Global stocks slip with earnings and US-Iran tensions in focus

Advertisement Business Global stocks slip with earnings and US-Iran tensions in focus The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, January 16, 2026. REUTERS/staff 19 Feb 2026 08:38PM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST LONDON, Feb 19 : U.S. futures and European stocks fell on Thursday as investors zeroed in on company earnings while tensions between the United States and Iran kept markets on edge and supported oil prices and gold. Europe's STOXX 600 index dropped 0.6 per cent as shares in planemaker Airbus and miner Rio Tinto slid after their earnings reports underwhelmed the market.The index hit a record the previous day as a rally in defence and banking shares helped investors shake off worries about artificial intelligence disrupting companies.Futures for the U.S. S&P 500 and tech-focused Nasdaq fell 0.34 per cent and 0.44 per cent, respectively, as the volatility driven by worries about disruption from A.I. appeared to continue. Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday. This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners. Loading Investors were digesting earnings, including from Walmart, which was down in pre-market trading after forecasting annual sales and profit below expectations. Wall Street rallied on Wednesday, driven by Nvidia saying it signed a multi-year deal to sell Meta Platforms millions of artificial intelligence chips. Nvidia, Meta and other tech firms such as Apple were, however, down in pre-market trading.Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said geopolitics was a factor."Rising U.S.-Iran tensions are adding a layer of uncertainty, and we're already seeing that play out in higher oil prices, which are dampening sentiment more broadly."U.S. mega-cap tech stocks, as well as sectors like software and trucking, have had a shaky month as traders have tried to work out which companies are most at risk from A.I.Chris Turner, global head of markets at lender ING, said investors could take some comfort from Wednesday's Federal Reserve meeting minutes, which suggested some policymakers were open to rate hikes if inflation remains high."The Fed's talking about a resilient U.S. economy which is good for global growth," he said. "Equities have been doing quite well in Asia."GEOPOLITICS AND FED IN FOCUSOil prices extended gains after surging in the previous session, as investors priced in potential supply disruptions on concerns of a conflict between the U.S. and Iran.U.S. outlets, including the New York Times and CNN, reported the buildup of American forces around Iran, although they stressed President Donald Trump had not decided on a course of action.Brent crude oil futures were up 1.5 per cent at $71.41 a barrel - around the highest since late January - after jumping 4.4 per cent in the previous session. U.S. crude rose 1.6 per cent to $66.26."The balance of risks now tilts to a U.S. strike after market close Friday," said Michael Every, senior global strategist at Rabobank, adding that any attack is likely to last weeks rather than "being over by the Monday open".Gold, traditionally a safe-haven asset, rose 0.15 per cent to $4,986 an ounce. The dollar held on to its gains after rallying in the wake of better-than-expected U.S. economic data and the Fed minutes.The dollar index, which tracks the currency against six major peers, was last up 0.1 per cent at 97.81 after climbing 0.59 per cent on Wednesday.MSCI's index of Asian-Pacific stocks excluding Japan rose 0.3 per cent overnight, although trading was thinned by Lunar New Year holidays in some markets. Source: Reuters Newsletter Week in Review Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday. Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading... Advertisement Expand to read the full story Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST