ETF Tracker Newsletter For February 13, 2026
ETF Tracker StatSheet
You can view the latest version here.
CPI COMES IN SOFT – STOCKS FLAT, GOLD BACK ABOVE $5,000
- Moving the market
The S&P 500 spent the early part of the day just treading water, and the month ended basically flat as the latest consumer inflation report (January CPI) came in softer than expected but didn’t spark any big rally.
Headline CPI rose 0.2% month-over-month (annualized 2.4%), beating the forecasted 0.3% MoM and 2.5% YoY. Core CPI (excluding food & energy) matched expectations at 0.3% MoM and 2.5% YoY.
The number was a bit of a relief after the strong payrolls data earlier in the week—giving the Fed a touch more room to stay dovish without inflation looking too sticky.
Still, it’s above their target, so near-term policy isn’t moving much. Rate-cut expectations barely budged.
The bigger story this week was ongoing jitters about AI disruption. Fears that AI could upend revenue in industries like real estate, trucking, software, financial services, and even media (hitting names like Disney -3% and Netflix -7% for the week) kept pressure on growth stocks.
Mega-cap tech plunged for a fourth straight day, sinking to its lowest since September 2025, while utilities quietly became the go-to safe haven.
Bond yields retreated (helping equities a bit), rate-cut odds ticked higher, the dollar ended the week lower, and Bitcoin tested $69K today but stayed volatile overall.
Gold managed to gain for the week and recapture $5,000, while silver advanced today but slipped slightly overall.
Despite the chop, earnings season remains a bright spot—US companies are posting strong profit growth again, with +12% year-over-year, marking five straight quarters of double-digit increases.
That’s something to cheer about.
Read More