02-16-2026 | Microreactors advance, inflation data looms, and AI tensions test U.S. strategy

COMPANIES. U.S. Airlifts Nuclear Microreactor. The United States transported a nuclear microreactor built by Valar Atomics from California to Utah aboard a C seventeen aircraft. The unit can generate up to FIVE MEGAWATTS of power. Officials said the reactor moved without nuclear fuel. The project advances toward initial operation at scaled capacity before reaching full output. The demonstration highlights federal backing for compact nuclear systems and signals potential commercial and defense applications. THE ECONOMY. Gross Domestic Product and Inflation Data in Focus. Investors await the first reading of fourth quarter Gross Domestic Product and the January Personal Consumption Expenditures index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge. Markets watch closely for any deviation from forecasts. The numbers will influence expectations for INTEREST RATES and monetary policy in the coming months. INTERNATIONAL. Airstrikes Raise Tensions in Gaza. Israeli airstrikes killed at least eleven people in Gaza. Israel said Hamas violated a truce. Diplomatic talks on reconstruction continue amid renewed violence. INNOVATION. Pentagon Pressures Artificial Intelligence Firm. The Pentagon signaled it could cut ties with Anthropic over restrictions on military artificial intelligence use, including access to classified networks and limits on autonomous weapons policies.