Overview
- By midday, the Dow rose 0.89%, the S&P 500 gained 1.07%, and the Nasdaq advanced 1.35%.
- Crude oil fell about 4.1% to $94.71, a sharp slide that contrasted with only a slight 0.2% gain in energy shares.
- Financials led sector moves with a 1.6% climb, signaling rotation despite the pullback in oil.
- Dollar Tree posted Q4 EPS of $2.56 versus $2.52 expected, with sales of $5.451 billion slightly below estimates and FY2026 adjusted EPS guided to $6.50–$6.90 around the $6.69 consensus.
- Fresh data painted a mixed picture as the Empire State Manufacturing Index slipped to -0.2, NAHB housing sentiment ticked up to 38, and industrial production rose 0.2% in February.