GLOBAL MARKETS-US, European stocks rise, Treasury yields gain after Supreme Court strikes down Trump tariffs

BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 02/20/26 11:29 AM EST

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Supreme Court ruling to affect global markets

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US GDP growth slows, inflation rises

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Dollar set for largest weekly rise this year

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Gold prices fluctuate, Treasury yields rise post-tariff ruling

(Updates to U.S. morning trading)

By Stephen Culp

NEW YORK, Feb 20 (Reuters) - U.S. and European stocks advanced on Friday and Treasury yields rose as investors absorbed a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down President Trump's tariffs, while also parsing a weak GDP report and ?higher-than-expected inflation data.

All three major U.S. stock indexes moved higher immediately following the Supreme ?Court's decision. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq are on track to notch weekly gains, while the blue-chip Dow is currently flat versus last Friday's close.

Europe's STOXX 600 index extended gains following the ?ruling while gold prices came off the day's highs in the immediate aftermath. The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling struck down Trump's sweeping tariffs enacted under a ?law meant for use in national emergencies, and has widespread implications for the global economy. "There's a belief that ?tariffs have actually hurt the economy, and ?maybe we see that in these weak GDP numbers that we got earlier today," said Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder in New York. "And tariffs play right into that, hurting the ?U.S. especially in global trade." "Striking down of these tariffs will benefit corporate ?bottom lines, corporate earnings," Ghriskey said, adding that the decision "has ramifications across the economic spectrum but there's got to be a lot of disruption, and we'll have to see the reaction from the White House." Before Wall Street's opening bell, the Commerce ?Department released its advance take on fourth-quarter GDP, which showed the U.S. economy grew ?at a sharply ?decelerated 1.4% on a quarterly annualized basis in the last months of 2025. Its separate Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, the inflation gauge favored by the U.S. Federal Reserve, revealed price growth heated up in December. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 122.76 points, or 0.25%, ?to 49,517.92, the S&P 500 was up 41.24 points, or 0.60%, at 6,902.84 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 234.12 points, or 1.03%, to ?22,915.65.

European stocks jumped on the heels of the Supreme Court ruling, and remained on course for weekly gains on an improving corporate earnings outlook, while geopolitical turmoil remained on investors' radar. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe rose 5.06 points, or 0.48%, to 1,052.27. The pan-European STOXX 600 index advanced 0.78%, while Europe's broad FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 19.55 points, or 0.78%. The emerging market stocks index added 3.41 points, or 0.22%, to 1,566.75. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan ?closed higher by ?0.17%, at 802.57, while Japan's Nikkei fell 642.13 points, or 1.12%, to 56,825.70.

SAFE-HAVEN DEMAND FOR GOLD PERSISTS

Gold prices ?jumped as the soft GDP report offset hot inflation data, but pared those gains slightly after the tariff ruling. Even so, rising U.S.-Iran tensions continued to ?support demand for the safe-haven metal. Spot gold was up 0.78% at $5,037.73 an ounce. U.S. gold futures advanced 1.6% to $5,055.50 an ounce.

U.S. Treasury yields rose following the Supreme Court's ruling. The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes added 1.9 basis points to 4.094%, from 4.075% late on Thursday. The 30-year bond yield rose 3.1 basis points to 4.7352% from 4.704% late on Thursday. The two-year note yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations for the Federal Reserve, rose 0.8 basis points to 3.478%, from 3.47% late on Thursday.

The dollar turned lower after the top U.S. court's tariff decision, but was still on track for its biggest weekly gain since October. The dollar index, which ?measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, fell 0.15% to 97.74, with the euro up 0.1% at $1.1784. In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin gained 0.65% to $67,349.65. Ethereum rose 0.38% to $1,955.40.

Crude prices eased but were poised to log a weekly gain on rising tensions between the United States and ?Iran. U.S. crude fell 0.33% to $66.21 a barrel and Brent fell to $71.36 ?per barrel, down 0.42% on the day.

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

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