The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.5% and was on track for its fourth consecutive week of gains. The session will wrap up a volatile week for global assets, with investors grappling with a blend of geopolitical flashpoints, political risks and shifting economic signals. "Clearly, equity investors are getting used to the noisy geopolitical environment," said Mabrouk Chetouane, head of global market strategy at Natixis Investment Managers. For the week, the dollar is up about 1% on the euro EUR=, pushing the common currency to US$1.1767. Taken together, the news had investors shying away from risk, said Kenji Abe, chief strategist at Daiwa Securities in Tokyo.

Source: The Edge Markets February 19, 2026 23:36 UTC