Finance 19 February 2026

Microsoft stock price slips after hours as MSFT goes ex-dividend and $50B AI push lands
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Microsoft stock price slips after hours as MSFT goes ex-dividend and $50B AI push lands

Microsoft shares fell $1.26, or 0.3%, to $398.46 in after-hours trading Thursday after going ex-dividend for a 91-cent payout. Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares at $397.35 each, raising his holdings to 83,905 shares. Microsoft reaffirmed plans to invest $50 billion in AI in developing markets. CrowdStrike shares rose 1.5% after announcing an expanded alliance with Microsoft.
February 19, 2026
US economic calendar today: S&P 500 slips as jobless claims fall, Blue Owl shakes private credit
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US economic calendar today: S&P 500 slips as jobless claims fall, Blue Owl shakes private credit

The S&P 500 fell 0.4% in afternoon trading, led lower by financials and chip stocks. Blue Owl Capital’s asset sale and fund freeze triggered a drop in private-equity shares. Weekly jobless claims dropped to 206,000, while the Philly Fed’s factory index stayed positive but showed weaker employment. The U.S. trade deficit widened to $70.3 billion in December, well above forecasts.
February 19, 2026
Bitcoin price slips near $66,000 as Fed minutes and ETF outflows keep traders cautious
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Bitcoin price slips near $66,000 as Fed minutes and ETF outflows keep traders cautious

Bitcoin dropped 1% to $66,459 Thursday amid continued outflows from U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs and uncertainty over Federal Reserve rate policy. The dollar strengthened after jobless claims fell, while ether slid 2.6% to $1,923. Fed minutes showed officials open to possible rate hikes if inflation persists. Traders await Friday’s U.S. PCE inflation report.
February 19, 2026
Mortgage rates today: 30-year slips to 6.01% as inflation test nears; housing stocks fall
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Mortgage rates today: 30-year slips to 6.01% as inflation test nears; housing stocks fall

Freddie Mac reported the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 6.01%, its lowest since September 2022. Mortgage applications rose last week, driven by a jump in refinancing, according to MBA data. Homebuilder stocks and housing ETFs traded lower as investors awaited Friday’s inflation data. Pending home sales dropped in January despite improved mortgage affordability.
February 19, 2026
XRP price slides 5% despite SocGen stablecoin move on XRP Ledger — traders eye inflation data
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XRP price slides 5% despite SocGen stablecoin move on XRP Ledger — traders eye inflation data

XRP dropped 4.8% to $1.39 Thursday, tracking declines in bitcoin and ether as traders weighed mixed signals from the Federal Reserve. Societe Generale’s SG-FORGE launched its euro stablecoin on the XRP Ledger with Ripple’s custody support. U.S. jobless claims fell to 206,000, below forecasts. EUR CoinVertible has 69.8 million euros in circulation, backed 1:1 by cash.
February 19, 2026
Dow Jones today: DJIA slides as financials wobble and a key inflation report nears
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Dow Jones today: DJIA slides as financials wobble and a key inflation report nears

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 236 points to 49,426 by late morning Thursday, led lower by financials and chip stocks after Blue Owl Capital froze redemptions at a fund. Deere shares surged over 12% on a raised profit outlook. Weekly jobless claims fell to 206,000, while the U.S. trade deficit widened to $70.3 billion. Federal Reserve minutes showed officials split on future rate moves.
February 19, 2026
Southern Company stock jumps as $81 billion spending plan targets data-center power demand
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Southern Company stock jumps as $81 billion spending plan targets data-center power demand

Southern Co shares rose about 3% to $93.79 Thursday after the utility raised its five-year capital spending plan to $81 billion, citing surging power demand from data centers. The company forecast 2026 adjusted profit of $4.50 to $4.60 per share, slightly below Wall Street estimates. Fourth-quarter adjusted earnings missed expectations as operating expenses climbed nearly 15%.
February 19, 2026
Salesforce (CRM) stock slips after Momentum deal as Wall Street braces for earnings
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Salesforce (CRM) stock slips after Momentum deal as Wall Street braces for earnings

Salesforce shares fell about 1% to $185.98 midday Thursday after the company announced a deal to acquire Momentum, a platform for analyzing voice and video sales calls. The acquisition aims to enhance Agentforce and Slackbot capabilities. Investors await Salesforce’s Feb. 25 earnings report for signs that new AI products are driving growth. The transaction is expected to close in early fiscal 2027.
February 19, 2026
Omnicom stock jumps 13% after $5 billion buyback and IPG deal lift results — what’s next
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Omnicom stock jumps 13% after $5 billion buyback and IPG deal lift results — what’s next

