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Weekly Market Commentary: Stocks Decline During Busy Week for Economic Data
02/17/26
Sunflower Bank Weekly Market Commentary: February 17, 2026
Each week, our Wealth Management team analyzes the U.S. stock market and bond market activity and news of the previous week, summarizing their findings into a weekly market update report. The key points of this week's commentary, "Stocks Decline During Busy Week for Economic Data," include:
- U.S. markets broadly declined last week as a heavy slate of economic data delivered mixed results that are unlikely to meaningfully shift expectations for the Fed’s near‑term policy path.
- Nonfarm payrolls rose by 130,000 in January, far exceeding the consensus estimate of 65,000. However, employment revisions remain persistently negative. Final benchmark revisions lowered job growth for the year ending March 2025 by 911,000—the largest downward adjustment since 2009.
- January’s CPI report came in largely as expected, with core CPI rising 2.5% year‑over‑year. Interpretation of recent CPI readings has been complicated by a lack of data collected during last year’s government shutdown.
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This article contains general information only. Sunflower Bank, N.A. is not, by means of this article, rendering accounting, financial, investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice or services. This article is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, before making any decisions related to these matters, you should consult a qualified professional advisor.