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February 19, 2026

February 19, 2026- Soft Landing, Hard Reality: What Today’s Sell‑Off Is Whispering to Patient Investors -( $DV $INTG $MODD $MTWO $NOK $OPEN $SER $VIX Rise!)

U.S. stocks traded lower on Thursday, with major indexes pulling back after recent gains as investors digested Walmart earnings, a heavy data calendar, and still‑hawkish Fed signals.

Indexes and macro

  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 0.54% to roughly 49,395.16, while the S&P 500 slipped around 0.28% to about 6,861.80, and the Nasdaq Composite lost about 0.31% to near 22,682.73.
  • The move marked a pause after a multi‑day advance that had kept the S&P 500 within reach of recent record highs, with traders framing today’s action as a modest risk‑off reset rather than a sharp reversal.
  • Weekly jobless claims fell versus the prior week, and the Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index improved to 16.3 from 12.6, reinforcing the picture of a still‑resilient economy even as trade data weakened.
  • Freshly released FOMC minutes showed the Fed maintaining its target range at 3.5%–3.75% and stressing that inflation remains “somewhat elevated,” which helped cap risk appetite and kept rate‑cut hopes in check.

Themes and sectors

  • Rising oil and broader commodity prices put a bid under energy and materials, while more rate‑sensitive and growth‑oriented pockets gave back some of their recent outperformance.
  • Walmart’s earnings dominated the corporate tape, with results and guidance feeding into a cautious tone on the consumer and margins, adding to today’s equity consolidation.
  • Volatility represented by the VIX moved higher by 3.11% to $20.23.

VP Watchlist Updates

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals (EPRX)

  • Eupraxia closed at $8.12 and priced a US$55 million public offering of 6.43 million common shares at 7.00 and pre‑funded warrants at 6.99999, with closing expected tomorrow, February 20, pending customary conditions and listings. Proceeds are earmarked to advance EP‑104GI in eosinophilic esophagitis and other GI indications and to expand the Diffusphere pipeline.

Modular Medical (MODD)

  • Closed at $.5091, +12.86% Has been trading as a diabetes‑tech name, with shares reacting to execution milestones around its Pivot tubeless patch pump platform.Earlier this month, the company began production of validation lots for its disposable cartridge and infusion set, keeping it on track for a planned commercial launch in the first quarter of 2026, contingent on FDA 510(k) clearance—an event path that positions upcoming regulatory decisions as key stock catalysts.
  • Earlier this month, the company began production of validation lots for its disposable cartridge and infusion set, keeping it on track for a planned commercial launch in the first quarter of 2026, contingent on FDA 510(k) clearance—an event path that positions upcoming regulatory decisions as key stock catalysts.

GeoVax Labs (GOVX)

DoubleVerify (DV)

  • Today’s broad tape saw growth and ad‑tech‑related names give back some recent gains, and DV traded in the context of that modest risk‑off tone closing at $9.59, +.10%; no major company‑specific headline surfaced in the reviewed sources.

The InterGroup Corporation (INTG)

  • The InterGroup Corporation, a small‑cap real estate and hospitality‑focused holding company, and closed at $28.36, +3.50%. Recent filings and commentary highlight that results for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, benefited from improved hotel metrics and gains on real estate transactions, even as the company continues to carry substantial mortgage and subordinated note obligations. With a market capitalization in the low‑$60 million range and thin trading, INTG remains a tightly held, event‑driven real estate story where periodic asset sales and refinancing activity can materially influence quarterly earnings.

Serina Therapeutics (SER, $1.73, +2.98%)

  • Serina Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing drug candidates enabled by its proprietary POZ Platform™ drug optimization technology, today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in the Company’s Phase 1b registrational trial evaluating. The Phase 1b registrational study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy of SER-252 in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease whose symptoms are inadequately controlled by current standard-of-care therapies. Serina remains on track to initiate dosing during the current quarter, consistent with previously disclosed guidance.

Volato Group, Inc. (SOAR) & M2i Global, Inc. (MTWO, +10%)

  • Volato and M2i Global reaffirmed their goal of closing their business combination in the first quarter of 2026, citing steady advancement through SEC review and integration planning as they move toward a combined listing. The deal, originally announced in 2025, will effectively transition Volato from a pure‑play private aviation operator into a diversified platform spanning aviation technology and critical minerals, with M2i shareholders expected to own the majority of the combined entity. Operationally, the partnership is already visible: the two companies recently initiated their first shipment of titanium ore from Western Australia to the United States from Titanium X, underscoring how the critical‑minerals vertical could become a meaningful growth engine as domestic supply‑chain security rises in strategic importance.
  • On Feb. 4, M2i Global,Inc.along with Volato Group, Inc. announced that Titanium X has initiated its first shipment of titanium ore from Western Australia to the U.S. under its collaboration agreement.

NVIDIA (NVDA)

  • NVDA closed near $187.90, with intraday trading showing a range roughly between the high‑185s and high‑188s, as the name remains a focal point for the AI trade despite mixed near‑term technicals.
  • Recent analysis suggests the stock is in a broad, modestly rising short‑term trend but currently carries more “sell” than “buy” signals on key moving averages, making it sensitive to profit‑taking on down days for growth stocks.

McDonald’s (MCD)

  • Options data around the February 2026 expiries highlight active positioning near the 300–305 strike range, consistent with expectations for steady but not explosive upside from here.
  • Fundamental commentary continues to emphasize McDonald’s as a defensive compounder, with its 2026 margin targets and “value leadership” strategy underpinning its role as a lower‑risk anchor in many portfolios.

Nokia (NOK)

  • Nokia closed at $7.60, +2.29% and remains a value‑tilted telecom and network‑equipment play that is trading more with global cyclical and communications hardware sentiment than with high‑beta tech, and it did not appear as a major driver in today’s U.S.‑centric headlines.

Opendoor (OPEN)

The Sources

  1. Investopedia – Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Dow Snap Winning Streak as U.S. Stocks Fall
    https://www.investopedia.com/stock-market-today-dow-jones-s-and-p-500-02192026-11909546[investopedia]​
  2. Trading Economics – United States Stock Market Index
    https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/stock-market[tradingeconomics]​
  3. FXDailyReport – US Stock Market Technical Analysis | February 19, 2026
    https://fxdailyreport.com/us-stock-market-technical-analysis-february-19-2026/[fxdailyreport]​
  4. Yahoo Finance / MSN – Stock Market Today, Feb. 19: Stocks decline after perplexing Fed minutes
    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock-market-today-feb-19-181748533.html[finance.yahoo]​
  5. Federal Reserve – Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, January 27–28, 2026
    https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/fomcminutes20260128.htm[federalreserve]​
  6. EquityClock – Stock Market Outlook for February 19, 2026
    https://equityclock.com/2026/02/18/stock-market-outlook-for-february-19-2026/[equityclock]​
  7. XTB – Daily summary: Moderate risk, moderate declines
    https://www.xtb.com/int/market-analysis/news-and-research/daily-summary-moderate-risk-moderate-declines[xtb]​
  8. Zacks Investment Research – Stock Market News for Feb 19, 2026
    https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2871984/stock-market-news-for-feb-19-2026[zacks]​
  9. Finviz – Stock Market News for Feb 19, 2026
    https://finviz.com/news/315880/stock-market-news-for-feb-19-2026[finviz]​
  10. 24/7 Wall St. – 3 Tips You Need To Know If Market Slides
    https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/02/19/3-tips-you-need-to-know-if-market-slides/[247wallst]​
  11. Finviz – The Week Ahead: February Closes with Inflation Data, Dow Earnings
    https://finviz.com/news/316308/the-week-ahead-february-closes-with-inflation-data-dow-earnings[finviz]​
  12. The Wall Street Journal – Walmart Earnings, Inflation, GDP Data: Still to Come This Week
    https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-02-19-2026[wsj]​
  13. Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals – Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Announces Pricing of US$55 Million Public Offering
    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/eupraxia-pharmaceuticals-announces-pricing-us-071800533.html[finance.yahoo]​
  14. StockTitan – Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals announces pricing of US$55 million public offering
    https://www.stocktitan.net/news/EPRX/eupraxia-pharmaceuticals-announces-pricing-of-us-55-million-public-xm2xm2aei01d.html[stocktitan]​
  15. Nasdaq – Eupraxia Pharma Prices $55 Mln Offering Of Shares And Warrants
    https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/eupraxia-pharma-prices-55-mln-offering-shares-and-warrants-stock-down[nasdaq]​
  16. Nasdaq – Eupraxia Prices $55 Mln Offering To Advance Diffusphere Pipeline
    https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/eupraxia-prices-55-mln-offering-advance-diffusphere-pipeline[nasdaq]​
  17. Investing.com – Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals stock falls after pricing $55 million offering
    https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/eupraxia-pharmaceuticals-stock-falls-after-pricing-55-million-offering-93CH-4512681[investing]​
  18. TipRanks – Eupraxia Raises US$55 Million to Accelerate EP‑104GI and GI Pipeline
    https://www.tipranks.com/news/company-announcements/eupraxia-raises-us55-million-to-accelerate-ep-104gi-and-gi-pipeline[tipranks]​
  19. Yahoo Finance – M2i Global, Inc. (MTWO) Stock Price, News, Quote & History
    https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/MTWO/[finance.yahoo]​
  20. YouTube – Trading Day for Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUfGY3n8sTY[youtube]​
  21. NVIDIA Newsroom – NVIDIA Announces Financial Results for Second Quarter Fiscal 2026
    https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-announces-financial-results-for-second-quarter-fiscal-2026[nvidianews.nvidia]​
  22. Yahoo Finance – NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) Stock Historical Prices & Data
    https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/NVDA/history/[finance.yahoo]​
  23. YouTube – NVDA NVIDIA: Meta Deal Shock – 3 Stock Moves + …
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCwmGMRmgEY[youtube]​
  24. Yahoo Finance – Modular Medical, Inc. (MODD) Stock Price, News, Quote & History
    https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/MODD/[finance.yahoo]​
  25. StockTitan – MODD – Modular Med Inc Latest Stock News & Market Updates
    https://www.stocktitan.net/news/MODD/[stocktitan]​
  26. StockAnalysis – Modular Medical (MODD) Stock Price History 2018–2026
    https://stockanalysis.com/stocks/modd/history/[stockanalysis]​
  27. Intellectia – Price Prediction for 2026. Should I Buy MODD?
    https://intellectia.ai/stock/MODD/forecast[intellectia]​
  28. Yahoo Finance – GeoVax Labs, Inc. (GOVX) Stock Historical Prices & Data
    https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/GOVX/history/[finance.yahoo]​
  29. Tickeron – GOVX stock forecast, quote, news & analysis
    https://tickeron.com/ticker/GOVX/[tickeron]​
  30. Intellectia – Price Prediction for 2026. Should I Buy GOVX?
    https://intellectia.ai/stock/GOVX/forecast[intellectia]​
  31. Yahoo Finance – Modular Medical, Inc. (MODD) Historical Data
    https://markets.financialcontent.com/dailynews/quote/historical?Symbol=NQ%3AMODD[markets.financialcontent]​
  32. Yahoo Finance – MCD Feb 2026 342.500 call (MCD260220C00342500)
    https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/MCD260220C00342500/history/[finance.yahoo]​
  33. Nasdaq – MCD February 2026 Options Begin Trading
    https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/mcd-february-2026-options-begin-trading[nasdaq]​
  34. The Motley Fool via Yahoo – MCD and TXRH: 2 Low-Risk Restaurant Stocks With Upside
    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mcd-txrh-2-low-risk-131900545.html[finance.yahoo]​
  35. Polymarket – NVIDIA (NVDA) Up or Down on February 19?
    https://polymarket.com/event/nvda-up-or-down-on-february-19-2026[polymarket]​

February 19, 2026

Carvana’s Earnings Hit a Speed Bump: Record Sales, Market Throws On the Parking Brake -( $CVNA $SPY )

Carvana’s (CVNA) latest earnings report delivered record sales and solid profits, but Wall Street still sent the stock to the repair bay for a valuation realignment.