Omnicom shares surged 13.5% to $79.62 after the company announced a $5 billion buyback and doubled its cost-synergy target to $1.5 billion following the Interpublic acquisition. Quarterly revenue reached $5.53 billion, beating estimates, while adjusted earnings missed forecasts. Investors await further details at Omnicom’s March 12 investor day.
February 19, 2026
AppLovin stock price ticks up as report points to homegrown social network plan
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AppLovin stock price ticks up as report points to homegrown social network plan

AppLovin shares rose 0.3% to $405.42 Thursday after a Bloomberg report said the company is preparing a social networking platform. Job postings reference building a global, consumer-facing feed product. AppLovin recently sold its gaming business to Tripledot Studios for $400 million and reported Q4 revenue of $1.658 billion. Board member Herald Y. Chen converted 150,000 Class B shares and gifted 100,000 Class A shares.
February 19, 2026
Oracle stock price rises as AI data-center power deals keep ORCL in focus
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Oracle stock price rises as AI data-center power deals keep ORCL in focus

Oracle shares rose 1.1% to $157.93 in late-morning trading Thursday, extending gains after a sharp drop earlier in the week. The move followed news of a long-term DTE Energy deal to supply 1.4 gigawatts of power to Oracle’s planned Michigan data center. Michigan regulators approved the contract with conditions to protect other customers. Investors await Oracle’s March update for signals on spending and cloud demand.
February 19, 2026
Lumentum stock jumps nearly 5% as Wall Street keeps raising targets on AI optics demand
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Lumentum stock jumps nearly 5% as Wall Street keeps raising targets on AI optics demand

Lumentum shares climbed 4.9% to $623.32 by late morning Thursday after Mizuho raised its price target to $645, citing strength in AI-driven data-center optics. The company recently reported quarterly revenue of $665.5 million and forecast up to $830 million for the current quarter. SEC filings showed two executives sold shares under pre-set trading plans. Investors await management appearances later this month for updates.
February 19, 2026
Palo Alto Networks stock slides again: PANW extends post-earnings drop as deal costs bite
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Palo Alto Networks stock slides again: PANW extends post-earnings drop as deal costs bite

Palo Alto Networks shares fell 1.7% to $149.80 Thursday after forecasting lower-than-expected third-quarter adjusted profit, citing higher acquisition costs. The company reported fiscal Q2 revenue up 15% to $2.59 billion and non-GAAP profit of $1.03 per share, but guided Q3 adjusted earnings to 78–80 cents, below analyst estimates. Palo Alto also announced plans to acquire Israeli startup Koi.
February 19, 2026
Exxon Mobil stock price rises as oil hits six‑month high; Guyana update keeps XOM in focus
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Exxon Mobil stock price rises as oil hits six‑month high; Guyana update keeps XOM in focus

Exxon Mobil shares rose 1.1% to $152.28 Thursday as Brent crude hit $71.48 and WTI reached $66.35 on Middle East supply fears. Exxon said its Guyana Uaru and Whiptail projects are ahead of schedule, with output targets of 1.15 million bpd and 1.4 million bpd. Parts of Stabroek Block remain under force majeure due to the Guyana-Venezuela dispute. U.S. inventory data is due later Thursday.
February 19, 2026
Figma (FIG) stock price jumps after outlook beat; March AI credits are the next test
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Figma (FIG) stock price jumps after outlook beat; March AI credits are the next test

Figma shares rose 6.7% to $25.82 Thursday after reporting 40% fourth-quarter revenue growth and a higher 2026 forecast. The company will start charging for AI credits in March, with CFO Praveer Melwani warning of margin pressure from AI costs. The stock remains down over 80% from its 2025 high. Analyst reactions were mixed, with targets ranging from $30 to $35.
February 19, 2026
eBay stock jumps after $1.2 billion Depop deal and upbeat forecast lifts EBAY shares
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eBay stock jumps after $1.2 billion Depop deal and upbeat forecast lifts EBAY shares

eBay shares rose 4.6% to $85.99 after announcing a $1.2 billion cash deal to acquire Depop and raising its outlook. The company reported fourth-quarter revenue up 15% to $3.0 billion, lifted its dividend, and expanded its buyback program. Etsy, which is selling Depop, gained 9.7%. Investors await eBay’s management call for more details on the deal and 2026 demand.
February 19, 2026
Alphabet Class C (GOOG) stock rises on Google’s Shopee AI deal — what traders watch next
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Alphabet Class C (GOOG) stock rises on Google’s Shopee AI deal — what traders watch next

Alphabet’s Class C shares rose 0.4% to $305.29 late Thursday morning as Google announced a partnership with Sea Ltd to develop AI shopping tools for Shopee and expand payments collaboration. The European Commission has asked advertisers for feedback on possible manipulation of Search ad auction prices but has not launched a formal probe. YouTube resolved a brief outage that affected over 320,000 U.S. users.
February 19, 2026
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