From the Desk - Economic Commentary
Brandon Casey, Member Strategies - 2/12/2026
U.S. stocks opened higher this morning but have fallen since the opening bell. Both the DJIA and S&P 500 remain positive, while the Nasdaq turned negative. All three major averages were lower on Wednesday. Focus shifts to the CPI report tomorrow as investors hope for some clarity on what the Fed will do with interest rates for the year.
Initial jobless claims declined by 5,000 to 227,000 for the week ending February 7, reflecting a partial pullback from the prior week’s weather-related spike. Initial claims were expected to fall to 225,000. Continuing jobless claims increased 21,000 to 1.862 million for the week ending January 31.
Existing home sales in January dropped sharply, falling 8.4% to an annualized pace of 3.91 million, the slowest rate since late 2023.Tthe median sales price rose to $396,800, up 0.9% from a year earlier and the highest January reading on record. Inventory tightened to 1.22 million homes, equal to 3.7 months of supply at the current sales pace.
Subscribe to our daily From the Desk newsletter to get economic commentaries and updated market rates sent directly to your inbox.
Subscribe Here