Headline: Carvana’s Record Quarter Meets Wall Street’s Moodiness

Carvana closed 2025 with a quarter that many retailers would trade a fleet of SUVs for: revenue surged about 58% year over year to roughly 5.6 billion dollars as Americans continued flocking to used vehicles. Unit volume jumped as well, with retail sales climbing 43% to more than 163,000 vehicles, underscoring that the online used-car buying habit has stuck even as the pandemic era fades in the rearview mirror.

Yet despite those eye‑catching top-line gains, the market focused on what was under the hood rather than the shine on the chassis. Carvana’s adjusted EBITDA of roughly 511 million dollars, while strong in absolute terms, fell short of analyst expectations in the mid‑530 million range, and that gap was enough to send shares skidding more than 20% in after‑hours trading.

Revenue Hits the Gas, Profitability Taps the Brakes

On the surface, Carvana’s growth story still looks like it’s built for the fast lane. Revenue of about 5.6 billion dollars came in comfortably ahead of consensus estimates of roughly 5.2 to 5.3 billion dollars, reaffirming robust demand for pre‑owned vehicles amid persistent affordability pressures on new cars. The company’s distinctive car vending machines and streamlined online experience continue to draw budget‑conscious buyers looking to dodge higher sticker prices and elevated financing costs.

Below the surface, however, profitability is where the debate begins. Net income jumped to around 951 million dollars, helped by a sizable non‑cash tax benefit, producing an eye‑catching double‑digit net margin. But investors tend to trust cash more than accounting, and the miss on adjusted EBITDA versus expectations highlighted that per‑vehicle economics and cost discipline still have some miles to go before they match the stock’s earlier euphoria.

Market Reaction: From Victory Lap to Value Check

Wall Street had spent much of 2025 re‑rating Carvana from turnaround tale to tech‑flavored growth story, a shift underscored by its addition to the S&P 500 and a share price that more than doubled for the year. That kind of ascent leaves little room for fender‑benders, and the latest quarter’s EBITDA shortfall and concerns around margin traction were enough to trigger a swift sentiment correction.

After the report, Carvana’s shares tumbled more than 20%, as investors recalibrated valuation assumptions against a backdrop of record sales but less‑than‑perfect profitability metrics. In classic fashion, the market appeared to be saying: “Nice quarter—now show us it’s repeatable, and preferably with sturdier margins and cleaner cash conversion.”

Outlook: Ambitious Targets, Bumpy Road

Management reiterated its focus on selling more cars, expanding adjusted profits, and enhancing customer experience, while cautioning that higher reconditioning and operating costs could weigh on near‑term margins. The company framed its path forward around operational efficiencies, shorter shipping distances, and deeper inventory to keep conversion and unit growth humming, even as competition from traditional dealers and digital rivals, including e‑commerce heavyweights, intensifies.

Longer term, Carvana’s ambition to scale volumes and lift margins remains intact, but the latest reaction makes clear that the market now demands smoother quarterly execution to justify premium multiples. Investors may tolerate a few bumps on the profitability road, but they will want to see that each quarter moves the company closer to a model where unit growth, margin expansion, and cash generation all arrive on the same delivery truck.

Takeaways

  • Carvana earnings miss on key profit metric despite record revenue and unit sales.
  • Carvana stock tumbles over 20% after adjusted EBITDA falls short of Wall Street expectations.
  • Revenue jumps 58% to about 5.6 billion dollars as demand for used vehicles remains robust across the U.S. market.
  • Net income climbs to roughly 951 million dollars, boosted by significant non‑cash benefits, but investors remain focused on underlying cash profitability.
  • Outlook calls for continued growth in sales and profits, tempered by higher reconditioning costs and an increasingly competitive online used‑car landscape.

The Sources


[1] Carvana shares tumble after fourth quarter Adjusted EBITDA miss https://www.investing.com/news/earnings/carvana-shares-tumble-after-fourth-quarter-adjusted-ebitda-miss-4512201
[2] Carvana Shares Tumble as Fourth-Quarter Profit Misses on Higher … https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2026-02-18/carvanas-fourth-quarter-profit-jumps-on-used-vehicle-demand
[3] Carvana’s Q4 profitability loses traction; shares crater more than 20% https://seekingalpha.com/news/4553558-carvanas-q4-profitability-loses-traction-shares-crater-more-than-20
[4] Carvana (NYSE:CVNA) Beats Q4 CY2025 Sales Expectations But … https://finviz.com/news/314971/carvana-nyse-cvna-beats-q4-cy2025-sales-expectations-but-stock-drops-206
[5] After record sales, murky forecast sinks Carvana’s stock – Morningstar https://www.morningstar.com/news/marketwatch/20260218535/after-record-sales-murky-forecast-sinks-carvanas-stock
[6] Carvana Q4 Earnings Call Highlights – Yahoo Finance https://finance.yahoo.com/news/carvana-q4-earnings-call-highlights-040643025.html
[7] Here’s Why Carvana Stock Could Deliver 20% Returns in 2026 https://www.tikr.com/blog/heres-why-carvana-stock-could-deliver-20-returns-in-2026
[8] Carvana Shares Plunge After Mixed Fourth Quarter Results https://evrimagaci.org/gpt/carvana-shares-plunge-after-mixed-fourth-quarter-results-530121
[9] CVNA Earnings: Carvana’s Profit Blows Past Estimates as Used-Vehicle Demand Soars https://www.tipranks.com/news/cvna-earnings-carvanas-profit-blows-past-estimates-as-used-vehicle-demand-soars
[10] Carvana Shares Plunge After Murky Earnings Report https://evrimagaci.org/gpt/carvana-shares-plunge-after-murky-earnings-report-530122
[11] Carvana Co. (CVNA) Stock Falls on Q4 2025 Earnings https://www.quiverquant.com/news/Carvana+Co.+(CVNA)+Stock+Falls+on+Q4+2025+Earnings
[12] Carvana Delivers Massive Earnings Surprise with $4.22 Per-Share … https://mlq.ai/news/carvana-delivers-massive-earnings-surprise-with-422-per-share-profit-in-q4/
[13] Carvana (CVNA) Tops Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2871582/carvana-cvna-tops-q4-earnings-and-revenue-estimates
[14] Carvana (CVNA) Tops Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates – Nasdaq https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/carvana-cvna-tops-q4-earnings-and-revenue-estimates
[15] Tempe-based Carvana sees revenue hit record high https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2026/02/18/carvana-q4-2025-results.html

February 18, 2026

February 18, 2026 – Stock Market Update: Tech Rebounds, AI Leaders and Small‑Cap Biotechs Move -( $DV $MCD $NOK $NVDA $OPEN $SER Rise!)

U.S. stocks extended their rebound on Tuesday, February 18, 2026, with the major indexes logging another day of gains as investors grew more comfortable that AI‑related disruption fears and higher‑for‑longer interest rates are manageable for corporate earnings.

Indexes and overall tone

  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose about 130 points (roughly 0.3%) to finish near 49,663, securing a third straight advance.
  • The S&P 500 added about 0.6% to close around 6,881, also notching a third consecutive gain.
  • The Nasdaq Composite, helped by large‑cap tech, climbed roughly 0.8% to about 22,754.
  • The Russell 2000 small‑cap index gained about 0.5% to 2,659, showing broader participation beyond the mega‑caps.
  • Overall, trading reflected a steady risk‑on tone, with investors cautiously adding exposure to growth and tech after last week’s AI‑driven volatility.

Drivers: AI narrative, Fed, and data

  • AI‑disruption fears that pressured markets last week eased further, allowing tech and communication‑services names to rebound and lifting the Nasdaq.
  • Recent U.S. economic data, including housing‑related indicators, durable goods, and industrial production, pointed to a still‑resilient economy.
  • Fresh Federal Reserve meeting minutes showed policymakers remain concerned about inflation and are not signaling imminent rate cuts, but investors largely viewed this stance as already expected.
  • The combination of better‑than‑feared macro data and fading AI panic allowed equities to grind higher even without a clear catalyst for near‑term policy easing.

Sector and style moves

  • Technology was among the stronger S&P 500 sectors, while more defensive or rate‑sensitive areas such as utilities and parts of healthcare lagged.
  • Breadth improved from last week, but leadership remained concentrated in large tech and AI‑linked names.
  • Volatility continued to cool, with the VIX slipping back toward the low‑20s after last week’s spike, suggesting less demand for downside protection.
  • Earlier in the week, the S&P 500 had managed small gains even when most sectors were red, underscoring how dependent the tape can be on a handful of big tech names.

Macro backdrop and sentiment

  • Strong fourth‑quarter 2025 earnings have not fully translated into aggressive buying, as investors still grapple with how AI will reshape business models and margins over time.
  • Advancing issues have recently outpaced decliners on both the NYSE and Nasdaq, consistent with the modest broadening in participation seen today.
  • U.S. equities continue to lag some international markets year‑to‑date, in part because of high starting valuations and uncertainty about the Fed’s path.
  • Sentiment is cautiously constructive: investors are willing to add risk on pullbacks but remain attentive to AI headlines and central‑bank messaging.

