S&P 500 ends nearly flat as investors digest softer inflation and AI-driven sector churn

U.S. stocks finished close to unchanged after a cooler inflation backdrop, while traders continued rotating across sectors as AI disruption fears and company-specific catalysts drove sharp divergences.

## What happened

U.S. equities closed little changed, with the S&P 500 near flat and the Nasdaq slightly lower, as investors balanced a softer inflation backdrop against ongoing AI-related repricing across multiple industries.

## Key details

- S&P 500: +0.05% to 6,836.17; Dow: +0.10% to 49,500.93; Nasdaq: -0.22% to 22,546.67 (per CNBC live updates).

- JPMorgan said markets are struggling to gauge the full scope of AI capabilities, fueling both ‘positive and negative’ moves across sectors.

- A cluster of S&P 500 constituents hit new 52-week highs even as several names printed fresh lows, highlighting dispersion.

- Company-specific earnings and guidance continued to drive outsized single-stock moves.

## Market context

The session illustrates how ‘macro’ (inflation, rates) and ‘micro’ (AI disruption, earnings) themes are colliding in day-to-day price action.

## Why it matters

A flat headline close can mask high internal volatility. For portfolio managers, dispersion and fast rotations raise the value of risk controls and fundamentals-based positioning — especially when macro data and AI narratives are pulling in different directions.

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*Drafted for Kicukiro Tech on 2026-02-14 20:04 UTC. Source link below.*