- Home
- Investing
- Stocks
President Trump said he will decide within the next 10 days whether or not the U.S. will launch military strikes against Iran.
By
Karee Venema
published
19 February 2026
in News
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
- Copy link
- X
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Today
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more delivered daily. Smart money moves start here.
Signup +
Sent five days a week
Kiplinger A Step Ahead
Get practical help to make better financial decisions in your everyday life, from spending to savings on top deals.
Signup +
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Closing Bell
Get today's biggest financial and investing headlines delivered to your inbox every day the U.S. stock market is open.
Signup +
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Adviser Intel
Financial pros across the country share best practices and fresh tactics to preserve and grow your wealth.
Signup +
Delivered weekly
Kiplinger Tax Tips
Trim your federal and state tax bills with practical tax-planning and tax-cutting strategies.
Signup +
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Retirement Tips
Your twice-a-week guide to planning and enjoying a financially secure and richly rewarding retirement
Signup +
Sent bimonthly.
Kiplinger Adviser Angle
Insights for advisers, wealth managers and other financial professionals.
Signup +
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Investing Weekly
Your twice-a-week roundup of promising stocks, funds, companies and industries you should consider, ones you should avoid, and why.
Signup +
Sent weekly for six weeks
Kiplinger Invest for Retirement
Your step-by-step six-part series on how to invest for retirement, from devising a successful strategy to exactly which investments to choose.
Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter
Stocks were choppy Thursday as market participants weighed growing tensions between the U.S. and Iran and the latest batch of corporate earnings reports. Weakness in financial and tech stocks also kept pressure on the main indexes, with all three ending the day in the red.
At the close, the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.5% at 49,395, the broader S&P 500 was 0.3% lower at 6,861, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was off 0.3% at 22,682.
Geopolitical worries ramped up after President Donald Trump said today that he will decide within the next 10 days whether to launch military strikes against Iran.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Sign upSpeaking during the first meeting of his recently established Board of Peace, Trump said that it's been shown over the years that it's "not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran." He added, "We have to make a meaningful deal, otherwise bad things happen."
The U.S. has been building up its presence in the Middle East, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that it is "assembling the greatest amount of air power in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq."
This comes as representatives from both countries met in Geneva earlier this week to discuss Iran's nuclear programs, with the White House saying there has been "a little bit of progress," but adding that they're still "very far apart on some issues."
The uncertainty sent oil prices higher, with U.S. crude futures settling up 1.9% at $66.43 per barrel.
Walmart slips despite earnings beat, dividend hike
In single-stock news, Walmart (WMT) erased an early lead to finish the day down 1.4% after the Dow Jones stock reported earnings.
While the world's largest retailer beat on the top and bottom lines for its fiscal 2026 fourth quarter, it forecast earnings per share of $2.75 to 2.85 for fiscal 2027, below Wall Street's estimates.
Track all markets on TradingView"The concern here," explains Brian Mulberry, senior client portfolio manager at Zacks Investment Management, "is that the U.S. consumer is showing signs of weakness (most recent retail sales report was flat) and spending could begin to soften."
Looking for more timely stock market news to help gauge the health of your portfolio? Sign up for Closing Bell, our free newsletter that's delivered straight to your inbox at the close of each trading day.
However, Mulberry adds that Walmart has given conservative guidance before as management "sets the bar a little lower for various reasons, making the next quarter's earnings a little easier to surprise to the upside."
Walmart also said its board of directors approved a 5.3% hike to its dividend. The retailer has long been one of the best dividend stocks for dependable dividend growth, having increased its payout 53 years in a row.
Klarna has its worst day ever after earnings
Elsewhere on the earnings calendar, Klarna Group (KLAR) plunged 26.9% – its worst day ever – after the Swedish buy now, pay later firm disclosed its fourth-quarter results.
Track all markets on TradingViewKlarna said revenue jumped 38% year over year to $1.08 billion, marking the company's first billion-dollar quarter, while gross merchandise volume – a key sales metric for fintech and retail firms – rose 32% to $38.7 billion. Both figures came in higher than Wall Street expected.
But the company's guidance for first-quarter revenue of $940 million and GMV of $32.5 billion at the midpoint is below analysts' estimates.
Klarna has struggled since its blowout IPO in September, shedding more than 65% and closing today at its lowest price to date.
Deere has its best day since 2020 after earnings
Deere (DE), on the other hand, had its best single-day performance since March 24, 2020, rising 11.6% after the farm equipment manufacturer's beat-and-raise quarter.
Track all markets on TradingViewDE reported higher-than-expected fiscal first-quarter earnings of $2.42 per share on revenue of $9.6 billion, and raised its fiscal 2026 net income forecast to a range of $4.5 billion to $5 billion.
"While the global large agriculture industry continues to experience challenges, we're encouraged by the ongoing recovery in demand within both the construction and small agriculture segments," said Deere CEO John May.
Related content
- 5 Investing Rules You Can Steal From Millennials
- How to Choose Between Look-Alike ETFs and Mutual Funds
- How to Master Index Investing
Karee VenemaSocial Links NavigationSenior Investing Editor, Kiplinger.comWith over a decade of experience writing about the stock market, Karee Venema is the senior investing editor at Kiplinger.com. She joined the publication in April 2021 after 10 years of working as an investing writer and columnist at a local investment research firm. In her previous role, Karee focused primarily on options trading, as well as technical, fundamental and sentiment analysis.
Latest-
Farmers Brace for Another Rough Year
The Kiplinger Letter The agriculture sector has been plagued by low commodity prices and is facing an uncertain trade outlook.
-
Over 65? Here's What the New $6K Senior Tax Deduction Means for Medicare IRMAA
Tax Breaks A new tax deduction for people over age 65 has some thinking about Medicare premiums and MAGI strategy.
-
U.S. Congress to End Emergency Tax Bill Over $6,000 Senior Deduction and Tip, Overtime Tax Breaks in D.C.
Tax Law Here's how taxpayers can amend their already-filed income tax returns amid a potentially looming legal battle on Capitol Hill.
-
5 Investing Rules You Can Steal From Millennials
Millennials are reshaping the investing landscape. See how the tech-savvy generation is approaching capital markets – and the strategies you can take from them.
-
When Estate Plans Don't Include Tax Plans, All Bets Are Off: 2 Financial Advisers Explain Why
Estate plans aren't as effective as they can be if tax plans are considered separately. Here's what you stand to gain when the two strategies are aligned.
-
Counting on Real Estate to Fund Your Retirement? Avoid These 3 Costly Mistakes
The keys to successful real estate planning for retirees: Stop thinking of property income as a reliable paycheck, start planning for tax consequences and structure your assets early to maintain flexibility.
-
I'm a Financial Planner: These Small Money Habits Stick (and Now Is the Perfect Time to Adopt Them)
February gets a bad rap for being the month when resolutions fade — in fact, it's the perfect time to reset and focus on small changes that actually pay off.
-
Nasdaq Leads a Rocky Risk-On Rally: Stock Market Today
Another worrying bout of late-session weakness couldn't take down the main equity indexes on Wednesday.
-
5 Top Tax-Efficient Mutual Funds for Smarter Investing
Mutual funds are many things, but "tax-friendly" usually isn't one of them. These are the exceptions.
-
Why Invest In Mutual Funds When ETFs Exist?
Exchange-traded funds are cheaper, more tax-efficient and more flexible. But don't put mutual funds out to pasture quite yet.
-
Social Security Break-Even Math Is Helpful, But Don't Let It Dictate When You'll File
Your Social Security break-even age tells you how long you'd need to live for delaying to pay off, but shouldn't be the sole basis for deciding when to claim.