VP Watchlist Updates

  • Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals (EPRX)
    • Trading has been under pressure following a proposed public equity offering, which often weighs on shares as investors anticipate dilution.
    • Management plans to use proceeds to fund its EP‑104GI program and broader gastrointestinal pipeline, keeping the longer‑term story alive but adding near‑term volatility.
    • The company remains a development‑stage story centered on EP‑104GI for eosinophilic esophagitis, supported by earlier positive cohort data, ongoing Phase 2b work
  • Modular Medical (MODD)
    • Has been trading as a diabetes‑tech name, with shares reacting to execution milestones around its Pivot tubeless patch pump platform.Earlier this month, the company began production of validation lots for its disposable cartridge and infusion set, keeping it on track for a planned commercial launch in the first quarter of 2026, contingent on FDA 510(k) clearance—an event path that positions upcoming regulatory decisions as key stock catalysts.
    • Earlier this month, the company began production of validation lots for its disposable cartridge and infusion set, keeping it on track for a planned commercial launch in the first quarter of 2026, contingent on FDA 510(k) clearance—an event path that positions upcoming regulatory decisions as key stock catalysts.
  • GeoVax Labs, Inc. (GOVX)
  • DoubleVerify Holdings Inc. (DV, $9.58, +2.79%)
    • Trading largely in line with digital‑ad and software peers, as investors watch ad‑spend trends and demand for verification and brand‑safety tools.
    • As a profitable platform player, it is generally less volatile than some early‑stage ad‑tech names but remains sensitive to growth expectations.
  • The InterGroup Corporation (INTG)
    • The InterGroup Corporation, a small‑cap real estate and hospitality‑focused holding company, has traded in the high‑$20s in recent sessions. Recent filings and commentary highlight that results for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, benefited from improved hotel metrics and gains on real estate transactions, even as the company continues to carry substantial mortgage and subordinated note obligations. With a market capitalization in the low‑$60 million range and thin trading, INTG remains a tightly held, event‑driven real estate story where periodic asset sales and refinancing activity can materially influence quarterly earnings.
  • Serina Therapeutics (SER, $1.68, +1.82%)
    • No notable updates today; trading reflects typical early‑stage biotech risk around clinical progress and financing.
    • Serina Therapeutics, a polymer‑based drug delivery company, recently received FDA clearance for its IND on SER‑252 after a prior clinical hold, enabling initiation of site‑level work and the formal start of its next clinical phase.
    • Serina Therapeutics is drawing increased institutional attention, with at least two covering analysts assigning a Strong Buy consensus rating as of mid‑February, reflecting optimism around its polymer‑based drug‑delivery platform and advancing pipeline.
    • Any partnership, data release, or capital raise has the potential to reset the stock’s range quickly.
  • Volato Group, Inc. (SOAR) & M2i Global, Inc. (MTWO)
    • Volato and M2i Global reaffirmed their goal of closing their business combination in the first quarter of 2026, citing steady advancement through SEC review and integration planning as they move toward a combined listing. The deal, originally announced in 2025, will effectively transition Volato from a pure‑play private aviation operator into a diversified platform spanning aviation technology and critical minerals, with M2i shareholders expected to own the majority of the combined entity. Operationally, the partnership is already visible: the two companies recently initiated their first shipment of titanium ore from Western Australia to the United States from Titanium X, underscoring how the critical‑minerals vertical could become a meaningful growth engine as domestic supply‑chain security rises in strategic importance.
    • On Feb. 4, M2i Global,Inc.along with Volato Group, Inc. announced that Titanium X has initiated its first shipment of titanium ore from Western Australia to the U.S. under its collaboration agreement.
  • McDonald’s (MCD, $327.89, +.08%)
    • Traded broadly in line with more defensive, consumer‑staples‑like names, as investors weigh pricing power and global same‑store sales.
    • Despite cost pressures, its scale and brand strength keep it a core defensive holding for many portfolios.
  • Nokia (NOK)
    • Nokia’s stock advanced 1.78% during the February 18 session, aided by JPMorgan’s price‑target boost and continued optimism around the company’s 2026 operating‑profit outlook as it leans into AI‑ and cloud‑driven network modernization.
  • Opendoor Technologies (OPEN, $4.63, +6.93%)
    • Highly sensitive to U.S. housing activity and mortgage‑rate expectations; housing‑related macro data that point to resilience are directionally supportive.
    • The business model is heavily exposed to spreads between purchase and resale prices, leaving the stock very sensitive to housing‑market volatility.
  • NVIDIA (NVDA) has risen $187.98, +1.63% delivering another quarter of spectacular data‑center revenue growth and guiding to roughly 65 billion dollars in upcoming quarterly sales.
  • The February 25 earnings call is shaping up as a key inflection point as investors look for confirmation that surging demand for the next‑generation Blackwell architecture is translating into firm, contracted revenue and sustaining margins rather than simply driving short‑term enthusiasm.

The Sources

  1. Yahoo Finance – “Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500 gain for 3rd straight day, Nasdaq jumps as traders brush aside AI worries” (live blog / recap).finance.yahoo+2
  2. Yahoo Finance – Main site quotes and sector/market overview (index levels, sector moves, and individual stock quote pages).finance.yahoo+1
  3. Barron’s – Live coverage: “Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq Rise; Nvidia, Micron, Meta, Sandisk, Tesla …” and related cards on the day’s rally and economic data.barrons+1
  4. Nasdaq.com – “Stock Market Today, Feb. 18: Nvidia Rallies As Meta Deal Boosts AI Confidence.”[nasdaq]​
  5. TheStreet – “Stock Market Today, Feb. 18: Meta and Nvidia deal moves markets” (live blog on AI/Meta–Nvidia news and macro data).thestreet+1
  6. Yahoo Finance – “Stock Market Today, Feb. 18” and related market‑news briefs and index recap pieces.finance.yahoo+4
  7. Yahoo Finance options/derivatives pages for NVIDIA (for context on active positioning).finance.yahoo+4
  8. Company‑specific and quote pages / data feeds for watchlist names (EPRX, MODD, GOVX, FLYX, DV, INTG, SER, SOAR, MTWO, NVDA, MCD, NOK, OPEN) via Yahoo Finance and related quote services.finance.yahoo+2
  9. Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals offering announcement and related coverage (for EPRX commentary).finance.yahoo+3
February 18, 2026

GeoVax Expands Gedeptin Strategy: Riding Merck’s Keytruda Wave in a $200 Billion IO Market -( $GOVX $MRK $IBB $XBI )

GeoVax’s (NASDAQ: GOVX) latest move to lock down combination rights for its Gedeptin cancer platform reads less like a routine licensing notice and more like an oncology strategy upgrade—complete with optionality, IP leverage, and a quietly ambitious grab for front-line real estate in solid tumors that now orbit around blockbusters like Merck’s Keytruda.

GeoVax Tightens Its Grip on Gedeptin’s Future

GeoVax has secured an exclusive worldwide license from Emory University covering the use of Gedeptin in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, effectively ring-fencing a key avenue for value creation around its gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy platform. The deal, built on a long-running collaboration with Emory and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, extends GeoVax’s intellectual property coverage for Gedeptin-based combination regimens across solid tumors, positioning the company as principal architect of this niche in interventional immuno-oncology.

While financial terms remain politely undisclosed—a time-honored biotech tradition—the strategic intent is anything but coy: use IP to cement Gedeptin’s role as a preferred local partner to systemic checkpoint inhibitors as those agents migrate earlier into cancer treatment algorithms. In a world where Merck’s PD‑1 juggernaut Keytruda generated roughly 31.7 billion dollars in global sales in 2025 and stands as the world’s top-selling drug, owning differentiated ways to make such therapies work harder has become its own addressable market.

Keytruda: The Gravity Well of Modern Oncology

Keytruda, Merck’s pembrolizumab franchise, has evolved from a promising PD‑1 antibody into the central organizing force of the checkpoint inhibitor universe, spanning indications from non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and beyond. In 2025, Keytruda delivered approximately 31 to 32 billion dollars in worldwide revenue—nearly half of Merck’s pharmaceutical sales—and is projected to remain at or near that level before patent pressures start to bite later in the decade.

That commercial dominance reflects not just clinical success, but an aggressive lifecycle strategy focused on line extensions, earlier-line use, and combination regimens, effectively making Keytruda a backbone therapy rather than a standalone agent. At the market level, immune checkpoint inhibitors overall are expected to grow from roughly 50–60 billion dollars in 2024–2025 to well over 200 billion dollars by the mid‑2030s, with PD‑1 inhibitors like pembrolizumab projected to hold the largest share. For companies like GeoVax, that rising tide creates a clear incentive: build add‑on technologies that can plug into a Keytruda-centric treatment landscape and potentially unlock more durable responses, broader patient eligibility, and premium positioning inside an already validated market.

Turning “Cold” Tumors Lukewarm (at Minimum)

Gedeptin is designed as a localized gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy delivered directly into tumors using a non-replicating viral vector encoding purine nucleoside phosphorylase, followed by systemic administration of a prodrug such as fludarabine. Inside the tumor microenvironment, the enzyme converts the otherwise unremarkable prodrug into a cytotoxic agent, selectively killing tumor cells, shedding antigens, and, in theory, nudging the immune system to pay closer attention.

Clinically, early Phase 1 and Phase 1/2 studies in recurrent head and neck cancer and melanoma have shown encouraging response rates at higher dose cohorts with a favorable safety profile, supporting repeat intratumoral dosing without dose-limiting toxicities. That balance—local tumor debulking plus immune “wake-up call” with manageable toxicity—is precisely what makes Gedeptin a plausible force multiplier for checkpoint blockade in patients who might otherwise see checkpoint monotherapy underwhelm. If Keytruda is the star of the show, Gedeptin is trying out for the role of scene-stealing supporting actor that makes the lead look even better.

Riding the Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Wave

The new Emory license is explicitly crafted to support both ongoing and planned clinical programs that pair Gedeptin with checkpoint inhibitors in earlier lines of therapy, starting with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. GeoVax has already outlined plans for a Phase 2 neoadjuvant trial in resectable HNSCC, integrating Gedeptin with agents such as pembrolizumab, with the goal of improving pathologic response and event-free survival before surgery.

This strategy is aligned with the broader shift in head and neck cancer following trials like KEYNOTE‑689, which showed that perioperative PD‑1 inhibition can significantly improve event-free survival and help reset expectations for what “standard of care” might look like in curative-intent settings. By inserting Gedeptin into that evolving standard, GeoVax is effectively pitching a two-step approach: first, shrink and inflame the tumor locally; second, let a systemic checkpoint inhibitor such as Keytruda capitalize on the newly exposed and immunologically visible tumor landscape.

Beyond Head and Neck: Optionality Built In

Although head and neck cancer remains the clinical beachhead, the combination IP from Emory opens the door to additional solid tumors where intratumoral access is feasible and checkpoint inhibitors are already entrenched or rapidly gaining ground. Gedeptin has Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. FDA for oral and pharyngeal cancers, adding regulatory and potential economic incentives as GeoVax considers expansion into other anatomically accessible oral and pharyngeal sites.

Preclinical work is already extending Gedeptin-plus-checkpoint combinations to broader solid tumor models, with the company explicitly highlighting the therapy’s tumor-agnostic aspirations, synergistic potential with checkpoint inhibitors, and patent protection that stretches into the mid‑2040s. For prospective partners, that combination of targeted mechanism, safety data, and durable IP makes Gedeptin less a one-off asset and more a modular tool that can be slotted into multiple tumor-specific development programs—especially in a market where pembrolizumab is the benchmark PD‑1 agent in cancers ranging from NSCLC to HNSCC and melanoma.

