Wall Street indexes opened ?lower on Friday ?after data showed ?U.S. economic growth ?slowed more ?than expected ?in the fourth ?quarter ?and inflation picked up in December.
US stocks look set to open lower in Friday's trading session as investors parse GDP growth that fell short of analyst forecasts, and inflation data that rose slightly more than expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were off 0.3%, S&P 500 futures declined 0.4%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.5% lower.
* US economic growth slows sharply in the fourth quarter. * US PCE inflation heats up in December. * Goldman sees slowdown in central bank gold buying as temporary. By Anmol Choubey.
Editor?s note: This story was updated to add details, context. U.S. gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 1.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to advance estimates released Friday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The figure marks a sharp slowdown from the prior quarter's 4.4% expansion pace and came in sharply below economists' expectations for 3% growth.
* Akamai Technologies (AKAM) slides after dour Q1 profit outlook. * US economic growth slows sharply in the fourth quarter. * US PCE inflation heats up in December. * Futures down: Dow 0.22%, S&P 500 0.28%, Nasdaq 0.43% By Sruthi Shankar and Shashwat Chauhan. Feb 20 - Wall Street indexes were on track to open lower on Friday after data ?showed.
Rosenberg Research said it noted with interest that the speculators in the CME futures & options pits turned net bullish on the Canadian dollar last week for the first time since August 2023. It seemed this was based on a belief that the Bank of Canada was done easing, noted Rosenberg Research. Rosenberg added that it was "skeptical" on this and would likely bet against this consensus.
HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital (HASI) said Friday it has priced a registered public offering of $400 million of 6.000% green senior unsecured notes due 2036.
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said ?on Friday that ?the discussion about the ?term length of ECB ?President Christine Lagarde ?was "speculation", ?but that when it came ?time to ?find a successor, Germany would participate ?actively.
U.S. Treasury yields pared their earlier drop on Friday but ?remained lower on the ?day after data showed that inflation was higher ?than economists' forecasts in December, while ?gross domestic product for ?the fourth ?quarter was well below expectations.
US economic growth, measured by gross domestic product, rose by 1.4% in Q4 after a 4.4% gain in the previous quarter, slower than a 2.8% increase expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. Personal consumption expenditures rose by 2.4% after a 3.5% gain, right in line with a 2.4% gain expected. Government spending was subtraction from Q4 GDP, likely due to the government shutdown in the quarter.
Underlying U.S. inflation increased more than expected in December, and signs are pointing to a further acceleration in January, which would strengthen expectations that the Federal Reserve would not cut interest rates before June.
Underlying U.S. inflation increased more than expected in December, and signs are pointing to a further acceleration in January, which would strengthen expectations that the Federal Reserve would not cut interest rates before June.
U.S. stock index futures dipped on Friday after data showed U.S. economic growth ?slowed more than expected in ?the fourth quarter, while inflation rose more ?than economists' estimates in December. The Commerce ?Department's report showed U.S. ?GDP increased ?at a 1.4% annualized rate last quarter after ?accelerating at a ?4.4% pace in the July-September quarter.
U.S. economic growth slowed more than expected in the fourth quarter, with government spending posting its biggest decline since 1972 because of last year's shutdown, but other data remained consistent with a steady pace of expansion. Most of the?drag on gross domestic product from the 43-day shutdown, however, will likely be reversed in the first quarter.
U.S. gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 1.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to advance estimates released Friday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The figure marks a sharp slowdown from the prior quarter's 4.4% expansion pace and came in sharply below economists' expectations for 3% growth.
* Fourth-quarter economic growth increases at 1.4% rate. * Consumer spending slows; inflation heats up. * Business investment on research and development accelerates. By Lucia Mutikani.
HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. (HASI), a leading investor in sustainable infrastructure assets, announced that yesterday, on February 19, 2026, it priced its registered public offering of $400 million in aggregate principal amount of 6.000% green senior unsecured notes due 2036.
* Miner's earnings up 186% on record gold price, higher output. * AngloGold declares record $1.8 billion dividend in 2025. * Declares 4.9 million ounces at US project after study. * US project capex forecast at $3.6 billion. By Nelson ?Banya.
US stock futures are tracking slightly lower in Friday's premarket session as investors await key GDP and inflation data coming out later in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures, S&P 500 futures, and Nasdaq futures were off 0.2% each.
* Dollar up around 1% this week. * Increasing US-Iran tension in focus. * Investors also awaiting US PCE, GDP data. By Sophie Kiderlin. The dollar was on track for its largest weekly rise since October as it remained steady on Friday, buoyed by better-than-expected economic data and a more hawkish Federal Reserve outlook, while tensions rose between the United States and Iran.
The US dollar was mixed against its major trading partners early Friday -- up versus the euro and yen, down versus the pound and Canadian dollar -- ahead of the first look at Q4 GDP and personal income, spending and price data for December, all due to be released at 8:30 am ET.
The British pound hovered around its lowest in a month against the dollar on Friday, and was headed for its biggest weekly decline since January 2025, as investors weighed mixed ?economic data and added to bets on Bank of ?England interest rate cuts.
