U.S. Markets Closed Presidents' Day; Sell Pressure Loomes as AI Capital Expenditure Outlook Under Scrutiny (NASDAQ: NVDA, AAPL, META, GOOGL)

U.S. markets closed on February 16, 2026, for Presidents’ Day, resuming on February 17. Prior to the holiday, risk-off sentiment emerged as tech shares led declines, with the Nasdaq posting a 0.22% loss and the broader indices recording their largest one-week drop since November 2024. The session saw the “Magnificent Seven” ETF down 1.1%, Apple (AAPL) fall 2.3% to $255.78, NVIDIA (NVDA) down 2.2% to $182.81, and Meta (META) and Alphabet (GOOGL) down 1.5% and 1.1%, respectively. This week’s focus shifts to whether AI capital expenditures will translate into revenue and profit growth. Amazon (AMZN), Google, Meta, and Microsoft (MSFT) are collectively investing about $650 billion in AI infrastructure this year, with many viewing 2026 as the “verification year.” If the promised returns materialize slowly,估值 pressure could rise. Sell pressure spread to Cisco (CSCO), where memory cost increases may narrow gross margins, and Apple’s single-day drop of 5% erased roughly $2 trillion in market value. Concerns over legal AI tools from Anthropic heightened worries about disruption across software and related sectors. Regulatory risks escalated as the FTC expanded its probe of Microsoft’s AI tools, cybersecurity, and identity products for bundling practices. Meanwhile, Microsoft, along with Ericsson, Amazon, and Google, formed the Trusted Tech Alliance to emphasize digital sovereignty and usage norms. Looking ahead, the week will center on the Federal Open Market Committee’s January 27–28 meeting minutes, with the stance and措辞 likely to drive tech-stock valuations. NVIDIA is scheduled for a results call on February 25, with attention on AI chip demand and outlook. If the minutes signal a hawkish stance or if companies report cost pressures and demand weakness, Treasuries’ yield could rise, continuing to weigh on high-valuation tech stocks.