A Pivotal Year, With More Than One Iron in the Fire

Gedeptin is only one pillar of GeoVax’s broader pipeline, which also includes GEO‑MVA, a Modified Vaccinia Ankara–based vaccine targeting mpox and smallpox, and GEO‑CM04S1, a next-generation COVID‑19 vaccine candidate aimed at immunocompromised and other high‑risk populations. GEO‑MVA is advancing toward a planned pivotal Phase 3 trial in the second half of 2026, positioning the company at the intersection of biodefense preparedness and infectious disease capacity, while Gedeptin and its newly reinforced IP estate anchor the oncology side of the ledger.

Taken together, the Emory license does more than add a few patent numbers to GeoVax’s legal filings; it clarifies the company’s intent to compete in the increasingly crowded field of combination immunotherapy by owning a differentiated local weapon that makes systemic checkpoint drugs like Keytruda look smarter. In a market where many cancer pipelines aspire to be “transformative,” GeoVax is attempting something more modest—and perhaps more durable: making existing immunotherapies work better, one tumor injection at a time, in a segment of oncology spending that is already measured in tens of billions of dollars and still growing.

The Sources


[1] Spotlight On: Merck & Co.’s fastest selling drugs in 2025 https://firstwordpharma.com/story/7091039
[2] PD-1 Inhibitor Drugs Market Size to Hit USD 179.77 Billion by 2034 https://www.precedenceresearch.com/pd-1-inhibitor-drugs-market
[3] 260218_PR-GeoVax-Secures-License-from-Emory-Gedeptin-ICI-Combo-Technology-FINAL.docx https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/attachments/24996935/4168580c-b964-4767-8ef1-4b36c8ed7db8/260218_PR-GeoVax-Secures-License-from-Emory-Gedeptin-ICI-Combo-Technology-FINAL.docx
[4] GeoVax Announces Issuance of U.S. Patent Covering Enhanced … https://geovax.com/investors/press-releases/geovax-announces-issuance-of-u-s-patent-covering-enhanced-therapeutic-use-of-gedeptin-gene-therapy
[5] Major pharmaceutical drugs by global sales 2025 – Statista https://www.statista.com/statistics/973523/top-drugs-by-year-on-year-sales-increase/
[6] MSD Reports 2025 Revenue of USD 65b, Keytruda Sales Reach … https://global.pharmcube.com/news/detail/1fa2e5c5ed344223b690bd3627e11170?type=dailyNews
[7] GeoVax to Advance Gedeptin(R) into First-Line Therapy … https://www.geovax.com/investors/press-releases/geovax-to-advance-gedeptin-r-into-first-line-therapy-neoadjuvant-combination-trial-following-landmark-keynote-689-results
[8] PD-1 Inhibitor Drugs Market Size, Share & Forecast 2025-2035 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pd-1-inhibitor-drugs-market.html
[9] Half of Merck’s sales are in jeopardy. Can Keytruda’s sequel save … https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/merck-keytruda-subcutaneous-cancer-sales-drug-delivery/801889/
[10] Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Market | Global Market Analysis Report https://www.factmr.com/report/immune-checkpoint-inhibitor-market
[11] Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Market Growth 2026–2035 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/immune-checkpoint-inhibitors-market
[12] Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Market Size and Forecast 2025 to 2034 https://www.precedenceresearch.com/immune-checkpoint-inhibitors-market
[13] GeoVax Expands Gedeptin(R) Development to Additional Solid … https://www.geovax.com/investors/press-releases/geovax-expands-gedeptin-r-development-to-additional-solid-tumor-indications
[14] Gedeptin® Technology Overview – GeoVax, Inc. https://www.geovax.com/technology/gedeptin-technology-overview
[15] Phase 2 Trial to Investigate Gedeptin in Recurrent Head and Neck … https://www.targetedonc.com/view/phase-2-trial-to-investigate-gedeptin-in-recurrent-head-and-neck-cancer
[16] Phase I/II Study of Intratumoral Ad/Purine Nucleoside … https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/OA-25-00090
[17] Press Releases – GeoVax https://geovax.com/investors/press-releases/geovax-announces-jco-oncology-advances-publication-highlighting-favorable-safety-and-evidence-of-disease-stability-of-gedeptin-in-recurrent-head-neck-cancer
[18] GeoVax (NASDAQ: GOVX): Poised to Deliver in 2023 https://geovax-govx.reportablenews.com/pr/geovax-nasdaq-govx-poised-to-deliver-in-2023
[19] GeoVax Expands Gedeptin® Clinical Research for Advanced Head … https://www.biospace.com/geovax-expands-gedeptin-clinical-research-for-advanced-head-and-neck-cancers
[20] GeoVax Highlights 2026 as a Pivotal Year for Progress https://www.geovax.com/investors/press-releases/geovax-highlights-2026-as-a-pivotal-year-for-progress
[21] Merck, lining up post-Keytruda future, touts $70B+ in annual … https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/merck-confident-post-keytruda-future-70b-opportunity-next-decade-growth-drivers
[22] [PDF] Fourth-Quarter 2025 Sales and Earnings – Merck.com https://www.merck.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/124/2026/02/4Q25-Merck-Earnings-Presentation.pdf
[23] Top 25 drugs by sales: 2025 H1 – Drug Discovery and Development https://www.drugdiscoverytrends.com/top-25-drugs-by-sales-2025-h1/
[24] Keytruda market Size, Trends & Forecast, 2025-2032 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/industry-reports/keytruda-market
[25] PD-1 Inhibitor Drugs Market Surges with Expanding Immunotherapy … https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pd-1-inhibitor-drugs-market-120900518.html
[26] Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Market Size, Global Trends, Share https://straitsresearch.com/report/immune-checkpoint-inhibitors-market

February 18, 2026

Critical Minerals, Critical Money: How Japan and M2i–Volato Aim to Cash In on a $320 Billion Market -( $MTWO $SOAR )

Japan is about to become one of America’s biggest energy backers, wiring in a $36 billion down payment on oil, gas and critical-minerals projects that doubles as foreign policy, industrial strategy and a not‑so‑subtle advert for tariffs as a negotiating tool. At the center of the plan is a gargantuan natural‑gas project in Ohio that President Donald Trump has happily billed as “the largest in history,” with Japanese heavyweights from SoftBank to Hitachi circling the opportunity like blue‑chip moths to a very large, very lucrative flame.

SEO Focus: Japan’s $550 Billion Bet on US Energy

For search and discovery, the core hooks are clear: Japan’s $550 billion US trade deal, a $36 billion first tranche, record-sized US gas infrastructure, and a concerted push into critical minerals and energy security. Together they frame a narrative that sits neatly at the intersection of “US energy dominance,” “China supply-chain hedging,” and “ally-shoring,” three phrases that algorithms and investors alike have learned to take seriously. For readers, the story offers a mix of megaproject spectacle—multi‑gigawatt gas generation, deepwater crude export capacity, synthetic diamonds by the ton—and the quieter, compounding reality of long‑dated industrial capital quietly reshaping the American map.

The Ohio Gas Behemoth: SoftBank’s New Power Play

The marquee project is a natural-gas facility in Ohio expected to deliver power on a scale that would rival multiple nuclear reactors, providing enough electricity to support millions of homes and a hefty slice of the Midwestern industrial base. Japan is slated to put the lion’s share of the $36 billion tranche into the plant, with SB Energy, a SoftBank subsidiary, in the lead—turning a group better known for tech bets into a central character in America’s baseload power future. If it runs as advertised, the facility will anchor the PJM grid, give manufacturers in the Midwest a sturdier foundation than the usual mix of weather and aging infrastructure, and stand as a bricks‑and‑mortar example of ally capital underwriting US energy security.

Japanese corporate names familiar to tech and industrial investors—SoftBank, Toshiba, Hitachi and others—have expressed interest in different parts of the wider framework, from power equipment to grid hardware and advanced components. For Tokyo, the Ohio project offers something rare: long‑term dollar cash flows tied to critical infrastructure in a friendly jurisdiction, while for Washington it is foreign direct investment that supports both energy security and a politically important state. In the slightly drier language of trade economists, this is what happens when industrial policy and geopolitics decide to co‑author the same project finance deck.

Texas, Georgia and the Critical-Minerals Chessboard

Ohio is only one tile on the board; the first $36 billion package also includes a deepwater crude export terminal off the Texas coast and a synthetic‑diamond plant in Georgia. The Texas Gulf export facility is designed to push more US barrels out to global markets, reinforcing Washington’s bid for “energy dominance” and giving Japan and other allies a more reliable non‑Russian, non‑Middle Eastern oil backstop. Georgia’s planned synthetic-diamond plant targets industrial‑grade diamonds used in semiconductors, autos and aerospace—small components with outsized importance in the US‑China technology tug‑of‑war—and underscores how “rocks” can quietly move markets when they sit in the right supply chain.

At the policy level, these projects sit inside a broader US–Japan framework on energy infrastructure and critical minerals that envisions hundreds of billions of dollars for power plants, transmission lines, refining capacity and advanced materials. The goal is end‑to‑end resilience: from digging minerals out of the ground and refining them, to turning them into batteries, chips, magnets and catalysts that are less exposed to single‑country processing choke points. In diplomatic shorthand, Japan supplies patient capital and industrial know‑how, the US supplies the real estate and regulatory headaches, and both get a more robust supply chain.

Enter M2i Global and Volato: A Domestic Lever on Critical Minerals

If the US–Japan deal is the international capital story, the proposed merger of M2i Global (MTWO) and Volato (SOAR) is the domestic complement—the home‑grown lever trying to pull some of that $320‑billion‑plus critical‑minerals opportunity onto a scalable platform. In the second quarter of 2025, M2i Global and Volato announced a proposed merger designed to create a platform positioned for long‑term growth across critical infrastructure markets, effectively stitching together rocks, runways and regulated software into one investable narrative. The timing is not accidental: as foreign partners step in with capital, US operators that can actually source, move and qualify critical materials onshore suddenly look a lot less like niche stories and a lot more like necessary infrastructure.

M2i Global brings the critical‑minerals spine—an operating focus on domestic sourcing, processing and national supply‑chain resilience at a moment when “resilience” is fast becoming Wall Street code for “willing to pay up for certainty.” Volato contributes the aviation technology and software layer, plus a track record of operational execution in complex regulated environments, where getting a permit, a data feed and a flight slot to line up on the same day can feel like an Olympic sport. Together, the combined company is positioned to participate in the US critical‑minerals market—an opportunity estimated to exceed $320 billion annually—as domestic sourcing, logistics and execution capabilities move from the footnotes of strategy decks to the headline slides.

