump has been weighing whether to take military action
against Iran as his administration surges military resources to the
region while holding indirect talks with Tehran over its nuclear
program. That is raising concerns that any attack could spiral into a
larger conflict in the Middle East.
U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 94 cents to $65.99 per barrel. Brent
crude, the international standard, picked up 98 cents to $71.33.
Germany's DAX lost 0.5% to 25,157.56, while the CAC 40 in Paris slipped
0.6% to 8,379.90.
Britain's FTSE 100 gave up 0.4% to 10,647.82.
The future for the S&P 500 was up 0.1% while that for the Dow Jones
Industrial Average was virtually unchanged.
Markets in Greater China were closed for Lunar New Year holidays, while
some others in the region reopened for trading.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 added 0.6% to 57,467.83, while in South Korea,
the Kospi jumped 3.1% to 5,677.25 as markets reopened following holidays
earlier in the week. Samsung Electronics, the market's biggest
heavyweight, gained 4.9%.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.9% to 9,086.20.
Southeast Asian markets surged, with Thailand's SET up 1.7%. India's
Sensex shed early gains to fall 1.1%.
On Wednesday, the S&P 500 rose 0.6% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average
added 0.3%. The Nasdaq composite gained 0.8%.
Nvidia helped lift the market and climbed 1.6% after Meta Platforms
announced a long-term partnership where it will use millions of chips
and other equipment from Nvidia for its artificial-intelligence data
centers.
“No one deploys AI at Meta’s scale,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said.
Because his company is the most valuable on Wall Street, Nvidia’s stock
was the single most powerful force pulling the S&P 500 higher.
That performance demonstrated the upside of AI development for the U.S.
stock market. But investors have also focused on the potential downsides
recently, which has led to sharp swings in share prices.
Meta’s stock fell as much as 1.7% before recovering and rising 0.6%.
[to top of second column] |
Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite
Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center, and the foreign exchange rate
between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center left, at the
foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in
Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
 Another worry is that if AI succeeds
in creating tools to do complicated tasks more cheaply, it may
undercut companies in industries as far flung as software, legal
services and trucking logistics. Investors have suddenly and
aggressively sold stocks of companies seen as under threat in what
analysts have likened to a “shoot first-ask questions later”
mentality.
Several profit reports from companies helped to lift stocks
Wednesday. They continued what’s been a strong reporting season for
the big U.S. companies in the S&P 500.
Outside of earnings reports, Moderna jumped 6.1% after saying
regulators at the Food and Drug Administration will review its flu
vaccine candidate after earlier refusing to consider it.
Reports on the economy were better than expected, with one saying
industrial production improved last month. Another said orders for
computers, fabricated metal products and other long-lasting
manufactured goods rose more in December than economists had
forecast, when not including airplanes and other transportation
equipment. A third report said homebuilders broke ground on more new
homes in December than anticipated.
Such strong data could encourage the Federal Reserve to keep
interest rates steady.
The Fed has put its cuts to interest rates on hold, but many on Wall
Street expect it to resume later this year. The widespread forecast
is that will come during the summer, after a new chair is scheduled
to step in atop the Fed.
Minutes released Wednesday from the Fed’s last meeting showed many
officials want to see inflation fall further before they would
support additional interest rate cuts this year.
Lower rates can give a boost to the economy and prices for
investments, but that comes at the cost of potentially worsening
inflation.
In other dealings early Thursday, the dollar bought 154.80 Japanese
yen, down from 154.83 yen. The euro rose to $1.1800 from $1.1782.
The price of gold gained 0.6% while that for silver was up 2.1%.
The price of bitcoin rose 1% to $66,900.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
