NEW YORK, Feb 17, 2026, 06:00 EST — Premarket
- Robinhood shares gave up ground in early trading, following a solid finish on Friday.
- Crypto is taking the spotlight again now that Wall Street’s back from the holiday break.
- Investors want specifics on prediction markets, along with updates on any upcoming products.
Robinhood Markets Inc (HOOD) slipped 1.6% to $74.73 ahead of Tuesday’s open, paring back some gains after a 6.8% rally that left the stock at $75.97 on Friday. Bitcoin, meanwhile, dropped roughly 1.3% to $67,849, adding to the squeeze on crypto-related equities early. 1
That initial drop is notable—Robinhood remains a proxy for retail risk appetite. Revenue follows the ups and downs in customer action across stocks, options, and crypto. The market doesn’t hesitate to react if trading shows signs of slowing.
U.S. markets are back in action Tuesday, following Monday’s Presidents Day closure. In premarket hours ahead of the 9:30 a.m. ET bell, lighter volumes and wider bid-ask spreads often make trading look more volatile than usual. 2
Robinhood’s quarterly report divided the investor crowd. Revenue hit a record $1.28 billion for the fourth quarter—still, that headline figure fell short of analysts’ targets, as crypto trading lagged. Finance chief Shiv Verma described active traders as “still really active,” though the bulk of heavy crypto action landed in lower-priced tiers, dragging down the rebates Robinhood collects from execution partners. 3
The stock also faces uncertainty from Robinhood’s move into prediction markets—event contracts tied to specific outcomes—a business the company touts as its next growth engine. CEO Vlad Tenev described the launch as the beginning of a “prediction market supercycle” and said Robinhood plans to unveil more products at its “Take Flight” event on March 4. 4
For traders, it’s about the tape in the hours ahead—crypto swings, price action, and the appetite for risk once the bell rings. Robinhood’s premarket pop isn’t guaranteed to stick around if volumes surge.
The setup isn’t one-sided. Should bitcoin continue to fall or if volatility fizzles out, transaction revenue and user activity could take a hit—the very factors behind the stock’s big moves.
Friday brings the next big macro data drop, as the Commerce Department’s BEA releases the PCE price index — the inflation figure the Fed watches most closely. That number can jolt rate bets and ripple through crypto and high-beta stocks. 5