How the Pieces Fit: From LNG Molecules to Mineral Molecules

Put together, Japan’s megaproject dollars and the M2i–Volato combination sketch out a vertically richer picture of America’s next industrial cycle. On one level, foreign capital is underwriting big‑ticket assets—LNG facilities, pipelines, export terminals, industrial plants—that will define the physical footprint of US energy and materials for decades. On another, specialized domestic players are racing to ensure the molecules and materials that flow through that footprint are sourced, tracked and delivered in ways that satisfy regulators, allies and shareholders who now read ESG and national‑security disclosures with equal interest.

In that world, critical minerals are no longer just a line item under “inputs”; they are a strategic asset class whose supply, refining and distribution chains increasingly determine who gets to build what—and at what margin. A combined M2i Global–Volato entity that can knit together mineral sourcing with aviation and software‑driven logistics doesn’t just ride the wave; it helps define the lanes, especially as policymakers continue to lace tax credits, defense‑production tools and tariff relief into the sector. For investors, the message between the lines is simple: follow the flows, not just of capital and electrons, but of the critical atoms that make high‑end manufacturing and defense systems possible.

Tariffs, Trade Deals and a “Massive” Moment

The political origin story of this investment spree is as important as the engineering drawings: under a trade agreement unveiled in 2025, Japan agreed to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in US industries through the end of the decade, while the US scaled back threatened tariffs on Japanese imports. Trump has cast the deal as proof that his tariff brinkmanship can extract not only concessions on paper but concrete, steel and gigawatts on the ground, crediting tariffs as the magic word that made the projects possible. For Tokyo, locking in lower tariffs while channeling capital into strategic US assets offers both economic upside and a stronger security anchor at a time when regional tensions make alliances feel less like diplomatic niceties and more like balance‑sheet necessities.

The US, for its part, gets to tally Japanese investment alongside similar pledges from South Korea and other partners in what officials describe as a new wave of ally‑financed industrial build‑out. Frameworks with both Japan and Korea now emphasize critical minerals, energy infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, effectively turning foreign direct investment into a supply‑chain insurance policy underwritten by America’s closest security partners. In that light, the Ohio gas plant, the Texas export terminal, the Georgia diamond facility, and the emerging M2i–Volato platform are not just one‑off projects but early chapters in a broader story of how tariffs, trade frameworks and geopolitics are rewiring who builds what—and where.

Why Markets and Voters Both Care

For investors, Japan’s $36 billion tranche and the M2i–Volato merger thesis together offer a multi‑year pipeline of work for equipment makers, engineering firms, grid specialists, aviation‑tech players and logistics software companies tied to critical‑infrastructure build‑out. They also underline natural gas’s evolving role as a “bridge fuel” that still commands hefty capital commitments even as renewables grow, and highlight critical minerals as the parallel “bridge material” whose secure supply underpins everything from EVs to missiles.

For voters, the story is simpler and less denominated in gigawatts or billions of dollars in mineral throughput: new plants in Ohio, Texas and Georgia, new industrial facilities in other states, thousands of promised jobs, and the sense that both America’s allies and its own companies are literally investing in its industrial heartland. If the projects deliver as advertised, the political dividends could be almost as substantial as the energy and materials output; if they stumble, they will become case studies in the risks of mega‑project optimism in an era already rich with them. Either way, one fact is clear: when Japan decides to “throw cash at Uncle Sam,” and when domestic players like M2i Global and Volato set up to catch the critical‑minerals opportunity, nobody is reaching for small bills.

The Sources

  1. Japan, US Reach $36 Billion of Gas, Mineral Deals in Trump Pact – Yahoo Finance
    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/japan-invest-36-billion-us-214408491.html[1]
  2. Trump Says Japan to Invest in Energy, Industrial Projects in Ohio, Texas and Georgia – Reuters
    https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/trump-announces-energy-critical-mineral-projects-texas-ohio-georgia-2026-02-17/[2]
  3. Fact Sheet: U.S. — Japan Trade Deal – U.S. Department of Commerce
    https://www.commerce.gov/news/fact-sheets/2026/02/fact-sheet-us-japan-trade-deal[3]
  4. Japan Announces US Investments as Part of $550B Trade Deal – Semafor
    https://www.semafor.com/article/02/18/2026/japan-announces-us-investments-as-part-of-550b-trade-deal[4]
  5. US, Japan Announce First Tranche of $550B in Investments – TRT World
    https://www.trtworld.com/article/0343a7db56dd[5]
  6. Trump Reveals First Set of Japan’s Investments in US, Comprising 3 Projects – NHK World
    https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20260218_07/[6]
  7. Understanding the Japan, Korea Frameworks – National Association of Manufacturers
    https://nam.org/understanding-the-japan-korea-frameworks-35069/[7]
  8. US, Japan Sign Framework for Critical Mineral Supply – Manufacturing Dive
    https://www.manufacturingdive.com/news/us-japan-critical-mineral-rare-earth-deal/804391/[8]
  9. U.S. Partners with Mexico, Japan and EU on Critical Minerals – National Association of Manufacturers
    https://nam.org/u-s-partners-with-mexico-japan-and-eu-on-critical-minerals-35683/[9]
  10. Japan Announces US Investments as Part of $550B Trade Deal – Bloomberg Newsletter Brief
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-02-18/japan-plans-multi-billion-dollar-investments-in-the-us[10]
  11. Japan’s $36B US Investment, Part of $550B Deal, Seen as Political – Global Times
    https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202602/1355478.shtml[11]
  12. The Critical Minerals Play: Why M2i Global and Volato’s Merger Could Reshape Supply Chain Security – AInvest
    https://www.ainvest.com/news/critical-minerals-play-m2i-global-volato-merger-reshape-supply-chain-security-offer-high-conviction[12]
  13. Volato Group Files Updated S-4 and Advances M2i Global Merger Amid $320 Billion Critical Minerals Opportunity – Business Wire
    https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251215965666/en/Volato-Group-Files-Updated-S-4-and-Advances-M2i-Global-Merger-Amid-320-Billion-Critical-Minerals-Opportunity[13]
  14. M2i Global, Along With Volato Group, in Collaboration With Nimy Resources – Volato Investor Relations Press Release
    https://ir.flyvolato.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/132/m2i-global-along-with-volato-group-in-collaboration-with-nimy-resources[14]
  15. M2i–Volato Merger Aligned With New U.S. Critical Minerals Policy – Proactive Video Interview
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXGM3o6QOqQ[15]

February 18, 2026

Year of the Horsepower: Insulet’s Earnings Sprint and Modular Medical’s Quiet Canter -( $MODD $PODD )

Insulet’s (PODD) latest numbers read like the balance sheet of a very determined racehorse: fast, disciplined, and still eager for the next lap, even as a promising upstart named Modular Medical trots onto the same track.

Insulet’s Earnings: Hitting a Full Gallop

Insulet has now strung together multiple years of double‑digit growth, with full‑year revenue first surpassing the $2 billion mark in 2024 and then accelerating to roughly $2.7 billion in 2025, a year‑over‑year increase of about 31%. Omnipod remains the company’s workhorse, with Omnipod revenue mirroring total revenue at roughly $2.7 billion in 2025 and continuing to benefit from global adoption and expanding indications in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

The fourth quarter has become Insulet’s showcase inning, with Q4 2024 revenue growing about 17% year over year to nearly $600 million, and Q4 2025 results again beating guidance and landing above the high end of the company’s revenue growth range. Margins are behaving more like a seasoned blue‑chip than an early‑stage medtech, with gross margin in the low 70% range and operating leverage improving as scale catches up with R&D and commercial investments.

Omnipod 5: The Thoroughbred in the Diabetes Field

Omnipod 5 has firmly established itself as the fully automated insulin‑delivery “thoroughbred” in the U.S., now cleared for both type 1 and type 2 adults and steadily gaining share as payers, physicians, and patients get more comfortable with patch‑based therapy. Management has highlighted that Omnipod 5 is the first and only automated insulin‑delivery system in the U.S. indicated for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, a label edge that translates into a wider total addressable market.

Clinical data are reinforcing the commercial story, with recent randomized trial results showing meaningful gains in time‑in‑range for users with elevated baseline A1c—exactly the cohort payers hope will generate downstream savings. With Omnipod now a truly global franchise, Insulet’s forward guidance calling for mid‑ to high‑teens revenue growth in 2025 positions the company less like a speculative medtech and more like a durable growth compounder—albeit one still priced and traded like a momentum name.

Year of the Horse: Market Momentum with Reins on Risk

In the Chinese zodiac, the Year of the Horse favors speed, ambition, and a certain enthusiastic disregard for obstacles—exactly the temperament Insulet has shown by repeatedly overshooting its own top‑line guidance. Yet even spirited horses need reins, and recent trading around Insulet’s stock underscores that Street expectations can sprint ahead of even strong fundamentals, with shares occasionally slipping despite earnings beats as investors debate sustainability of growth and margins.

Still, in a diabetes‑device market measured in tens of billions of dollars globally, Insulet’s scale, data, and entrenched installed base make it look more like a front‑runner than a late‑cycle sprinter losing steam heading into the back stretch. For long‑term investors, the question in this Year of the Horse may be less whether Insulet can keep running and more whether volatility along the way is a feature to be harnessed, not a bug to be feared.

Modular Medical: A Nimble Contender Enters the Track

While Insulet thunders down the main straightaway, Modular Medical (NASDAQ: MODD) is just cantering out of the paddock—but it is doing so with a design that aims squarely at the “almost‑pumpers” market of adults on multiple daily injections who find traditional pumps too complex or too expensive. The company’s Pivot tubeless insulin patch pump, built around a removable 3 ml reservoir and a two‑part detachable design, is now moving through key manufacturing and regulatory milestones on its way to a planned commercial launch in the first quarter of 2026, subject to FDA 510(k) clearance.

Modular has recently begun validation production lots for the disposable cartridge and infusion set, validated its Pivot controller line for high‑volume manufacturing, and advanced toward ISO 13485 certification and CE Mark via staged audits—all critical prerequisites for U.S. and European commercialization. The company is targeting an estimated $3 billion addressable market for lower‑cost, easy‑to‑learn patch‑pump solutions, even as its own shares trade below Nasdaq’s minimum bid threshold, prompting the exchange to grant a cure period extension into mid‑2026.

Two Horses, One Track: Incumbent vs. Disruptor

At one end of the field, Insulet is the established champion, already generating multibillion‑dollar revenue with a globally recognized platform and strong supporting data; at the other, Modular Medical is the ambitious challenger hoping that a simpler, cheaper Pivot system can carve out a new lane rather than run directly into Omnipod’s slipstream. If the Year of the Horse rewards both speed and stamina, investors may soon have a textbook case study: a dominant incumbent trying to extend its lead, and an undercapitalized but potentially disruptive newcomer betting that the diabetes market still has room for one more fast mover out of the gate.

