Daily Market Report – February 27, 2026

Friday, February 27, 2026, was marked by renewed risk aversion: US stocks closed weaker. The Dow Jones DJI lost about 1.1%, the S&P 500 SPX around 0.4%, and the Nasdaq IXIC 0.9%.

New inflation figures caused uncertainty. The Producer Price Index (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ppi.htm) in the United States rose in January more than economists expected: Producer prices increased by 0.5% compared to the previous month, primarily due to rising prices in the service sector. Year-on-year, producer prices were about 2.9% higher than the previous year. Market participants interpreted this data as an indication that inflationary pressure in the economy remains present and that companies are passing higher costs on to their customers.

Dell DELL rose by over 20% after the company announced a significant expansion of its AI server business as well as higher dividends and stock buybacks. On the losing side were major banks – including Wells Fargo WFC, which fell by over 5%, as well as Goldman Sachs GS and Morgan Stanley MS, which dropped by more than 6% – amid concerns about credit quality, private loans, and how much AI is putting pressure on entire business models.

The Netflix stock (NASDAQ: NFLX) rose by about 14% after the company decided not to pursue the planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) any further. Investors welcomed Netflix's decision as it allows the company to avoid costly acquisition risks. In the race for a potential acquisition, there is currently an offer from Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA), whose stock price also rose significantly. Netflix's withdrawal reduces competitive pressure in the bidding process and could allow Paramount to strengthen its market position through the acquisition.

The trend towards "safety" was visible across all asset classes: US Treasuries US10Y were in demand, with yields falling below 4%; the Dollar DXY showed a stronger tendency. Brent (ICEEUR:BRN1!) and WTI (NYMEX:CL1!) rose amid fears of a military strike by the US or Israel against Iran.