Oil at Records

Oil climbed to record highs as tensions with Iran escalated.

Author

Ankit Sinha
February 19, 2026

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🎯 In this issue:

  • Banana Bits: Finance headlines that actually matter

  • Market Summary: Equities get a boost amid healthy U.S. economic data

  • What’s Ripe / Rotten: The tastiest and most disgusting stocks today

  • Technical Trip: Interview Q&A from Ares

  • Lesson from the Library: Master LBOs, deal judgment, and the PE interview mindset.

  • Deal Deep Dive: M&A, IPO, and transaction breakdowns

  • The Daily Poll: See how you stack up

Market Snapshot

📉 Banana Bits

Market News

Equities Get Boost Amid Healthy U.S. Economic Data

Wall Street finally caught its breath after equities jumped amid reduced AI nervousness and positive U.S. economic data.

About 320 S&P 500 shares rose. That’s even as minutes of the last Federal Reserve meeting showed “several” officials suggested the central bank may need to raise rates if inflation stays above their goal.

Stocks dropped sharply due to AI-related fears, and now investors are trying to determine whether the worst is over. A gauge of chipmakers climbed 1%, and an ETF tracking software firms jumped 1.3%.

Despite Wednesday’s equity gains, the S&P 500 still finds it difficult to break the 7,000 level. This level will be a key resistance, indicating the index's strength and the likelihood of a break above it.

Last week’s stock slumps were the result of a major outflow of institutional U.S. equities. Bank of America Corp. clients dumped U.S. equities last week, with single-stock outflows totaling $8.3 billion; the third-highest since records began in 2008.

What's Ripe

Global Payments Inc. (GPN) 16.5%

  • GPN was up 16% after the financial software provider issued an upbeat 2026 outlook and posted fourth-quarter adjusted earnings that beat Wall Street's estimates.

  • The jump in stock makes it the best-performing equity in the S&P 500.

Mister Car Wash Inc. (MCW) 16.1%

  • The car wash chain is reportedly being taken private after being publicly listed for 5 years.

  • Funds managed by private-equity firm Leonard Green & Partners have agreed to purchase all outstanding shares for $7 apiece in an all-cash deal.

What's Rotten

Carvana Co. (CVNA) 15.3%

  • CVNA slumped in after trading hours after the second-hand car dealer reported strong fourth-quarter earnings but still missed Wall Street estimates as higher operating costs hit margins.

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) 6.8%

  • PANW down 6% after the company issued strong fiscal second quarter earnings but reported caution on the second half of the year.

  • The suffering was caused by higher prices on memory chips and the handling of its recent acquisitions.

🧠 Technical Trip

Interview Q&A from Ares

👉 Want 1-on-1 recruiting help from Ares bankers & 2,000+ top mentors? Apply to WSO Academy

📚 Lesson from the Library

🎥 Private Equity Interview Course: Think Like a PE Investor

Master LBOs, deal judgment, and the PE interview mindset.

🦈 Deal Dispatch

M&A, IPOs, And Other Notable Transactions

📊The Daily Poll

Why are foreigners buying more U.S. stocks despite tariffs?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Previous Poll:

Why are markets overreacting to AI news?

Hype cycle: 45.5% // Big money: 17.0% // FOMO: 15.9% // Thin patience: 21.6%

Student Success Corner

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Banana Brain Teaser

Previous

If [x] is the greatest integer less than or equal to x, what is the value of [–1.6] + [3.4] + [2.7]?

Answer: 3

Today

In the first week of the year, Nancy saved $1. In each of the next 51 weeks, she saved $1 more than she had saved in the previous week. What was the total amount that Nancy saved during the 52 weeks?

❝

Liquidity is the oxygen of markets.

Andrew Ross Sorkin

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Happy Investing,
Chris, Vyom, Ankit, Mitchell, Fernanda, & Patrick