The Sources


[1] Insulet Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260218828620/en/Insulet-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2025-Results
[2] Insulet Reports Full Year 2024 Revenue Increase of 22% and Fourth … https://finance.yahoo.com/news/insulet-reports-full-2024-revenue-210100956.html
[3] Modular Medical (MODD) Advances Toward 2026 Launch with … https://www.gurufocus.com/news/8581685/modular-medical-modd-advances-toward-2026-launch-with-production-milestone
[4] MODD – Modular Med Inc Latest Stock News & Market Updates https://www.stocktitan.net/news/MODD/
[5] Modular Medical Achieves Key Manufacturing Milestone for Pivot … https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/modular-medical-achieves-key-manufacturing-milestone-for-pivot-tubeless-insulin-patch-pump
[6] Insulet Reports Third Quarter 2024 Revenue Increase of 26% Year … https://investors.insulet.com/news/news-details/2024/Insulet-Reports-Third-Quarter-2024-Revenue-Increase-of-26-Year-Over-Year-25-Constant-Currency1/default.aspx
[7] Insulet sales increase 22% in 2024, Q4 performance beats Street https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/insulet-sales-increase-beat-q4-2024/
[8] Insulet Corporation Reports Strong Financial Performance for 2024 https://www.tradingview.com/news/tradingview:8768a7df71fa2:0-insulet-corporation-reports-strong-financial-performance-for-2024/
[9] Insulet beats Q4 estimates, sees strong 2025 growth – Investing.com https://www.investing.com/news/earnings/insulet-beats-q4-estimates-sees-strong-2025-growth-93CH-3881689
[10] Insulet Reports Second Quarter 2024 Revenue Increase of 23 … https://investors.insulet.com/news/news-details/2024/Insulet-Reports-Second-Quarter-2024-Revenue-Increase-of-23-Year-Over-Year/default.aspx
[11] PODD Stock Falls Despite Q4 Earnings and Revenue Beat, Margins … https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/podd-stock-falls-despite-q4-earnings-and-revenue-beat-margins-rise
[12] Insulet Reports Full Year 2024 Revenue Increase of 22% and Fourth … https://investors.insulet.com/news/news-details/2025/Insulet-Reports-Full-Year-2024-Revenue-Increase-of-22-and-Fourth-Quarter-2024-Revenue-Increase-of-17-Year-Over-Year/default.aspx
[13] Quarterly Results – Insulet Corporation – Investor Relations https://investors.insulet.com/financials/quarterly-results/default.aspx
[14] Modular Medical 2/17/2026 Earnings Report – MarketBeat https://www.marketbeat.com/earnings/reports/2026-2-17-modular-medical-inc-stock-1/
[15] Insulet to Announce Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial … https://investor.insulet.com/news/news-details/2025/Insulet-to-Announce-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2024-Financial-Results-on-February-20-2025/default.aspx

February 17, 2026

Meta Bets the House on Nvidia GPUs: When Your “Like” Button Runs on a Supercomputer -( $NVDA $META $SPY )

Nvidia and Meta just turned their long-running AI flirtation into something closer to a multiyear marriage contract, with millions of chips as the dowry and a data‑center empire as the venue. For investors, it is less a love story than a statement: in the race to industrial‑scale AI, Meta has decided that renting Nvidia’s future is safer than betting the house on homegrown silicon.

Meta Doubles Down on Nvidia’s AI Future

Meta has agreed to deploy “millions” of Nvidia processors over the next few years, tightening what was already one of the most important supplier relationships in AI. The deal spans GPUs, CPUs, and networking gear and is explicitly described as multiyear and multigenerational, effectively hitching Meta’s AI road map to Nvidia’s Blackwell, Rubin, and whatever architectural sequel Jensen Huang unveils next.

Behind the headline number is a simple strategic admission: Meta wants to keep scaling models like its Llama family and AI features across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and it would rather secure capacity from the industry leader than wait for alternative ecosystems to mature. Having already amassed on the order of 600,000 GPU equivalents by late 2024, Meta is now formalizing the next leg of that buying spree instead of treating it as a series of opportunistic orders.

Blackwell, Rubin and the Rise of Grace and Vera

Nvidia’s side of the pact is not just “more H100s, please.” Meta plans to deploy millions of next‑generation Blackwell and Rubin GPU systems alongside Nvidia’s Grace and Vera CPUs, effectively adopting the full stack from compute to networking. The company will be among the first hyperscalers to scale Grace CPUs as standalone chips in data centers, rather than merely as sidekicks in GPU‑centric servers.cnbc+2

That CPU embrace matters because Meta has identified a growing swath of AI workloads—especially inference and agentic tasks—that do not strictly require a GPU but still need serious performance per watt. Nvidia claims Grace can roughly double performance per watt on certain back‑end jobs, and Meta clearly prefers that math to the complexity of juggling yet another custom CPU platform. If GPUs are the celebrity talent in this story, Grace and Vera are the understated character actors who quietly carry half the plot.

Data Centers, WhatsApp, and the Quiet War on Custom Silicon

The alliance stretches well beyond chips into how those chips talk to each other and to user data. Meta will lean on Nvidia’s networking technologies, including Spectrum‑X Ethernet, to stitch together hyperscale AI data centers designed around training frontier models and serving billions of inference calls a day. At the application edge, Nvidia’s Confidential Computing capabilities will support secure processing for WhatsApp, underscoring that AI infrastructure is increasingly intertwined with encrypted messaging and privacy expectations.finance.

Strategically, Meta’s vote of confidence in Nvidia’s CPUs and networking is a quiet but pointed challenge to the industry trend toward custom silicon at hyperscalers. While Amazon and Google have trumpeted proprietary ARM‑based processors and accelerators, Meta is signaling that a standardized, third‑party platform can still win on integration speed, ecosystem depth, and time to scale. In a market where everyone claims to be building “the future of AI,” Meta has essentially outsourced a large part of that future to a supplier—and done so on purpose.

Market Jitters, Capex Shock, and Nvidia’s Moat

The timing of the announcement is almost impish: AI‑linked equities have been wobbling as investors question whether hyperscale spending can keep defying gravity. Meta’s own stock is down modestly this year, while big software peers and chipmakers have faced sharper pullbacks amid concerns that GPU demand might normalize as custom chips proliferate. Yet the decision to lock in millions of additional Nvidia chips suggests that for at least one mega‑customer, the AI capex story is far from finished—just evolving in form.

For Nvidia, this is less about near‑term revenue (financial terms remain undisclosed) and more about defending an 80‑plus percent share in AI training while extending that moat into inference and CPUs. Analysts largely doubt that TPUs or other bespoke accelerators will unseat Nvidia’s grip on the broad AI market anytime soon, given GPUs’ flexibility across workloads versus the narrower focus of many custom designs. In other words, while rivals are busy explaining how they will eventually catch Nvidia, Meta just signed up to keep paying for the privilege of not finding out.

What It Means for the Next AI Cycle

For Meta, the expanded partnership is a bet that owning vast, Nvidia‑optimized infrastructure will be as strategically important to social media as owning prime urban real estate once was to newspapers. Training larger LLMs, powering recommendation engines, and rolling out AI assistants across apps all become less of a science experiment when you can count your GPUs in the millions rather than the thousands.

For the rest of the market, the deal is a reminder that AI is consolidating into a club of scale players whose capital budgets double as competitive moats. Smaller firms will increasingly access this power indirectly, through Nvidia cloud partners and rented capacity, while a handful of platforms like Meta negotiate directly for the next wave of silicon. In the meantime, as the industry debates whether we are in an AI bubble, Nvidia and Meta have quietly agreed on at least one thing: if this is a bubble, it is going to require a lot more chips.

The Sources

  1. Reuters – “Nvidia to sell Meta millions of chips in multiyear deal”
    https://www.reuters.com/business/nvidia-sell-meta-millions-chips-multiyear-deal-2026-02-17/[reuters]​
  2. CNBC – “Meta expands Nvidia deal to use millions of AI data center chips”
    https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/17/meta-nvidia-deal-ai-data-center-chips.html[cnbc]​
  3. Nvidia Newsroom – “Meta Builds AI Infrastructure With NVIDIA”
    https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/meta-builds-ai-infrastructure-with-nvidia[nvidianews.nvidia]​
  4. MLQ.ai – “Nvidia Signs Multiyear Agreement to Supply Meta with Millions of AI Chips”
    https://mlq.ai/news/nvidia-signs-multiyear-agreement-to-supply-meta-with-millions-of-ai-chips/[mlq]​
  5. Wall Street Journal – “Meta Will Buy Millions of Nvidia Chips for AI Build-Out”
    https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-02-17-2026/card/meta-will-buy-millions-of-nvidia-chips-for-ai-build-out[wsj]​
  6. Investing.com – “Nvidia, Meta stocks rise after expanded AI infrastructure pact”
    https://uk.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/nvidia-meta-stocks-rise-after-expanded-ai-infrastructure-pact-4511172[uk.investing]​
  7. MarketScreener – “Meta Builds AI Infrastructure With NVIDIA”
    https://www.marketscreener.com/news/meta-builds-ai-infrastructure-with-nvidia-ce7e5dd9dc81f62d[marketscreener]​
  8. AOL/Finance Video – “Nvidia and Meta expand GPU team up with millions of additional AI chips”
    https://www.aol.com/finance/nvidia-meta-expand-gpu-team-211544630.html[aol]​
  9. Stocktwits News – “Meta Deepens Nvidia Partnership To Deploy ‘Millions’ Of Chips To Boost AI Goals”
    https://stocktwits.com/news-articles/markets/equity/meta-deepens-nvidia-partnership-to-deploy-millions-of-chips-to-boost-ai-goals[stocktwits]​
  10. WSJ live markets blurb (Meta–Nvidia pact context)
    https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-02-17-2026[wsj]​
February 17, 2026

Wall Street Walks a Tightrope: Apple Balances AI Angst as Indices Inch Higher – February 17, 2026 -( $AAPL $GE $MCD $MODD $MTWO $NOK $NVDA $PH Rise!)

US stocks eked out modest gains in choppy trade on Tuesday as investors faded early-session weakness tied to ongoing AI jitters, with Apple’s (AAPL, $263.88, +3.17%) rebound helping pull the major averages back into the green by the close.

Market overview

  • The S&P 500 and Nasdaq finished up about 0.1% after swinging between gains and losses of roughly 0.5% to nearly 1% intraday as traders digested another wave of concerns that AI-driven disruption could spill across sectors beyond big tech.
  • The Dow added only a few dozen points (+.07%), reflecting a more muted move in the older‑economy, less tech‑heavy benchmark as investors rotated within cyclicals and financials.
  • Volatility remained elevated following a recent multi‑week tech sell‑off, with investors still treating AI exposure as both a key growth driver and a source of headline risk, particularly after several weeks in which AI fears helped drag the S&P 500 lower in four of the last five weeks.
  • The Russell 2000 closed roughly flat at 2,646.59 as its was a mostly risk-off day down the food curve of stocks.

