Good morning investors! Stocks appear to be lacking direction as money keeps moving out of major names.
Today we cover:
Homebuilder sentiment dips
Ford follows Tesla
Lessons from the market
📊 Economy and News
US Homebuilder Sentiment Dips Further in February Amid Affordability Woes
U.S. homebuilder confidence weakened in February, as high land/construction costs, elevated home prices relative to incomes, and ongoing affordability issues kept buyers sidelined. The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index fell 1 point to 36 (below the 50 neutral level for the 22nd consecutive month), missing economists' forecast of 38.
Key components:
Current sales conditions: steady at 41
Future sales expectations (next 6 months): down 3 points to 46
Prospective buyer traffic: down 2 points to 22
Builders continue offering incentives, with 65% using them (unchanged) and 36% cutting prices (down from 40% in January; average reduction steady at 6%).
Factors weighing on the sector include tariffs raising material/appliance prices, immigration policies reducing labor supply, and scarce building lots, plus an overhang of unsold new homes. Despite administration efforts like mortgage-backed securities purchases and bans on institutional single-family home buying, sentiment remains subdued.
Global hits:
UK unemployment jump fuels bets on imminent rate cuts.
Canadian inflation cools to 2.3% as gasoline prices retrench with CAD hitting 11-day low.
Trump announces $550 billion Japan investment deal with US projects.
Reminder: Trump administration identifies more borrowers eligible for student loan forgiveness.
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📈 Stocks
S&P 500 6,843.22 (+0.10%)
DJIA 49,533.19 (+0065%)
NASDAQ 22,578.38 (+0.14%)
BRENT CRUDE 67.31 (-1.27%)
* Prices as of Feb 18th, 12:20 AM UTC
Ford Adopts Tesla-Inspired 48-Volt Architecture for Next-Generation Affordable EVs
Ford Motor is investing $5 billion in its next-generation electric vehicles, adopting a 48-volt electrical architecture—pioneered for consumer use by Tesla’s Cybertruck in 2023—to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
The shift from traditional 12-volt systems to 48-volt allows the high-voltage battery to power all vehicle accessories, cutting wiring complexity, weight, and costs while increasing electrical bandwidth.
Key benefits include lighter wiring harnesses (over 4,000 feet shorter and 22 pounds lighter than in Ford’s current electric SUV), stepped-down power to 12 volts via new control units, and greater future-proofing as electrical demands grow.
The strategy begins with a $30,000 small electric pickup truck launching in 2027, built on Ford’s new Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform.
Additional advancements include gigacastings (replacing 146 structural components in the current Maverick with just two large cast parts), improved aerodynamics, and efficiency-focused engineering. Ford claims its aluminum castings will be over 27% lighter than those on a Tesla Model Y.
CEO Jim Farley described the overhaul as Ford’s most radical change since the Model T era, positioning the company to compete against Tesla and Chinese EV makers despite slower U.S. EV demand and recent policy shifts.
The move follows Ford’s earlier $19.5 billion in EV-related write-downs, yet the firm remains committed to the UEV platform through 2027 to deliver more affordable and desirable electric vehicles.
Interesting: Netflix grants Warner Bros. Discovery 7-day waiver to reopen deal talks with Paramount Skydance.
Alibaba unveils Qwen3.5 as China’s chatbot race shifts to AI agents.
Netflix grants Warner Bros. Discovery 7-day waiver to reopen deal talks with Paramount Skydance.
Surprising: Palantir is moving its headquarters to Miami (from Denver). In other news, cloud startup Render raises funding at $1.5 billion valuation as AI-built apps boom. Elsewhere, Anthropic releases Claude Sonnet 4.6, continuing breakneck pace of AI model releases. Lastly, India is discussing age-based social media restrictions with social media companies.
💵 Personal Finance
Timeless Lessons for Navigating Markets and Personal Finance
Here are some core lessons drawn from observing multiple market cycles, technological transformations, and shifts in investor behavior:
Know your risk tolerance and stay fully informed about holdings. The landscape has changed dramatically: fewer publicly traded companies exist today than in the 1970s, yet the variety of investment vehicles—ETFs, derivatives, structured products, and more—has exploded. Thorough understanding of what is owned and the risks involved is now more critical than ever. Market highs are an excellent time to reassess portfolios, verify diversification, and adjust allocations that may have drifted due to performance.
Embrace continuous learning and adaptability. Rapid advances in technology, data access, and communication have reshaped entire sectors. Today, the U.S. market includes ten trillion-dollar companies, eight of them in technology—a reflection of how innovation drives leadership. Staying curious and open to new developments helps investors keep pace with structural changes.
Prioritize percentage changes over point moves. Milestone levels (such as the Dow crossing 50,000) capture attention, but percentage gains provide the true measure of performance. A 1,000-point increase from 49,000 to 50,000 equals just 2%, far less meaningful than historical doublings (e.g., 1,000 to 2,000 represented 100%).
Prepare equally for declines as for advances. Long-term market trends point upward, yet sharp corrections are inevitable. Historic events—such as the 20.47% single-day drop on Black Monday in 1987 or the 2008 failures of major financial institutions—underscore the importance of capital preservation. Discipline during downturns often matters more than capturing gains in bull markets.
Recognize the growing link between retirement security and market performance. The widespread shift from traditional defined-benefit pensions to individual defined-contribution accounts (401(k)s, IRAs) has transferred investment risk and decision-making to households. Stock holdings (direct and indirect, including mutual funds and retirement plans) reached a record 45% of U.S. household financial assets in mid-2025, according to Federal Reserve data. This development magnifies both upside potential and downside exposure.
Enduring principles remain vigilance, ongoing education, and disciplined risk management—qualities that help investors navigate booms, busts, and everything in between across decades of change.
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