{"id":434798,"date":"2026-02-19T20:23:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T20:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/434798\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T20:23:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T20:23:14","slug":"positive-day-for-u-s-and-european-markets-amid-fed-minutes-and-ecb-developments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/434798\/","title":{"rendered":"Positive day for U.S. and European markets amid Fed minutes and ECB developments"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Federal Reserve building is seen as it goes under construction on July 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. <\/p>\n<p>Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Most U.S. Federal Reserve officials agreed to hold interest rates at its January meeting \u2014 but were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/18\/fed-minutes-january-2026.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">divided on monetary policy pat<\/a>h going forward, according to meeting minutes released Wednesday. Some thought supporting the labor market should be prioritized over controlling inflation. That is to say, there were disagreements over whether rates should be kept steady or even hiked if inflation doesn&#8217;t go down. <\/p>\n<p>Traders think there&#8217;s a roughly 50% of the Fed cutting rates in June, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cmegroup.com\/markets\/interest-rates\/cme-fedwatch-tool.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CME FedWatch tool<\/a>. Perhaps they should start considering the possibility of higher interest rates, too.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, India is hosting the AI Impact Summit, which is attended by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/16\/india-ai-impact-summit-tech-ceos-new-delhi.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">business leaders<\/a> such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. <\/p>\n<p>Some highlights from the event are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/MSFT\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Microsoft<\/a> President Brad Smith telling CNBC&#8217;s Arjun Kharpal that U.S. tech companies should <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/18\/microsoft-president-brad-smith-chinese-ai-subsidies.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;worry a little bit&#8221; o<\/a>ver the subsidies that Chinese AI competitors receive from Beijing, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/ADANIENT-IN\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Adani<\/a> announcing that it plans to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/17\/india-adani-ai-data-centers-investment.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">invest $100 billion<\/a> in AI data centers in India.<\/p>\n<p>Other key speeches to look for today include ones from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/META\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Meta<\/a> Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang.<\/p>\n<p>Separately, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde plans to leave her position before her term ends in Oct. 2027 so that French President Emmanuel Macron \u2014 who steps down in May 2027 \u2014 can have a say in her successor, reported the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/30bcb221-700e-4643-9ed5-dd9432c5be7c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Financial Times<\/a>. Following the news, Europe&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/.STOXX\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Stoxx 600<\/a> hit a record high on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/AIR-FR\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Airbus<\/a> on Thursday reported better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter, but revenue came in short. The aircraft maker also said its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/19\/airbus-earnings-fy-q4-boeing-deliveries-a320-airbus-2026-boeing-recovery.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">commercial aircraft deliveries in 2026<\/a> will be fewer than analysts&#8217; estimates. Meanwhile, investors will be keeping an eye on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/NES.N-CH\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nestle<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/RIO-GB\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rio Tinto<\/a> earnings.<\/p>\n<p>In U.S. markets, major indexes rose Wednesday, supported by tech stocks. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/NVDA\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nvidia<\/a> shares rose after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/META\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Meta Platforms<\/a> announced Tuesday a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/17\/meta-nvidia-deal-ai-data-center-chips.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">deal<\/a> that will see it using the chipmaker&#8217;s next-generation systems. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/AMZN\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a> climbed 1.8% and snapped a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/17\/amazon-stock-losing-streak.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">nine-day losing streak<\/a> that cost it over $450 billion in market cap.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CNBC&#8217;s Jeff Cox, Sean Conlon and Pia Singh contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"headline0\"\/>What you need to know today<\/p>\n<p>Nvidia sells entire stake in Arm, according to the chip giant&#8217;s filing to the SEC on Tuesday. Nvidia had held shares in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/ARM\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Arm<\/a> since 2023, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/18\/arm-nvidia-nokia-ai-stake-shares.