---
title: "Summary of U.S. Stock Investment News for February 20, 2026"
description: "Part One: The Ten Most Important and Hottest News Summaries (Focusing on Hot Stock Announcements, Key Financial Report Points, and Market-Driven Events) U.S.-Iran Tensions Escalate: Donald Trump said "
type: "topic"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/topics/38792017.md"
published_at: "2026-02-20T00:59:19.000Z"
author: "[rogar](https://longbridge.com/en/profiles/13708015)"
---

# Summary of U.S. Stock Investment News for February 20, 2026

**Part One: Top Ten Most Important and Trending News Summaries** (Focusing on hot stock announcements, key earnings points, and market-driving events)

1.  **U.S.-Iran Tensions Escalate**: $Trump Media & Tech(DJT.US) stated he will decide within the next 10-15 days whether to reach a deal with Iran, or else "something bad" will happen; the U.S. is preparing to strike Iran as early as Saturday, pushing oil prices to a six-month high, boosting energy stocks but dampening overall risk sentiment.
2.  **Fed Minutes Leaned Hawkish**: FOMC minutes showed strong inflation stickiness and robust employment, raising the bar for rate cuts; officials saw no need to rush further easing, leading to a rebound in Treasury yields and pressure on stocks.
3.  **Walmart (WMT) Cautious on Guidance**: Post-earnings guidance reflects uneven U.S. economy, stock fell over 1%, dragging down consumer stocks; but Amazon surpassed Walmart milestones in some areas.
4.  **Meta (META) Cuts Employee Stock Awards**: To support AI investment, most employees' stock options reduced by about 5%, highlighting AI cash-burning strategy.
5.  **Private Credit Crisis Concerns**: Blue Owl Capital limited fund redemptions and sold loans, stock plunged nearly 6%, sparking concerns over liquidity and valuation in the $1.8 trillion private credit market, dragging down financials.
6.  **Nvidia and Other AI Stock Volatility**: AI panic eased somewhat, but tech stocks overall dragged the market; $NVIDIA(NVDA.US) and Meta expanded AI infrastructure agreement.
7.  **Unexpected Drop in Jobless Claims**: Initial claims fell to 206k (better than expected), showing labor market resilience, but continuing claims were flat.
8.  **Pending Home Sales Index Hits Low**: Down 0.8% m/m, housing market weak.
9.  **Wayfair Stock Plunges**: Expansion plans may hurt profits, investors concerned.
10.  **Other Stock Moves**: Etsy up on deal; Carvana plunges post-earnings; Pfizer leverages Viagra experience to push obesity drug.

**Part Two: Ten+ International Macro Economic Dynamic Indicators and Related Data** (Focusing on key U.S. and global indicators, based on latest available data)

1.  **Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)**: 49,395.16, down 267.50 points (-0.54%).
2.  **S&P 500 Index**: 6,861.89, down 19.42 points (-0.28%).
3.  **Nasdaq Composite Index**: 22,682.73, down 70.91 points (-0.31%).
4.  **VIX Fear Index**: 20.23, up 3.11% (risk appetite declining).
5.  **WTI Crude Oil Price**: ~$66.43/barrel, up ~0.36% (geopolitical risk boost).
6.  **Gold Price**: ~$5,017/oz, slightly up but capped by rate cut divergence.
7.  **U.S. 10-Year Treasury Yield**: ~4.07%-4.09%, held steady after small intraday fluctuations.
8.  **U.S. Dollar Index**: Hit a near four-week high, strong rebound.
9.  **U.S. January Nonfarm Payrolls**: Added 130k, job market warming up (unemployment rate fell to 4.3%).
10.  **U.S. CPI Inflation Rate**: January annual rate 2.4% (near 5-year low), core CPI 2.5%.
11.  **Initial Jobless Claims**: 206k, better than expected (labor resilience).
12.  **Pending Home Sales**: Down 0.8% m/m, hit record low.
13.  **Fed Target Rate Range**: Maintained at 3.5%-3.75%, no rush to cut signals.

**Part Three: Summary of Reports/Views from Renowned Investment Banks and Analysts** (Macro forecasts and stock views)

-   **Goldman Sachs**: Emphasized improved market breadth has boosted mutual fund returns; but warned U.S. stocks had the worst start to 2026 relative to global markets (since 1995), AI trade may be excessive; cut target price for some stocks (e.g., Grocery Outlet) to $9, maintained Sell rating. Macro view is sustainable non-inflationary slowdown, but warming labor market weakens rate cut argument.
-   **Morgan Stanley**: Maintained Hold rating on Goldman Sachs Group; overall market outlook focuses on 2026 global economy and strategy forecasts, highlighting wealth management and investment banking opportunities, but cautious on some consumer/retail guidance. Analysts believe Fed rate cut expectations remain (two 25bp cuts before year-end), but inflation stickiness and geopolitical risks increase uncertainty.
-   **Other Views**: Fed officials overall see higher bar for rate cuts; with robust employment + sticky inflation, 2026 growth slows but no recession; some analysts see private credit event as a "Bear Stearns moment" warning, liquidity stress could spread.

**Part Four: Investment Recommendations Based on the Above Analysis**

**Short-term Investment Recommendations (Intraday/Recent Trading, Higher Risk, Driven by Geopolitics and Data)**:

-   **Buy**: Energy stocks (e.g., crude oil-related ETFs or XOM), due to U.S.-Iran tensions pushing oil higher; defensive consumer staples (e.g., PG, KO), safe-haven demand.
-   **Sell/Reduce**: Financial stocks (especially private credit-related, like Blue Owl peers), liquidity concerns intensify; tech growth stocks if AI panic resurges, high short-term volatility, wait for pullback.
-   **Wait and See**: Await tomorrow's PCE inflation and GDP data; if inflation mild, short-term rebound play possible, otherwise prioritize safety. High intraday volatility, recommend strict stops.

**Long-term Investment Recommendations (6-12+ months, Allocation-Oriented)**:

-   Maintain long-term bullish view on AI/tech core (e.g., Nvidia, Meta), but diversify risk, avoid over-concentration; if Fed confirms soft landing, growth stocks still have room.
-   Increase allocation to defensive + value sectors: Energy (geopolitical premium persists), Healthcare (e.g., Pfizer's obesity drug potential), high-dividend consumer.
-   Monitor Fed path: If inflation continues falling near 2%, restarting rate cuts will benefit overall market; but geopolitical risks (Middle East) and potential spread of private credit stress could trigger broader adjustment, recommend holding 10-20% cash as buffer.
-   Overall: 2026 U.S. stocks offer more structural opportunities than a broad bull market, stock-picking + diversified allocation, long-term positive on U.S. economic resilience but wary of policy and geopolitical uncertainty.

Investing involves risks, please assess independently.

### Related Stocks

- [OBDC.US - Blue Owl Capital](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/OBDC.US.md)
- [NVDA.US - NVIDIA](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDA.US.md)
- [OWL.US - Blue Owl Capital](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/OWL.US.md)
- [WMT.US - Walmart](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WMT.US.md)
- [AMZN.US - Amazon](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZN.US.md)
- [META.US - Meta Platforms](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/META.US.md)
- [AMP.US - Ameriprise Financial](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMP.US.md)
- [OBDE.US - Blue Owl Capital III](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/OBDE.US.md)
- [WTI.US - W&T Offshore](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WTI.US.md)
- [PG.US - Procter & Gamble](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/PG.US.md)

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> **Disclaimer**: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.