Drivers and sectors

  • Apple was the clear bellwether, rallying more than 3% after a report indicated the company is accelerating work on three AI‑enabled wearables — smart glasses, a pendant, and next‑generation AirPods — aimed at tightly integrating with Siri and competing more directly with offerings from Meta and others.
  • The move in Apple was reinforced by a high‑profile bullish note from Wedbush, which reiterated an Outperform rating and a 350 dollar price target, arguing that the recent pullback tied to the broader AI sell‑off has been overdone as Apple stays on track to roll out advanced AI features later this year.
  • Financials caught a bid, while pockets of software and AI‑sensitive names remained under pressure as investors tried to sort potential AI “winners” and “losers,” leading to pronounced dispersion beneath the index level.
  • Aerospace and defense was a relative bright spot, with GE Aerospace (GE) climbing 3.7% and names such as Parker‑Hannifin (PH, $1,009.93, +.82%) also advancing, even as some defense primes traded slightly lower on the session.

Macro, earnings, and policy backdrop

  • The session followed the long Presidents Day weekend, leaving investors to re‑price risk around AI disruption without new macro data, but with a busy stretch ahead that includes Walmart’s closely watched earnings on Thursday and several other high‑profile reports in energy, utilities, and cybersecurity.
  • On the macro front, markets are looking toward Friday’s release of the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, the PCE index, alongside an advance read on fourth‑quarter GDP for additional clues on how resilient consumer demand remains relative to elevated corporate profit margins.
  • Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s January meeting, due Wednesday, are another focal point as traders refine expectations around the timing and pace of potential rate cuts against a backdrop of still‑firm growth and an AI‑driven investment boom.

Notable large‑cap themes

  • NVIDIA (NVDA, $184.97, +1.20%) shares remain under scrutiny after a recent pullback that has left the stock trading meaningfully below the average analyst price target even as the company continues to post outsized data‑center growth and prepares for a key earnings update later this month.
  • For consumer bellwethers, McDonald’s (MCD, $327.62, .01%) garnered attention more for product news than price action as the chain kicked off “Shamrock” season, a reminder that promotions and limited‑time offerings remain a lever to support traffic in a still‑competitive quick‑service landscape.
  • In communications and networking, Nokia (NOK, $7.38, +3.84%) rallied about 3.84% on the day, helped by a price‑target bump from JPMorgan to 8.20 dollars and optimism around the company’s 2026 operating‑profit outlook and initiatives tied to AI and cloud‑driven network demand.

VP Watchlist Updates

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: EPRX)

  • EPRX has been trading in the high single digits, with recent historical data showing shares changing hands around the mid‑$8 area on February 17, 2026 amid solid volume, reflecting growing interest following earlier clinical and financing milestones.
  • The company remains a development‑stage story centered on EP‑104GI for eosinophilic esophagitis, supported by earlier positive cohort data, ongoing Phase 2b work, and an extended cash runway following a sizeable public offering that management has indicated should fund operations well into 2028.

Modular Medical (NASDAQ: MODD)

  • MODD ($.4583, +1.82%) has been trading as a diabetes‑tech name, with shares reacting to execution milestones around its Pivot tubeless patch pump platform.Earlier this month, the company began production of validation lots for its disposable cartridge and infusion set, keeping it on track for a planned commercial launch in the first quarter of 2026, contingent on FDA 510(k) clearance—an event path that positions upcoming regulatory decisions as key stock catalysts.
  • Earlier this month, the company began production of validation lots for its disposable cartridge and infusion set, keeping it on track for a planned commercial launch in the first quarter of 2026, contingent on FDA 510(k) clearance—an event path that positions upcoming regulatory decisions as key stock catalysts.

GeoVax Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOVX)

DoubleVerify Holdings Inc. (NYSE: DV)

  • DoubleVerify (DV, $9.32) shares have been grinding higher in recent weeks, supported by positive technical trends and rising volume, with some models projecting mid‑teens percentage upside over the next quarter if the current uptrend holds.
  • The stock still sits in the middle of a broader rising channel, and short‑term signals remain constructive so long as it can maintain support near the mid‑teens level flagged by recent moving‑average and volume‑based analysis..

The InterGroup Corporation (NASDAQ: INTG)

  • The InterGroup Corporation, a small‑cap real estate and hospitality‑focused holding company, has traded in the high‑$20s in recent sessions. Recent filings and commentary highlight that results for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, benefited from improved hotel metrics and gains on real estate transactions, even as the company continues to carry substantial mortgage and subordinated note obligations. With a market capitalization in the low‑$60 million range and thin trading, INTG remains a tightly held, event‑driven real estate story where periodic asset sales and refinancing activity can materially influence quarterly earnings.

Serina Therapeutics (NYSE American: SER)

  • Serina Therapeutics, a polymer‑based drug delivery company, recently received FDA clearance for its IND on SER‑252 after a prior clinical hold, enabling initiation of site‑level work and the formal start of its next clinical phase.
  • Serina Therapeutics is drawing increased institutional attention, with at least two covering analysts assigning a Strong Buy consensus rating as of mid‑February, reflecting optimism around its polymer‑based drug‑delivery platform and advancing pipeline.
  • With the story still early and catalysts largely clinical rather than commercial, position sizing and time horizon remain key considerations for investors leaning into the bullish analyst stance.

M2i Global, Inc. (MTWO) & Volato Group, Inc. (NYSE American: SOAR)

  • Volato and M2i Global reaffirmed their goal of closing their business combination in the first quarter of 2026, citing steady advancement through SEC review and integration planning as they move toward a combined listing. The deal, originally announced in 2025, will effectively transition Volato from a pure‑play private aviation operator into a diversified platform spanning aviation technology and critical minerals, with M2i shareholders expected to own the majority of the combined entity. Operationally, the partnership is already visible: the two companies recently initiated their first shipment of titanium ore from Western Australia to the United States from Titanium X, underscoring how the critical‑minerals vertical could become a meaningful growth engine as domestic supply‑chain security rises in strategic importance.
  • On Feb. 4, M2i Global, Inc. along with Volato Group, Inc. announced that Titanium X has initiated its first shipment of titanium ore from Western Australia to the U.S. under its collaboration agreement.

NVIDIA (NVDA)

  • NVIDIA has slipped in recent sessions despite delivering another quarter of spectacular data‑center revenue growth and guiding to roughly 65 billion dollars in upcoming quarterly sales, leaving the stock trading more than 40% below the average analyst price target according to one recent review.
  • The February 25 earnings call is shaping up as a key inflection point as investors look for confirmation that surging demand for the next‑generation Blackwell architecture is translating into firm, contracted revenue and sustaining margins rather than simply driving short‑term enthusiasm.

McDonald’s (MCD)

  • McDonald’s enters the late‑February stretch with a renewed marketing push as the chain brings back its Shamrock Shake and OREO Shamrock McFlurry beginning February 17, a seasonal promotion that tends to support traffic and check size during an otherwise slower period for limited‑service restaurants.

Nokia (NOK)

  • Nokia’s stock advanced about 4% during the February 17 session, aided by JPMorgan’s price‑target boost and continued optimism around the company’s 2026 operating‑profit outlook as it leans into AI‑ and cloud‑driven network modernization.
  • The shares closed around 7.30 dollars after touching an intraday high near 7.34, with recent volatility highlighting how quickly sentiment can swing as investors recalibrate expectations for telecom‑equipment spending cycles.

Opendoor (OPEN)

  • Opendoor remains a highly tactical trade around day‑to‑day moves in its share price, with prediction markets even hosting contracts on whether the stock will finish the February 17 session up or down relative to the prior close — a sign of ongoing speculative interest in the iBuying model.
  • With sensitivity to housing turnover, mortgage rates, and capital‑markets access, the stock’s near‑term path is likely to stay closely tied to macro housing data and risk sentiment rather than company‑specific news alone.

The Sources

  1. Yahoo Finance – “Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq end higher in volatile trading day as Apple jumps”
    https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-end-higher-in-volatile-trading-day-as-apple-jumps-210119999.html[sg.finance.yahoo]​
  2. Yahoo Finance – “Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq edge higher in volatile trading as Wall Street assesses AI fears”
    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/live/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-edge-higher-in-volatile-trading-as-wall-street-assesses-ai-fears-143417272.html[finance.yahoo]​
  3. Yahoo Finance – S&P 500 (^GSPC) page (charts, data, and intraday context)
    https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/%5EGSPC/[finance.yahoo]​
  4. Yahoo Finance – Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) latest news and headlines
    https://au.finance.yahoo.com/quote/%5EDJI/news/[au.finance.yahoo]​
  5. Yahoo Finance – Homepage market wrap and live coverage
    https://finance.yahoo.com[finance.yahoo]​
  6. IndexBox – “US Stocks Edge Higher Amid AI, Deal News; Apple Gains, General Mills Falls”
    https://www.indexbox.io/blog/us-stocks-edge-higher-amid-ai-deal-news-apple-gains-general-mills-falls/[indexbox]​
  7. Canada/Yahoo Finance – “US stocks edge higher after swinging through worries about AI and…”
    https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/shares-fall-japan-while-most-062947531.html[ca.finance.yahoo]​
  8. 24/7 Wall St. – “NVIDIA (NVDA) Trading 41% Below Analyst Targets After Recent Drop”
    https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/02/17/nvidia-nvda-trading-41-below-analyst-targets-after-recent-drop/[247wallst]​
  9. AOL – “NVIDIA (NVDA) Trading 41% Below Analyst Targets After Recent Drop”
    https://www.aol.com/articles/nvidia-nvda-trading-41-below-analyst-targets-after-recent-drop-164525853.html[aol]​
  10. AOL – “AI stocks jump amid broadly positive outlook for 2026 markets”
    https://www.aol.com/articles/ai-stocks-jump-amid-broadly-161321620.html[aol]​

February 17, 2026

GeoVax Tries on Its 2026 “Breakout Year” Jacket — And It Might Just Fit -( $GOVX $IBB $XBI )

GeoVax Labs (NASDAQ: GOVX) is stepping into 2026 talking like an inflection‑year story—and, unusually for biotech, it has the clinical, regulatory and manufacturing pieces to at least justify the wardrobe change. While capital remains tight, the company is pairing late‑stage Mpox vaccine ambitions with fresh financing and a sharpened message around global health readiness.

2026: From Small‑Cap Underdog to Late‑Stage Contender?

Management has framed 2026 as a pivotal portfolio year, with multiple programs converging on value‑defining milestones rather than just incremental updates. For investors used to early‑stage drift, the narrative has shifted toward regulatory de‑risking, clearer execution priorities, and concrete timelines in both infectious disease and oncology.

Across the pipeline, GeoVax is leaning on its MVA and vector platforms to position as a specialist in hard‑to‑serve niches like immunocompromised COVID patients and persistent Mpox risk, rather than chasing already crowded vaccine markets. That focus is increasingly tied to the company’s manufacturing strategy, where scale and geographic diversification are being pitched as strategic assets rather than mere back‑office plumbing.

