US markets recover from early losses to end higher on Tuesday

18 Feb 2026 Evaluate

After trading under selling pressure in early session, US markets ended higher on Tuesday ahead of release of key economic data in the coming days. Initially, markets saw subdued trading due to weakness among technology stocks, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropping to its lowest intraday level in almost three months. Further, markets regained the lost ground over the course of the trading day. Traders overlooked the report released by the National Association of Home Builders said that Homebuilder confidence has unexpectedly seen a modest deterioration in the month of February. The report said the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index edged down to 36 in February after slipping to 37 in January. The street had expected the index to inch up to 38.

On the sectorial front, gold stocks moved sharply lower along with the price of the precious metal, dragging the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index down by 3.2 percent. Housing, software and energy stocks also saw notable weakness, while airline stocks moved sharply higher, driving the NYSE Arca Airline Index up by 2.5 percent.

Nasdaq increased 31.71 points or 0.14 percent to 22,578.384, S&P 500 added 7.05 points or 0.1 percent to 6,843.22 and Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 32.26 points or 0.07 percent to 49,533.19.

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