Five Figures That Caught Our Eye
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Five Figures That Caught Our Eye
Nvidia reports after the bell, mortgage rates touch a three-year low, and raising kids has never been more expensive. Five stats from a busy Tuesday.
Wall Street's Entire Week Hinges on One Earnings Call Tonight
Nvidia reports fiscal Q4 2026 results after the close today, and analysts expect roughly $65.7 billion in revenue — a 68% leap from a year ago. It's the only mega-cap tech stock in the green this year while the Nasdaq has dropped more than 2.5%. Over 90% of analysts tracked by FactSet rate it a buy. But the real event isn't the quarter itself — it's what CEO Jensen Huang says about Blackwell demand, the Vera Rubin rollout, and whether $650 billion in customer AI capex translates to accelerating orders or a spending plateau.
Source: CNBC / LSEG — Nvidia Q4 FY2026 Earnings Preview
Inflation Just Hit Its Lowest Level Since May
The Consumer Price Index rose 2.4% year-over-year in January, coming in below the 2.5% economists expected and down meaningfully from 2.7% in December. Core CPI eased to 2.5%, its softest reading since March 2021. Energy prices fell 1.5% on the month, and shelter — the CPI's biggest component — rose just 0.2%. There's a catch, though: the fall government shutdown disrupted BLS data collection, and economists say that may be imparting a slight downward bias to readings through this spring. Still, futures markets immediately priced in an 83% chance of a Fed rate cut by June.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics — Consumer Price Index, January 2026
Mortgage Rates Just Hit Their Lowest Point Since September 2022
The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 6.01% for the week ending February 19th, according to Freddie Mac — its lowest since September 2022 and down nearly a full percentage point from a year ago. Purchase applications and refinance activity both jumped in response. With home prices still elevated but rate pressure finally easing, Freddie Mac says the spring buying season is "poised" to be a solid one. That said, top-tier borrowers are already seeing rates dip below 6%, and some daily trackers had rates at 5.97% on Monday.
Source: Freddie Mac — Primary Mortgage Market Survey, February 19, 2026
The Income You'd Need for Childcare to Be "Affordable"
Federal guidelines define affordable childcare as costing no more than 7% of household income. A LendingTree study published this week found that the average annual cost of care for an infant and a four-year-old is $28,190 nationwide — which means a family would need to earn $402,708 to hit that benchmark. The average two-child household earns $145,656. In 20 states, families would need at least triple their current income. "With numbers like these, it's easy to see why birth rates are falling," said LendingTree's chief consumer finance analyst.
Source: LendingTree / Child Care Aware of America — Childcare Affordability Study, February 2026
Last Night's State of the Union Was the Longest on Record
President Trump's 2026 State of the Union address clocked in at one hour and 48 minutes — the longest in at least 60 years, surpassing Bill Clinton's famously marathon 89-minute speech in 2000. The president covered everything from the economy to tariffs to Iran, but markets mostly shrugged: BMO's senior economist called it "nothing market moving." Stocks closed higher earlier in the day, and futures barely budged during the speech. Sometimes the most important number in a presidential address is the one on the clock.
Source: CBS News / The American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara
Sources
- 1.CNBC / LSEG — Nvidia Q4 FY2026 Earnings Preview
- 2.Bureau of Labor Statistics — Consumer Price Index, January 2026
- 3.Freddie Mac — Primary Mortgage Market Survey, February 19, 2026
- 4.LendingTree / Child Care Aware of America — Childcare Affordability Study, February 2026
- 5.CBS News / The American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara