CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer: Market Recap – February 17, 2026
Here’s a recap of key moments from the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer’s “Morning Meeting” livestream on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
Market Overview
Stocks opened little changed to start the shortened trading week, with the Nasdaq, S&P 500, and Dow all trading near their flatlines. The Dow and S&P 500 are concluding their fourth losing week in the last five, even as the Nasdaq has posted five consecutive negative weeks. This sell-off has been largely driven by ongoing instability in software companies, including Salesforce, CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, and ServiceNow.
This weakness is expanding to include mega-cap tech stocks, with Alphabet down 1.6%, Microsoft down 1.2%, and Meta down 0.5% on Tuesday.
Cramer’s Market Commentary
Jim Cramer recently authored two columns addressing the market’s recent pullback: one focusing on the artificial intelligence (AI) trade and another emphasizing the importance of maintaining confidence in Nvidia despite increasing competition. Shares of Nvidia were down more than 1% on Tuesday.
Stocks on the Move
Two stocks showing gains on Tuesday are Apple and Wells Fargo. Apple shares are up 1.4%, attributed to its position as an “AI taker.” The company is leveraging partnerships, such as with Alphabet, to power its AI features, avoiding substantial capital expenditures on AI model development. In contrast, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet are planning to invest tens of billions of dollars in AI, potentially resulting in flat or only slightly positive free cash flow.
Wells Fargo is up 1.3%, benefiting from strength in the financial sector and recovering from a more than 7% drop last week.
Portfolio Updates and Trade Alerts
Within the software sell-off, shares of cybersecurity stocks Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike are down approximately 2% and 5%, respectively. The CNBC Investing Club remains unfazed, citing continued strong long-term demand for cybersecurity solutions. A recent purchase of CrowdStrike was made on February 3, and further buying opportunities are being considered if the stock price declines further. Palo Alto Networks is scheduled to report earnings after the market closes on Tuesday, and strong results are needed to counter the narrative of AI disrupting the cybersecurity sector.
(Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust holds long positions in CRWD, PANW, NVDA, DHR, AAPL, and WFC. See here for a full list of the stocks.)
Investing Club Information
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