* Futures: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq flat. U.S. stock index futures were flat on Friday as investors awaited key economic data to gauge the ?path of monetary policy easing for the year while monitoring ?tensions with Tehran and a potential U.S. Supreme Court decision on Trump's tariffs.
Canada's new home price index fell a "heavy" 0.4% month over month in January, and was down an even larger 0.6% month over month for the "house only" part -- in other words, not including land prices, said Bank of Montreal. The latter feeds into the monthly consumer price index with a one-month delay, and that large drop will as such dampen next month's result, noted the bank.
Global equity funds received their strongest inflows in five weeks in the seven days to February 18, as easing concerns over artificial intelligence stocks and investor rotation into other sectors supported demand, ?while renewed hopes for Federal Reserve rate cuts ?lifted sentiment toward U.S. growth.
Trade tensions between Canada and the United States have intensified, fueling economic uncertainty at the start of a crucial year for the renewal of the USMCA trade agreement, said National Bank of Canada.
Global equity funds received their strongest inflows in five weeks in the seven days to February 18, as easing concerns over artificial intelligence stocks and investor rotation into other sectors supported demand, ?while renewed hopes for Federal Reserve rate cuts ?lifted sentiment toward U.S. growth.
* Lagarde plans to complete ECB term amid succession speculation. * German 10-year yields decline for second week. * Euro area bonds outperform US Treasuries. By Amanda Cooper and Stefano Rebaudo.
Commerzbank in its "European Sunrise" note of Friday highlighted: Markets: United States Treasuries recover into the New York close, stay supported in Asia as Japanese government bonds rally. Fed: Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran says he would move his dot back up to where it was in September due to the improving labor market.
U.S. equity funds saw a substantial inflow of capital in the week to February 18 on easing worries over a ?selloff in the technology sector ?after a cooler consumer price inflation report boosted expectations of ?Federal Reserve rate cuts.
U.S. equity funds saw a substantial inflow of capital in the week to February 18 on easing worries over a ?selloff in the technology sector ?after a cooler consumer price inflation report boosted expectations of ?Federal Reserve rate cuts.
U.S. 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.
* Euro zone businesses perform better than expected in February. * Germany leads the expansion with growth at four-month high. * British businesses report another strong month. By Jonathan Cable.
?. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group. Issue of EUR 1,500,000,000.00. Floating Rate Senior Unsecured Notes due May 2027. Series no 2123 Tranche 1 MTN. ISSUE NAME. Our Ref. ISIN Code. INTEREST AMT PER DENOM. CURRENCY CODE. DAY BASIS. NUM OF DAYS. INTEREST RATE. VALUE DATE. INTEREST PERIOD. EUR 1,000.00 IS EUR 5.86. POOL FACTOR.
* Dollar up more than 1% this week. * Increasing US-Iran tension in focus. * Investors also awaiting US PCE, GDP data. By Sophie Kiderlin. The dollar was on track for its largest weekly gain since October on Friday, buoyed by a run of better-than-expected economic data and a more hawkish Federal Reserve outlook, as tensions rose between the U.S. and Iran.
British businesses have extended their early 2026 rebound into a second month, but jobs are still being sharply cut among services firms partly as a result of higher taxes imposed on them by the Labour government, a survey ?showed on Friday.
Euro zone business activity accelerated faster than forecast this month as manufacturing swung back to growth for the first time since October, though the dominant ?services sector marginally underperformed expectations, a survey ?showed.
Germany's private sector saw business activity growth accelerate to a four-month high in February, driven by improved performance in services and ?the first manufacturing expansion in over three-and-a-half ?years, a survey showed on Friday.
Nvidia's (NVDA) earnings report is next week's centrepiece for markets, flanked by important data and politics in Europe, where both politicians and central bankers are jostling for top jobs. Here's all you need to know about the week ahead in financial markets from Lewis Krauskopf in New York, Rae Wee in Singapore, and Marc Jones, Harry Robertson and Dhara Ranasinghe in London. 1/ NVIDIA'S MOMENT.
By Rocky Swift. Japanese government bonds rose on Friday after cooling inflation reduced the urgency for central ?bank rate hikes and Prime Minister Sanae ?Takaichi reiterated her pledge to pursue "responsible" fiscal policy.
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde has attempted to calm speculation about her stepping down early that has called into question the central bank's separation from politics, telling the Wall Street Journal she expects to complete her term.
* Dollar up more than 1% this week. * Eyes on US-Iran tensions; investors also awaiting US PCE, GDP data. * Aussie, Kiwi falter on risk-off mood. * Japan's Takaichi pledges to break with 'fiscal austerity' to spark economic revival. By Rae Wee.
* Government to submit nominees to fill 2 BOJ board seats. * Choice will offer clues on Takaichi's monetary policy stance. * List includes reflationists but uncertainty on final choice. * Some analysts doubt Takaichi will choose reflationists. By Takaya Yamaguchi and Leika Kihara.
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.
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