Stock Market Today: Stocks Little Changed Following Tame Inflation Report; Tech Sell-Off Slows

By Colin Laidley

Colin is an Associate Editor focused on tech and financial news. He has more than three years of experience editing, proofreading, and fact-checking content on current financial events and politics. He received his M.A. in journalism from The New School and his B.A. in history and political science from McGill University.

Updated February 13, 2026 09:48 AM EST

Stocks slipped in early trading ahead of January's consumer inflation report on Friday. Michael Nagle / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Stocks were little changed at the open Friday after a crucial inflation report showed prices rose less than expected last month.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average, benchmark S&P 500, and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite were all trading within 0.1% of Thursday's close in early trading Friday. Stocks slumped yesterday, with tech leading the slump as the AI jitters that sparked last week’s “SaaSpocalypse” flared up.

Inflation slowed to 2.4% in January, its lowest reading since May and a bigger slowdown than economists expected, according to data released Friday. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, fell to 2.5%, its lowest print since March 2021. (Follow Investopedia's live coverage of Friday's report here.)

Friday’s data will be one of several inflation and labor market reports factoring into the conversation when Federal Reserve officials meet to set monetary policy next month. The odds the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates in the next few months dropped sharply on Wednesday when data showed the U.S. added twice as many jobs as economists expected last month. 

Treasury yields fell following the release of Friday's inflation report. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which impacts interest rates on a variety of consumer loans including mortgages, was recently 4.07%, down from 4.11% at Thursday’s close.

Corporate earnings continued to be a driver of big stock moves on Friday. Shares of Applied Materials (AMAT) jumped 13% after the semiconductor manufacturing equipment maker topped revenue and earnings estimates on demand for AI chips. The AI data center boom also drove strong results at Arista Networks (ANET), shares of which were recently up 8%. Pinterest (PINS) stock plummeted 24% on its weak results and DraftKings (DKNG) fell 15% after issuing a disappointing full-year forecast.

Big tech stocks continued to feel some pressure after sliding yesterday. Nvidia (NVDA), Alphabet (GOOG), Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), and Tesla (TSLA) were all down less than 1% in early trading, while Meta (META) slid about 2%.

Gold futures were recently at $5,015 an ounce, up more than 1% after tumbling yesterday. West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, were recently up about 0.2% at $62.95 a barrel.

Bitcoin rebounded from yesterday's lows around $65,000 to trade above $67,000. The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the value of the greenback against a basket of global currencies, was flat at 96.9.

February 13, 2026 09:48 AM EST What Does the Inflation Report Mean for the Federal Reserve? FROM 15 minutes ago Softer inflation will likely give the Federal Reserve breathing room to wait and see how the economy evolves in the coming months.

According to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool, traders are pricing in a 70% chance that central bankers will next cut their influential fed funds rate at their June meeting. That was up from 66% just before the report was released. The FedWatch tool forecasts rate movements based on fed funds futures trading data.

"January’s inflation data, paired with a strong job payroll report, support the FOMC members who think the easing cycle should remain on hold in the coming months," wrote Moody’s Analytics Economist Matt Colyar.

-Taylor Tompkins

February 13, 2026 08:48 AM EST Inflation Was Tame in January FROM 1 hr 15 min ago The Consumer Price Index rose 2.4% over the year in January, down from a 2.7% annual increase in December. That was less than economists expected and the lowest since May.

Core inflation fell to a 2.5% annual increase from 2.6% in December, the lowest since March 2021. Economists expect core inflation to be a better measure of inflation because it excludes volatile food and energy prices, which can fluctuate for factors not reflective of the broader economy.

-Taylor Tompkins

February 13, 2026 08:10 AM EST Stock Indexes Slip Ahead of January CPI Report FROM 1 hr 53 min ago Futures contracts connected to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down about 0.2% in premarket trading.

S&P 500 futures were also off 0.2%.

Nasdaq 100 contracts dipped 0.3%.

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