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February 18, 2026
Partly reflecting a surge in utilities output, the Federal Reserve released a report on Wednesday showing industrial production in the U.S. increased in January. The Fed reported that industrial production increased by 0.7% in January following a 0.2% rise in December. The bigger increase in industrial production partly reflected a continued surge in utilities output, which shot up by 2.1% in January after jumping by 3.0% in December. Manufacturing output also climbed by 0.6% in January after remaining unchanged in December, while mining output dipped by 0.2% in January after falling by 0.9% in December.
The Fed also reported that capacity utilization in the industrial sector rose to 76.2% in January from 75.7% in December. Capacity utilization in the utilities sector jumped to 72.9%, while capacity utilization in the manufacturing sector rose to 75.6%, and capacity utilization in the mining sector edged down to 84.4%. 02/18/2026 - 10:30:00 (RTTNews)
New orders for U.S. manufactured durable goods pulled back in December, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday. The Commerce Department said durable goods orders slumped by 1.4% in December after spiking by 5.4% in November. The pullback by durable goods orders largely reflected a steep drop in orders for transportation equipment, which plunged by 5.3% in December after soaring by 15.2% in November.
Orders for non-defense aircraft and parts led the way lower, plummeting by 24.9% in December after skyrocketing by 98.2% in November. Excluding orders for transportation equipment, durable goods orders increased by 0.9% in December, following a 0.4% rise in November. Orders for computer and electronic products shot up by 3.0%, while orders for primary metals jumped by 1.7%.
The Commerce Department also said orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a key indicator of business spending, grew by 0.6% in December after climbing by 0.8% in November. Shipments in the same category, which are the source data for equipment investment, increased by 0.9% in December after rising by 0.2% in November. 02/18/2026 - 10:00:00 (RTTNews)
Euro traded at 1.1818 against USD at 9:00 AM PST
France's inflation eased to the lowest in five years in January and remained well below the European Central Bank's (ECB) target of 2%. The CPI rose only 0.3% yearly in January, following the 0.8% increase seen in December. This was the weakest rate since December 2020, when prices remained flat. Similarly, EU harmonized inflation softened to 0.4% from 0.7% in December. The harmonized rate was also the weakest since December 2020.
At the same time, core inflation hit 0.7% in January, down from 1.1% in the previous month. This was the weakest since July 2021. Monthly, consumer prices dropped 0.3% after a 0.1% rise. Likewise, the HICP slid 0.4% following last month's 0.1% gain. 02/18/2026 - 04:33:00 (RTTNews)
British Pounds traded at 1.3550 against USD at 9:00 AM PST
U.K. consumer price inflation eased to a ten-month low in January on weaker fuel and food costs, raising the possibility of an interest rate reduction by the Bank of England (BoE). The CPI posted an annual increase of 3.0. This was the lowest inflation rate since March 2025, when it stood at 2.6%. Core inflation, which excludes prices of energy, food, alcohol, and tobacco, softened marginally to 3.1% in January from 3.2% in December.
Transportation, food, and non-alcoholic beverages made the largest downward contributions to the annual inflation. The annual increase in transport cost eased to 2.7% on falling motor fuel prices and air fares. Likewise, food and non-alcoholic beverages prices climbed at a slower pace of 3.6% after rising 4.5%. At the same time, services inflation came in at 4.3%, moderating from 4.5% in the previous month. Monthly, consumer prices fell 0.5%, reversing a 0.4% rise in December.
At the February meeting, BoE retained its benchmark rate at 3.75%, which was the lowest since early 2023. The bank has lowered the rate by 150 basis points since August 2024. The BoE had estimated inflation to fall back to around the 2% target from April.
The output price inflation eased to 2.5% in January from 3.1% in December. Meanwhile, input prices dropped 0.2%, following a rise of 0.5% in the prior month. Month-on-month, output prices remained flat, and input prices gained 0.4% in January. 02/18/2026 - 06:52:00 (RTTNews)
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) left its benchmark interest rate unchanged on Wednesday, signaling an intention to maintain an accommodative policy stance to support economic recovery. At the first meeting of Anna Breman as RBNZ Governor, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to hold the key official cash rate at 2.25%.
The bank has lowered its benchmark rate by 325 basis points since August 2024, bringing it to the lowest since mid-2022. "The forward OCR path reflects a somewhat stronger economic outlook and balanced risks to inflation," the bank said in a statement.
Inflation rose to 3.1% in the fourth quarter of 2025, which was the highest since the middle of 2024. The bank expects inflation to return to the 1-3% target band in the current quarter. "The Committee is confident that inflation will fall to the 2% midpoint over the next 12 months due to spare capacity in the economy, modest wage growth, and core inflation within the target band," the bank said. The MPC observed that the economy is at an early stage in its recovery. GDP growth is expected to increase in 2026.
If the economy evolves as expected, monetary policy is likely to remain accommodative for some time, the bank said. The MPC concluded that the monetary policy settings will gradually normalize as the recovery strengthens and inflation falls sustainably towards the target. 02/18/2026 - 00:41:00 (RTTNews)
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