Stock market today: Live updates
Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on Feb. 18, 2026.
NYSE
Stocks fell on Thursday, giving back some of the gains from the previous session, as traders weighed the latest quarterly results from Walmart and monitored simmering tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 211 points, or 0.4%. The S&P 500 slipped 0.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.5%.
Walmart shares were 2% higher after the company’s fourth-quarter results exceeded analyst expectations. However, its full-year earnings outlook fell short.
Traders remained on edge as crude prices extended gains amid a standoff between Iran and the U.S. over the former’s nuclear program. West Texas Intermediate futures on Thursday rose more than 1% to trade above $66 per barrel.
Wall Street is coming off a winning session, buoyed by gains across the “Magnificent Seven” technology stocks and strength in financials and energy names.
“A rebound in mega‑cap stocks, along with a pause in the rotation and broadening theme that has defined market performance this year, would not be surprising in the weeks ahead,” said Edward Jones senior global investment strategist Angelo Kourkafas.
“Selling has been broad and indiscriminate, and in some cases, valuations may already reflect a substantial degree of disruption risk relative to current fundamentals,” he added.
To be sure, Kourkafas said that even as pessimism in the tech sector has likely become overstated, the prospect of the group “regaining sustainable leadership remains doubtful” as the macroeconomic environment continues to favor cyclical stocks.