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">wound down the size of its stake<\/a> toward the end of 2024, according to past documents filed with the SEC. <\/p>\n<p>Oil prices jumped more than 4% on Wednesday stateside after U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Iran is &#8220;not yet willing&#8221; to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/18\/oil-prices-today-iran-trump-nuclear-talks.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">acknowledge certain &#8220;red lines&#8221;<\/a> demanded by Washington. In light of this, the U.S. is not taking military force off the table, Vance added.<\/p>\n<p>Figma reports third-quarter earnings and quarterly guidance that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/18\/figma-fig-q4-earnings-report-2025.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">beat Wall Street expectations<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/FIG\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Figma&#8217;s<\/a> revenue grew 40% year over year in the fourth quarter, according to a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20260218662839\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">statement<\/a>.\u00a0Shares jumped more than 15% in extended trading.<\/p>\n<p>Major U.S. indexes rose Wednesday as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/17\/stock-market-today-live-updates.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">tech names boosted markets<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/19\/asia-pacific-markets-kospi-nikkei-225-nifty-50.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Asia-Pacific markets mostly advanced<\/a> Thursday. South Korea&#8217;s Kospi jumped more than 3% to a record high, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix rising.<\/p>\n<p>[PRO] JPMorgan prefers international stocks over U.S. ones, equity strategists from the bank wrote in a Monday note. These are the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/18\/abusa-trade-jpmorgans-picks-outside-the-us.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">regions and sectors<\/a> that the bank expects outperformance from.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"headline1\"\/>And finally&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/02\/18\/india-us-led-tech-alliance-supply-chains.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Why India joining this U.S.-led tech alliance could help supply chains<\/a><\/p>\n<p>India is joining the U.S.-led\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/pax-silica\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pax Silica<\/a>\u00a0initiative, giving Washington its biggest win yet in the race to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/video\/2026\/01\/13\/us-brings-israel-qatar-uae-into-supply-chain-agreement.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">shape and influence<\/a>\u00a0who has access to advanced\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/semiconductors\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">semiconductors<\/a>\u00a0and AI infrastructure supply chains.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Pax Silica is the Trump administration&#8217;s effort aimed at securing the global supply chain for silicon-based technologies.<\/p>\n<p>India&#8217;s participation, which will be formalized Thursday at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, brings one of the world&#8217;s largest technology markets, and a member of the BRICS alliance, into Pax Silica at a moment when competition over AI hardware is intensifying across geopolitical blocs.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dan Murphy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Federal Reserve building is seen as it goes under construction on July 17, 2025 in Washington, DC.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":434799,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[9687,94007,20690,4143,5755,59071,19329,84,273,13930,1294,418,22230,158692,158693,158691,308,158690,158685,158694,158684,58961,4123,158687,467,14647,10182,124185,4140,101510,158689,158688,272,5814,115045,56,54,158,158686,55,4953],"class_list":{"0":"post-434798","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-advanced-micro-devices-inc","9":"tag-airbus-se","10":"tag-alphabet-class-a","11":"tag-amazon-com-inc","12":"tag-arm-holdings-plc","13":"tag-asml-holding-nv","14":"tag-broadcom-inc","15":"tag-business","16":"tag-business-news","17":"tag-christine-lagarde","18":"tag-economy","19":"tag-emmanuel-macron","20":"tag-figma-inc","21":"tag-first-trust-cloud-computing-etf","22":"tag-first-trust-nasdaq-food-beverage-etf","23":"tag-global-x-lithium-battery-tech-etf","24":"tag-india","25":"tag-invesco-db-oil-fund","26":"tag-invesco-qqq-trust","27":"tag-ishares-msci-india-etf","28":"tag-ishares-semiconductor-etf","29":"tag-j-d-vance","30":"tag-jpmorgan-chase-co","31":"tag-lp","32":"tag-markets","33":"tag-meta-platforms-inc","34":"tag-microsoft-corp","35":"tag-nestle-sa","36":"tag-nvidia-corp","37":"tag-rio-tinto-plc","38":"tag-spdr-sp-aerospace-defense-etf","39":"tag-spdr-sp-semiconductors","40":"tag-stoxx-600","41":"tag-taiwan-semiconductor-manufacturing-co-ltd","42":"tag-technology-select-sector-spdr-fund","43":"tag-uk","44":"tag-united-kingdom","45":"tag-united-states","46":"tag-united-states-oil-fund","47":"tag-unitedkingdom","48":"tag-world-markets"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=434798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434798\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}