Markets News, Feb. 11, 2026: Major Indexes Close Lower After Stronger-Than-Expected January Jobs Report, Earnings Flurry

Major stock indexes ended slightly lower Wednesday as investors digested a flurry of earnings and a January U.S. employment report that came in better than economists expected.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq and blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average finished down 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively, while the benchmark S&P 500 closed less than a point lower. The Dow had set both intraday and closing record highs the previous three sessions.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data released before the open revealed U.S. employers added 130,000 jobs in January, well above the 55,000 expected. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.3% from 4.4% in December; economists expected it to remain unchanged.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury—which impacts interest rates on a variety of consumer loans including mortgages—was at 4.18% at 4 p.m. ET, up from Tuesday’s close below 4.15%. CME Group’s FedWatch tool indicated traders expect a 94% likelihood that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates steady at its March meeting, up from about 80% yesterday.

“The immediate reaction was textbook: bond yields moved higher as traders recalibrated rate-cut expectations,” Siebert Financial CIO Mark Malek said. “For now, policymakers get a pass. There is nothing in this report that forces their hand toward immediate easing.”

Magnificent Seven stocks finished mixed Wednesday, with Nvidia (NVDA) and Tesla (TSLA) rising less than 1% apiece. Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL) was the biggest decliner with a 2.4% pullback.

Shares of Mattel (MAT) plummeted 25%, Lyft (LYFT) sank 17%, Robinhood Markets (HOOD) retreated 9%, and Humana (HUM) fell more than 3%. Meanwhile, Hinge Health (HNGE) popped 17%, Cloudflare (NET) advanced 5%, T-Mobile US (TMUS) rose 5%, and Ford Motor (F) gained nearly 2%.

Bitcoin was trading near $67,600, down from overnight highs around $69,200. The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the value of the greenback against a basket of global currencies, ticked higher to 96.86.

Gold futures rose 1.6% to $5,110 an ounce, while silver futures surged 4.5% to above $84 an ounce. West Texas Intermediate crude futures, the U.S. benchmark, were 1.5% higher to near $65 a barrel.