GEO-MVA: A Second Engine for the Global Mpox Response

At the heart of the story is GEO‑MVA, an MVA‑based Mpox and smallpox vaccine candidate designed explicitly to address the world’s dependence on a single licensed MVA supplier. GeoVax has completed clinical material for GEO‑MVA and is positioning the program for late‑stage execution and supply readiness just as Mpox is proving stubbornly resistant to fading from the headlines, particularly in Africa.

European regulators have provided favorable scientific advice supporting a single pivotal Phase 3 immunobridging trial, giving GeoVax a potentially streamlined path to registration. The company plans to initiate that Phase 3 study in Q4 2026, with immunobridging data targeted for Q2 2027—timelines that, if met, would put GEO‑MVA squarely into the procurement conversation for global health agencies.

Backdrop: An Epidemic That Refuses to Exit Stage Left

If markets have largely moved on from Mpox, the virus has not extended the same courtesy. Evidence cited by GeoVax underscores that transmission, morbidity and mortality continue, with disproportionate burden across Africa and evolving viral clades adding complexity. Persistent inequities in vaccine access and constrained supply have prompted repeated public health emergency declarations and renewed calls for sustained financing and political will.

GeoVax has publicly endorsed this global call to sustain the Mpox response, warning that complacency could prove a “costly mistake” given ongoing zoonotic spillover and entrenched transmission networks. The company argues that redundant, geographically diversified MVA manufacturing capacity is no longer a “nice‑to‑have” but a core pillar of long‑term preparedness, with GEO‑MVA designed to serve both civilian public health and biodefense demand.

COVID-19 and Oncology: Second Acts With Real Data Hooks

While GEO‑MVA may be the headline, GeoVax continues to push its next‑generation COVID‑19 program, GEO‑CM04S1, through multiple Phase 2 trials. The vaccine is being evaluated as a primary option for immunocompromised patients, a booster for chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients, and a more durable booster for previously mRNA‑vaccinated healthy individuals—a set of indications where the bar for improved durability and breadth remains meaningfully high.

Oncology is the other leg of the stool, anchored by Gedeptin, a gene‑directed prodrug therapy targeting solid tumors and recently evaluated in a multicenter Phase 1/2 trial for advanced head and neck cancers. Management has pointed to upcoming data publications and a planned Phase 2 study in combination with checkpoint inhibitors as part of a broader strategy to push the platform beyond a single‑indication curiosity.

A Pivotal Year, If Execution Cooperates

In a sector known for selling “jam tomorrow,” GeoVax (NASDAQ: GOVX) is attempting something bolder: promising a pivotal year and then pinning that promise to specific trials, regulatory dialogues, and manufacturing milestones. If the company can match execution to rhetoric, 2026 may be remembered less as branding and more as the moment its Mpox, COVID‑19, and oncology bets began to read like a coherent, late‑stage story rather than a biotech wish list.

The Sources

  1. GeoVax Highlights 2026 as a Pivotal Year for Progress
    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/geovax-highlights-2026-pivotal-progress-140000892.html
  2. GeoVax Labs Announces $1 Million Registered Direct Offering Priced At-The-Market Under Nasdaq Rules
    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/geovax-labs-announces-1-million-130000947.html
  3. GeoVax Endorses Global Call to Sustain Mpox Response as Evidence Confirms Epidemic Is Far from Over (company press release, attached document)
    (Your attached file: “260217_PR-GeoVax-Endorses-Global-Call-to-Sustain-Mpox-Response-FINAL.docx”)
  4. The mpox epidemic is not over: Reducing disproportionate burden in Africa and persistent global risk require a sustained response (PLOS Medicine)
    https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1004893
February 16, 2026

From Benicia to the Bahamas: The Surprising Supply Chain Behind California’s Gas Spike -( $PSX $VLO )

California drivers are discovering that “California premium” at the pump comes with a 40‑cent surprise this February, as refinery shutdowns tighten supply and push the statewide average to roughly the mid‑4‑dollar range per gallon. In true Golden State fashion, the market is responding with a mix of improvisation, imported fuel, and political theater befitting a state that can turn even gasoline into a global story.

A 14‑Day Sprint Higher at the Pump

Over the last two weeks, California gas prices have climbed by about 40 cents per gallon, lifting the statewide average to around 4.58 dollars and keeping the state firmly atop the national price leaderboard. That leaves California drivers paying well above the roughly 2.93‑dollar national average, a spread that could make even the most stoic commuter consider the merits of remote work…or a bicycle.

In metro pockets like San Francisco and San Rafael, regular gas is already hovering north of 4.80 dollars, with some Northern California communities reporting similar pain. The move marks a sharp reversal from January, when statewide retail prices had been easing toward the low‑4‑dollar range before refinery drama took center stage.

Refineries Take a Bow, Prices Take the Stage

The immediate culprit sits not in OPEC’s meeting rooms but along California’s own refining corridor, where key facilities are dialing back or shutting operations. Valero’s (VLO) Benicia refinery, a critical supplier to Northern California, is in the process of idling, adding to earlier pullbacks at Phillips 66’s (PSX) Los Angeles refinery and other facilities that have steadily eroded in‑state gasoline production capacity.

Energy analysts point to a familiar trio driving the squeeze: refinery closures, planned maintenance, and the seasonal shift toward costlier summer‑blend gasoline. When fewer local refineries are running and fuel standards are strict, the market has all the ingredients it needs to stage a brisk little price rally—no Wall Street roadshow required.

Importing Relief: From the Bahamas With Fuel

With California refineries stepping back, the state is increasingly turning to imported gasoline to keep pumps flowing, even if not exactly overflowing. Recent data show California imported more gasoline in November than ever before, with over 40% of those barrels coming from the Bahamas, an origin story more commonly associated with cruise ships than commuter sedans.

The longer supply chain is no trivial detail: shipping fuel from the Caribbean to the Pacific Coast adds logistics costs and time, which filter neatly into higher retail prices. Analysts suggest refinery closures and rising reliance on imports could tack on an additional 5 to 15 cents per gallon over time—on top of the spike drivers are already seeing at the pump.

Farmers, Families, and the Real‑Economy Ripple

While city drivers grumble between podcasts, rural California is feeling the pinch in more tangible ways. In Northern California, farmers and ranchers report that rising diesel and gasoline costs are squeezing margins and complicating harvest planning, even after stocking up on red diesel for tractors ahead of time.

In places like Butte County, regular gas is running in the mid‑4‑dollar range, with diesel near 4.76 dollars, turning every field pass and truck run into a line‑item worth watching. Households, meanwhile, face the familiar arithmetic: higher fuel costs mean less room in the budget for everything from groceries to Little League fees, a tradeoff that rarely shows up in headline CPI but lands squarely in weekend routines.

Policy, Politics, and the Road Ahead

Sacramento is hardly a passive bystander in this narrative, and not just because the state already layers on one of the highest gas taxes in the country. Even as prices climb, policymakers are debating a mileage‑based “road usage” charge that would tax drivers by the mile instead of the gallon to offset declining fuel‑tax revenues as electric and fuel‑efficient vehicles gain share.

Critics warn that layering a per‑mile fee on top of high pump prices risks turning California’s daily commute into something resembling a luxury product, while supporters argue it is a necessary modernization of how the state funds roads and bridges. The political tension has grown loud enough that some lawmakers are calling the state “at a breaking point,” linking refinery closures, shrinking supply, and rising costs into a single, voter‑tested talking point.

A Forecast With a $1.21 Question

If you zoom out beyond this month’s 40‑cent surge, the more consequential story may lie in the trajectory through 2026. UC Davis economists studying the impact of refinery closures estimate that, by August 2026, California gasoline prices could be as much as 1.21 dollars per gallon higher than they would have been absent the shutdowns, assuming no major market shifts.

That kind of structural lift would hard‑wire a new, higher “normal” into California fuel economics, leaving the current mid‑4‑dollar range looking more like a staging area than a peak. If those projections hold, the state’s love affair with long commutes and weekend getaways may encounter a more formidable gatekeeper at the corner station than even the most ruthless parking enforcement unit.

For Now, Buckle Up—and Fill Strategically

In the near term, drivers have limited tools: shop around within their region, watch for loyalty‑program discounts, and time fill‑ups in anticipation of further increases. Some Southern California promotions are dangling one‑day deals with up to 40 cents off per gallon, a reminder that even in a tight market, competitive skirmishes can still emerge.

Longer term, the combination of refinery closures, tighter environmental standards, and a shift toward cleaner fleets is nudging California toward a structural reset in how it moves people and goods—though not without some sticker shock along the way. For now, the message from the market is clear enough: in California’s latest act, the cars still run on gasoline, but the punchline runs on 40 extra cents.

The Sources


[1] California gas prices have risen 40 cents in the last 14 days https://nypost.com/2026/02/15/us-news/california-gas-prices-have-risen-40-cents-in-the-last-14-days/
[2] Gasoline-starved California is turning to fuel from the Bahamas https://fortune.com/2026/02/15/gasoline-supply-shortage-california-bahamas-shipping-oil-refineries-pipelines/
[3] California average gas prices – AAA Fuel Prices https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA
[4] Gasoline-Starved California Is Turning to Fuel From the Bahamas https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gasoline-starved-california-turning-fuel-160000840.html
[5] California’s High Gas Prices and Refinery Closures Have Real … https://californiaglobe.com/fr/californias-high-gas-prices-and-refinery-closures-have-real-consequences/
[6] LYING MAGA As of mid-February 2026, California has the highest … https://www.facebook.com/100064722214657/posts/lying-maga-as-of-mid-february-2026-california-has-the-highest-gas-prices-in-the-/1388574783309916/
[7] California Retail Gas Price (Monthly) – Historical Data & T… – YCharts https://ycharts.com/indicators/california_retail_price_of_gasoline_monthly
[8] California All Grades All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices … – EIA https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=EMM_EPM0_PTE_SCA_DPG&f=M
[9] California gas prices have risen 40 cents in the last 14 days https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4366979/posts
[10] California gas prices expected to soar as Valero closes refinery https://nypost.com/2026/02/04/us-news/valero-shuts-california-refinery-early-as-gas-prices-poised-to-spike/
[11] California Gas Prices Set to Soar in 2026 https://caes.ucdavis.edu/news/california-gas-prices-set-soar-2026
[12] California Gas Prices Edge Higher as February Kicks Off https://www.carmichaeltimes.com/2026/02/09/562982/california-gas-prices-edge-higher-as-february-kicks-off
[13] Fact check: Claims swirling on California gas prices https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/06/25/fact-check-claims-swirling-on-california-gas-prices/
[14] Gas prices rise in SoCal. Get 40 cents off every gallon for one day https://www.aol.com/articles/gas-prices-rise-socal-40-174717821.html
[15] LA, Orange County Gas Prices Rise For 18th Consecutive Day https://mynewsla.com/orange-county/2026/02/15/la-orange-county-gas-prices-rise-for-18th-consecutive-day/

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