Market Overview
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 — US equity futures edged higher in early trading as selling pressure tied to artificial intelligence stocks appeared to stabilize. Asian markets showed mixed signals, with Japanese stocks gaining while Indian indices faced pressure.
Crypto Markets
Bitcoin is trading at $67,830, down 0.8% over the past 24 hours. Ethereum outperformed, rising 1.1% to $2,003. Notably, Bitcoin volatility has dropped to levels not seen in almost a year, with daily candle moves of 5% or more becoming increasingly rare since the tariff-related market dump earlier this month.
Key Levels:
- BTC: $67,830 (-0.8%)
- ETH: $2,003 (+1.1%)
- SOL: $84.91 (-1.9%)
- XRP: $1.48 (+0.1%)
Stock Market
US markets are closed for overnight trading. Key movers from yesterday’s session:
- NVDA: $184.97 (+1.2%)
- TSLA: $410.63 (-1.6%)
- MSTR: $128.67 (-3.9%)
- RKLB: $69.89 (+3.6%)
What to Watch Today
FOMC Minutes (Wednesday) — The minutes from the January Fed meeting will be released today and are expected to influence both traditional and crypto markets. Traders will be parsing the language for clues on the pace of future rate cuts.
The Verdict
Markets are in a consolidation phase with reduced volatility across asset classes. The Fed minutes release today could provide the catalyst for the next directional move. Until then, expect range-bound price action with selective strength in AI-related names and Ethereum outperforming Bitcoin.
— Freedom Portfolio Market Brief