Fed pause left markets largely flat

February 17, 2026 at 21:00 UTC

5 min read

Fed and ECB policy impact on U.S. benchmarks and European stocks, steady yields, market reaction

Key Points

Fed speakers emphasized a data-dependent pause, keeping Treasury yields broadly stable.
ECB announcements reinforced supervisory continuity and influenced euro-area liquidity pricing, supporting European outperformance.
U.S. benchmarks finished near flat as Fed signals and steady yields offset mixed sector and corporate news.
Sector divergence emerged as Financials and Real Estate outperformed while Consumer Staples, Energy and Materials lagged.

Global Market Summary

U.S. benchmarks ended essentially flat as Fed officials signaled a data-dependent pause; SPX rose 0.10%, ^IXIC rose 0.10% and DJIA gained 0.06%. European indices outperformed, with DAX up 0.80%, UKX up 0.79% and FRA40 up 0.54%, supported by ECB supervisory continuity and weekly liquidity data. In Asia NKY fell 0.42%.

Top Movers

Strongest sectors: Financials (XLF +1.07%) and Real Estate (VNQ +0.94%), with Industrials (XLI +0.55%) also outperforming. Weakest sectors: Consumer Staples (XLP -1.49%), Energy (XLE -1.08%) and Materials (XLB -0.98%) lagged. Notable movers: MASI (+34.26%), ZIM (+24.82%) and ETOR (+22.00%) led gainers; FELE (-14.62%), GPC (-14.28%) and IPGP (-13.35%) were the largest decliners.

Macro highlights

Fed speakers including Chicago Fed President Goolsbee, Governor Barr and SF Fed President Daly emphasized a data-dependent pause and the need for sustained disinflation, keeping Treasury yields broadly stable and preserving expectations for later easing if progress continues. ECB announcements — an extension of Supervisory Board vice-chair Frank Elderson and a Eurosystem statement showing a EUR 11.5bn rise in base money and a EUR 0.8bn FX position increase — reinforced supervisory continuity and influenced short-term euro-area liquidity pricing. Regional data were mixed as the NY Fed Empire State index held at 7.1, signaling modest manufacturing expansion amid elevated input-price readings.

News that moved markets

Krystal Biotech (KRYS) reported Q4 VYJUVEK net product revenue of $107.1M, a $955.9M cash position and FDA RMAT/Fast Track designations for KB707 and KB111, factors cited as supportive for KRYS. Medtronic (MDT) posted Q3 FY26 revenue of $9.017B and non-GAAP EPS of $1.36, reiterated FY26 guidance and highlighted cardiovascular strength, which underpinned healthcare sector sentiment. Genuine Parts (GPC) missed Q4 sales and EPS, issued conservative 2026 guidance and announced a planned split that sent shares sharply lower, while Elbit Systems (ESLT) reported roughly $435M in contract awards, boosting backlog visibility.

Upcoming session watchlist

GB Inflation Rate YoY (Jan) — consensus 3% vs 3.4% prior, Feb 18, 07:00 AM | Signals near-term inflation trend and underlying consumer price pressures.
US Durable Goods Orders MoM (Dec) — forecast -3.4% vs 5.3% prior, Feb 18, 01:30 PM | Indicates manufacturing momentum and business investment demand across core goods sectors.
US Housing Starts (Nov) — forecast 1.27M vs 1.246M prior, Feb 18, 01:30 PM | Tracks residential construction activity and overall housing market momentum.
US Building Permits Prel (Dec) — forecast 1.31M, Feb 18, 01:30 PM | Leads future residential construction and the housing supply pipeline.
US FOMC Minutes — Feb 18, 07:00 PM | Provides insight into policy discussions and assessments of economic conditions.

Key Takeaways

U.S. benchmarks ended essentially flat as Fed comments kept yields steady.
European indices outperformed, aided by ECB supervisory continuity and a rise in base money that influenced liquidity pricing.
Sectors diverged: Financials and Real Estate outperformed while Consumer Staples, Energy and Materials lagged.
Company news drove stock moves: KRYS and MDT were cited as supportive while GPC's miss and conservative guidance sent shares sharply lower.