NEW YORK, Feb 13, 2026, 15:03 EST — Regular session
Adobe Inc (ADBE.O) picked up 0.5%, reaching $263.77 in Friday afternoon trading. A softer U.S. inflation print lent some relief to tech stocks that have been under pressure. Consumer prices in the U.S. climbed 0.2% for January, up 2.4% year-on-year. Core CPI, stripping out food and energy, came in at a 0.3% monthly gain.
This shift is significant: Adobe’s shares have come to represent the bigger debate—can nimble AI upstarts start eating into the subscriptions business, even for established giants? Growth stocks can get a lift when inflation drops, since bond yields tend to cool off, though investors haven’t hesitated to bail on names that look vulnerable.
Traders ramped the implied probability of a June Federal Reserve rate cut to 69% following the latest data—up from 63% earlier in the session. “The trend in disinflation continues,” State Street Markets’ Michael Metcalfe noted. Still, fresh concerns over AI-driven tech disruption kept gains in check. Reuters
This isn’t just a tech sector story. “With fear driving market sentiment, investors remain in ‘sell first think later’ mode,” Barclays equity strategist Emmanual Cau told Reuters, as traders hunt for the next “AI loser.” Adobe shares have slumped about 25% since the start of the year, according to Reuters data. That puts it among a string of big software names—Salesforce included—logging heavy losses. Investors, said Robert Pavlik, senior portfolio manager at Dakota Wealth, have seized on the idea that “AI is somehow going to replace built‑out models in the near term.” Reuters
Volatility was back in force on Thursday, with the Dow sinking 1.34%, the S&P 500 off 1.57%, and the Nasdaq tumbling nearly 2% as tech names took fresh hits. “We see this as a ‘prove it’ year for AI,” said Jack Herr, primary investment analyst at GuideStone Funds. Investors, he said, want to see actual returns on all the money pouring into AI. Reuters
Adobe, known for Photoshop and Illustrator, also has a digital marketing arm. Lately, investors are trying to figure out if its AI features are actually boosting demand and prices—or just turning into must-haves as the field gets more crowded.
Adobe shares bounced Thursday, ending a five-day slide with a 2.08% gain to $262.50. MarketWatch data show the stock found support the previous session.
Still, that risk is lingering. Should the conversation around AI-driven shakeups flare up, or if rates climb, software stocks built on recurring revenue and hefty price tags could tumble quickly—even if the broader economic numbers seem favorable that day.
Adobe’s next key event is right around the corner. The software giant has its Q1 FY2026 earnings call lined up for March 12, with the webcast scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time, the company’s investor calendar shows.
