New York, February 21, 2026, 13:51 (EST) — Market closed.
- JPMorgan shares ended Friday up 0.9% at $310.79
- Reuters reported the bank named senior leaders to drive a $1.5 trillion security-and-resiliency initiative
- Investors head into Monday watching tariffs, rates and fresh inflation signals
JPMorgan Chase & Co shares closed higher on Friday after Reuters reported the bank has tapped former U.S. CHIPS Program Office and defense officials to help steer a $1.5 trillion security-focused investment and financing push. The stock ended up 0.9% at $310.79. (Reuters)
The effort — branded the Security and Resiliency Initiative — is meant to channel financing and investment into areas such as strategic manufacturing and other “critical industries,” as the bank looks for durable pockets of deal and lending activity. JPMorgan has said the 10-year initiative includes plans for direct equity and venture investments of up to $10 billion. (JPMorgan Chase)
The backdrop is jumpy. U.S. stocks gained on Friday after a Supreme Court ruling struck down President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs, but the White House response and the inflation path are still in play. “Striking down of these tariffs will benefit corporate bottom lines,” said Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder, while warning there could be “a lot of disruption.” (Reuters)
In the memo seen by Reuters, JPMorgan named Kevin Quinn as a lead for frontier and strategic technologies, and set Trevor Burns to oversee defense and aerospace work, among other moves tied to the initiative. The bank launched the program in October, the memo said. (Investing)
Bank stocks broadly moved with the wider tape on Friday. Bank of America rose 0.6% and Wells Fargo gained 1.3%, while JPMorgan’s climb lagged some regional lenders on the day. (MarketWatch)
Rates remained the other driver. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rose modestly on Friday, a move traders often watch for what it could mean for banks’ lending margins and bond portfolios. A “basis point” is one-hundredth of a percentage point. (Reuters)
Still, the macro data were not clean. U.S. fourth-quarter GDP growth slowed to a 1.4% annualized pace, and a core measure of PCE inflation rose 0.4% in December, Reuters reported. “With the economy and labor market stabilizing and inflation still elevated, we expect the Fed will remain on prolonged hold,” said Michael Pearce, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. (Reuters)
The risk for JPMorgan and its peers is that policy volatility translates into weaker business confidence or tighter financial conditions. Trump said on Saturday he would raise a temporary global tariff to 15% after the court ruling, and Wendy Cutler, a former senior U.S. trade official now at the Asia Society think tank, said the rapid shift underscored uncertainty for trading partners. (Reuters)
For JPMorgan specifically, investors will be watching whether the security initiative turns into visible deal flow and fee opportunities, or just headlines, as the bank leans into sectors that can be cyclical and politically sensitive.
When trading resumes on Monday, attention is likely to stay split between Washington’s next tariff steps and the next read on inflation pressures and wage costs that can steer rate expectations.
Later in the week, traders will have new data points to calibrate those bets, including the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation report on Tuesday, February 24, and the Producer Price Index release on Friday, February 27, both scheduled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Bls)
