Stock futures rise ahead of Fed minutes as Nvidia shares gain: Live updates – CNBC
Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on Feb. 18, 2026.
NYSE
The S&P 500 moved higher on Wednesday, supported by gains in key technology names, as traders weighed the release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s most recent policy meeting.
The broad-based index climbed 0.56% to end at 6,881.31, while the Nasdaq Composite added 0.78% to close at 22,753.63. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 129.47 points, or 0.26%, and settled at 49,662.66.
Nvidia shares advanced 1.6% on the heels of Meta Platforms announcing Tuesday that it’s going to use millions of Nvidia’s chips in its data center buildout.
Similarly, fellow “Magnificent Seven” member Amazon moved higher by nearly 2% after regulatory filings showed Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square grew its stake in the e-commerce giant by 65% during the fourth quarter. That makes Amazon the fund’s third-largest holding. The move comes after the stock snapped a nine-day losing streak.
Micron Technology also saw gains after David Tepper’s Appaloosa Management increased its holdings in the chipmaker. The stock closed more than 5% higher.
While those stocks are bolstering the broader market, Stephen Lee of Logan Capital Management noted that “lesser-known” names in the tech space are also performing well, including those in industrial tech such as Trimble. Shares of that company were up about 2% in the session.
“I’m not sure today is actually eliminating the broadening out thesis when we kind of peel the onion and look at relative winners,” the founding principal said, adding that the market is growing “a little bit more discerning.”
Investors mulled over the minutes from the Fed’s January meeting, which revealed that participants largely approved of the central bank’s decision to leave its key interest rate unchanged at a range of 3.5% to 3.75%. However, officials were divided on the direction of monetary policy thereafter.
Elsewhere, oil prices jumped as those on Wall Street digested the latest developments between the U.S. and Iran. Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that Iran failed to address U.S. red lines in this week’s nuclear talks and that military action is still a possibility.
Wall Street is coming off a muted session, with the major averages eking out small gains. The software sector, which has already been under pressure due to fears of disruption by artificial intelligence, fell during the trading day.
