State of the Stock Market - February 2026 - 3-Minute Analysis

Published first at https://www.3minutebreakdowns.com US stock markets have got off to a cautious start in 2026 with the S&P 500 climbing 1.3% year to date and the Nasdaq up about 2%. So far, there haven’t been too many surprises related to company earnings and the AI boom seems to be intact. But while the stock market has been subdued, the rest of the market has been anything but. The biggest story is a sharp decline in the value of the US dollar which has fallen about 3% in the last 8 trading days. That’s a big move in the currency markets and it continues the 9% drop that we saw in 2025. And since most commodities are priced in US dollars, we’ve seen sharp increases in the value of assets like gold, silver, platinum and now oil. ABOUT ME Joe is the original founder of 3-minute Breakdowns and editor for Overlooked Alpha, the number one newsletter for overlooked investing ideas and stock market analysis. Joe evaluates companies from a business-first perspective, searching for things that the market has got wrong and waiting for the 'fat pitch'. LINKS My website: https://www.3minutebreakdowns.com/ Koyfin charts: https://www.koyfin.com/affiliate/overlooked-alpha/?via=3mb TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@overlookedalpha X: https://x.com/OverlookedAlpha DISCLAIMER & DISCLOSURE This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. 3-Minute Breakdowns is not a registered investment advisor and does not provide financial recommendations (only opinions). The information is being presented without consideration of the investment objectives, risk tolerance, or financial circumstances of any specific investor and might not be suitable for all investors. Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The author reserves the right to buy and sell or change his position in a particular stock at any time. This description contains affiliate links that allow you to find the items that I personally use and recommend. Thank you for your support.