(Part 4 of 5) News & my thoughts for the week starting 16Feb2026

KYHBKO
02-15

News and my thoughts from the past week (16Feb2026)

US serious delinquencies are at CRISIS levels: Transition into serious delinquency (90+ days) for student loans spiked to a record 16.19% in Q4 2025. This is nearly DOUBLE the levels seen after the Great Financial Crisis. At the same time, credit card delinquencies are at 7.13%, the highest in 14 years and near the post-Financial Crisis peak. Similarly, auto loan delinquencies stand at 2.95%, almost matching all-time highs. Americans are defaulting on their debt at an alarming pace. - X user Global Markets Investor.

The CEO of Microsoft AI says: “Most, if not all, office jobs—like lawyers, accountants, project managers, and marketing officers—will be fully automated by AI within 12–18 months.”

Former $GOOGL CEO Eric Schmidt: “We’re running out of electricity. I testified in congress we need 92 gigawatts more power, the average nuclear power plant is 1.5 gigawatts, you see the problem”

The entire Magnificent 7 is now negative YTD.

Solar is expected to dominate the renewable energy space - Elon Musk

The post warns of a looming financial crisis, anchored in a March 2025 Federal Reserve study revealing U.S. life insurers’ below-investment-grade debt exposure now exceeds their 2007 subprime mortgage holdings, with private credit defaults climbing to 5.6% as of late 2025.

U.S. container imports totaled 2,318,722 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in January, exceeding the historical average for the month. Imports from China totaled 771,093 TEUs, down 22.7% from January 2025. - Reuters

US GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IS OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED

Microsoft’s AI chief just said they’re pursuing “true self-sufficiency” and cutting their dependence on OpenAI. $13 billion invested. Now they’re abandoning the sinking ship - X user NIK

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink says that if US debt payments eventually grow out of control. The dollar will be abandoned because it essentially turns into monopoly money. - X user Crypto Rover

Margin debt likely surpassed $1.3 trillion last month

Billionaire investor Ray Dalio has said that President Trump’s policies could spark “capital wars,” with countries and investors pulling back from U.S. assets, per BI

@TigerStars

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Jan Review: Is February for Buying or Bailing?
January trading has come to a close! While the three major U.S. indices finished in the green, the "Precious Metals Massacre" and the major leadership change at the Fed made this a highly unusual start to the year. Do you think this deep dive in Gold/Silver is a "Golden Pit" buying opportunity? With tech underperforming, are you trimming your exposure to Big Tech in February? Will 2026 follow the "January Barometer" to a bullish finish, or are we in for a repeat of last year's Q1 pullback? How do you review earnings performance in Jan.?
Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

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