Market Brief – 23 Feb 2026

In today’s episode of Market Brief – After Hours, US equities sell off sharply as renewed global tariff threats and escalating AI disruption fears trigger a broad risk-off move. The Dow leads losses, the S&P 500 slips back into negative territory for the year, and the Nasdaq extends weakness as software and cybersecurity stocks come under pressure.Tariff tensions escalate with a proposed global levy, weighing on European exporters and dragging the STOXX 600 and DAX lower, while Italy bucks the trend. Asia closes mixed, with strong gains in South Korea’s semiconductor sector offsetting weakness in Australia.Gold and Silver surge in a classic flight to safety, while Bitcoin slides alongside risk assets. The episode also features detailed Forex technical analysis across EUR/USD, GBP/USD, AUD/USD and USD/JPY, focusing on key moving averages defining near-term support and resistance. Major stock movers include IBM’s sharp decline on AI competition fears, contrasting performances in the weight-loss drug space, and a significant biotech acquisition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.