Morning Dose #210: Bulls Strike Back Market Ignoring Strong Earnings – Thursday 2/12/2026
Key takeaways
- Today’s market sentiment requires nimbleness and caution. Let trends settle post-open, manage risk, and focus on selective stock picking.
Morning Dose: Bulls Strike Back Market Ignoring Strong Earnings
A quick analysis of today’s market outlook and key trading opportunities to start your day.
Intro & Market Mood
Welcome to The Morning Dose – Everything You Need to Know Before the Market Opens. It is Thursday, February 12th, 2026, and we have quite the setup this morning. The bulls are attempting a comeback with a positive bounce in the futures after a choppy midweek session.
Overnight Headlines
- Cisco Systems (CSCO): Beat on earnings per share, revenue, raised guidance, and increased dividend, yet stock down over 7%.
- AppLovin (APP): Crushed earnings estimates, raised revenue guidance, but stock down about 5% in a ‘sell the news’ move.
- Fastly (FSLY): Gapping up 40% after beating top and bottom lines with strong guidance, a momentum trade to watch.
- McDonald’s (MCD): Beat on earnings and revenue, with global comps up over 5%, trading higher as a defensive anchor.
- Microsoft (MSFT): Report of reducing reliance on OpenAI, up slightly pre-market.
Economic Announcements
Look out for Initial Jobless Claims data at 8:30. Consensus around 230,000, where a lower number might trigger ‘higher for longer’ fears, while in-line could bring relief.
Earnings Highlights
Tech sector facing sector rotation despite strong earnings results; ‘good news is bad news’ theme observed with market reactions.
Top Movers
Fastly (FSLY) leading with a 40% gap up, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) and AppLovin (APP) experienced sell-offs despite beating expectations.
Quick Trade Ideas
- Watch for momentum shifts post-Initial Jobless Claims data.
- Monitor Energy stocks showing relative strength amid tech consolidation.
- Patience advised for opening trades, avoiding chasing initial gaps.