New York, Feb 13, 2026, 11:43 a.m. EST — Regular session.
Salesforce shares rose 2.7% to $190.41 on Friday, outpacing a softer U.S. stock market as investors digested a cooler-than-expected U.S. inflation reading.
The move matters because Salesforce has been one of the large-cap software names caught in the market’s recent churn around artificial intelligence, making any shift in risk appetite show up quickly in the stock.
But the backdrop is still messy. An “AI scare” trade has pushed investors to sell first and ask questions later across swaths of software, after a rapid run of new AI releases raised questions about how durable subscription models will be. Salesforce is down about 30% so far in 2026, according to Reuters. (Reuters)
Friday’s inflation print offered a counterweight. U.S. consumer prices rose less than expected in January, and traders nudged up the odds of a Federal Reserve rate cut in June, Reuters reported. “The trend in disinflation continues,” Michael Metcalfe, head of market strategy at State Street Markets, told Reuters. (Reuters)
Lower rate expectations can help growth stocks because future cash flows are discounted less sharply, even if that support has not been enough to stop a broader selloff in technology this week.
Salesforce traded between $184.31 and $193.43 on the day, underscoring the volatility that has followed software shares in recent sessions. About 6.1 million shares had changed hands.
The stock’s size also cuts both ways. Salesforce has a heavy weight in major U.S. indexes, so sharp intraday moves can get amplified by flows in index-linked funds.
Even with Friday’s gain, investors are still looking for something firmer than a macro-driven bounce. The market’s next test for Salesforce is whether it can show steadier demand and defend margins as customers weigh AI tools from a fast-growing field of rivals.
Salesforce is scheduled to report fourth-quarter and full-year fiscal 2026 results on Feb. 25, after the market close, and host a conference call at 5 p.m. ET, the company said. (Salesforce)
