New York, Feb 16, 2026, 17:48 (EST) — Market closed.
- Caterpillar shares last closed at $774.20 on Friday, up 2.1%, before U.S. markets shut for Presidents Day.
- CFO Andrew Bonfield is due to speak at a Barclays industrial conference on Feb. 18.
- Fed minutes (Feb. 18) and delayed GDP/PCE data (Feb. 20) sit on the week-ahead calendar.
U.S. stock markets were closed on Monday for Presidents Day, pausing trade in Caterpillar Inc (CAT.N) after the heavy-equipment maker’s shares ended Friday up 2.1% at $774.20. Trading is set to resume on Tuesday. (AP News)
The holiday break lands with Caterpillar sitting in the middle of two investor arguments: resilient demand for big iron and a newer story around power equipment tied to data centers. With a short week, any fresh line can hit harder.
That matters now because policy signals and the economic data flow have been driving rate bets, and cyclicals like Caterpillar tend to take those moves straight through the stock. Traders want to know if growth is cooling without a clean drop in inflation — a mix that can squeeze valuations fast.
Caterpillar said CFO Andrew Bonfield will join a fireside chat at Barclays’ Industrial Select Conference in Miami on Feb. 18, scheduled to start around 10:25 a.m. EST, with a webcast available. Investors often treat these conference sessions as a place for incremental color on pricing and dealer activity, even when companies keep guidance unchanged. (Caterpillar Investors)
Later that day, minutes from the Federal Reserve’s Jan. 27-28 meeting are due at 2 p.m. EST — the detailed account of the debate that can shift expectations for rate cuts or hikes. The Fed’s February calendar also flags Washington’s Birthday as a holiday, with some statistical releases pushed to Tuesday. (Federal Reserve)
Friday’s focus turns to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which has scheduled the delayed advance estimate of fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 GDP for Feb. 20 at 8:30 a.m. EST, alongside December personal income and outlays — the release that includes the PCE price index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge. The GDP and inflation mix often sets the tone for industrial names into the following week. (Bureau of Economic Analysis)
Not every date is locked. The Census Bureau’s retail trade release calendar shows the January 2026 report date is still “to be announced,” underscoring how government shutdown-related delays have left parts of the data calendar uneven. (Census)
Caterpillar’s last major company update came with late-January results, when it warned of about $2.6 billion in tariff-related costs — import taxes — in 2026 and said those costs could push annual adjusted operating margin toward the bottom of its target range. CEO Joe Creed pointed to rising orders for “prime power” systems — large generators designed to run around the clock — as data-center customers look for on-site electricity; Jefferies analyst Stephen Volkmann said tariff headwinds “limited the margin expansion” for the quarter. (Reuters)
CAT’s price gives it outsized influence on the price-weighted Dow, where higher-priced stocks carry more weight day to day. Machinery peers such as Deere and Japan’s Komatsu can move on similar macro cues, though Caterpillar’s power-and-energy exposure has become a bigger part of the conversation.
But the downside case is still sitting in plain view. If tariff costs bite harder than expected, or if dealer orders soften as financing stays tight, the stock’s recent run can look stretched in a hurry — especially if the week’s growth and inflation reads revive fears that rates stay high.
With Wall Street reopening Tuesday, traders will watch whether the market snaps back into gear ahead of Bonfield’s Barclays appearance on Wednesday morning and the Fed minutes later that afternoon, then the GDP and PCE releases on Friday.
