Top US Stocks to Watch This Week: February 9–13, 2026

What’s happening
This week is packed with macro news and earnings. Jobs data comes midweek, and CPI is out on Friday. Many companies will share their outlook for 2026.

Why it matters
Markets care less about the S&P’s level and more about which stocks are driving it.

What the market is missing
Leadership is changing quietly. Cyclicals, financials, healthcare, and infrastructure are contributing more than headlines show.

Key risk to watch
Friday’s CPI is key. If inflation is strong, hopes for rate cuts may be delayed and growth stocks could be tested.

Investor lens
This is a week to observe. Volatility offers clues. The real insight comes from seeing which stocks stay strong when new data arrives.

As we start the second full week of February, the market is near its highs, but the overall tone has shifted.

January ended with gains on paper, but the details were mixed. The Dow crossed 50,000 for the first time. The S&P 500 regained ground. The Nasdaq, as usual when expectations run high, pulled back even after a late rebound.

So far this year, the results are mixed. The Dow is up about 4%, the S&P is slightly higher, and the Nasdaq is still down. This gap says more than just the index numbers.

Beneath the surface, more stocks are joining the rally. Small caps are up by more than 5%. Equal-weighted indexes are outperforming cap-weighted ones. Energy, materials, and industrials are quietly leading, while technology takes a breather after a big year.

Valuations are still high, but less extreme than before. Fair-value estimates have risen with earnings, and prices have followed, though not evenly. This imbalance makes the week interesting.

This week, risks are bunched together on the calendar rather than spread out.

Wednesday brings the jobs report.
Payrolls are expected to be modest, and wage growth should slow more. Markets want confirmation, not surprises. A steady job market supports the soft-landing story, but any surprise could quickly change the mood.

Friday brings CPI.
January inflation numbers are tricky because of seasonal adjustments. The consensus is about 0.3% month-over-month for both headline and core. If inflation stays in check, markets can look forward. If not, the focus returns to how long rates will stay high.

There are no Fed speeches this week to guide the reaction. The data will do the talking.

With most big tech earnings already reported, this week’s results matter for a different reason. These companies are more connected to the real economy.

CVS Health
The focus is on healthcare usage and cost control. Investors want to see if margins are stabilising after a few volatile years.

Ford
This is about capital discipline. The market is watching how traditional auto cash flows coexist with EV investment without destroying returns.

Shopify
Growth remains, but quality is the key question. Retention, margins, and guidance are more important than just beating revenue estimates.

Cisco Systems
Cisco is a quiet but important indicator. Watch for trends in enterprise spending, network demand, and whether AI workloads drive more infrastructure orders.

Coinbase
Coinbase gives a clear view of risk appetite. Trading volumes and fee stability show whether the crypto rebound is lasting or just a short-term trend.

Moderna
Moderna reminds us that biotech is still relevant beyond AI stories. Their guidance will be the main focus.

Applied Materials
For Applied Materials, it’s less about hype and more about real capital spending. Equipment demand often shows where AI investments are going.

Institutional money is moving away from popular AI stocks toward companies that benefit from AI through productivity, automation, and infrastructure. Energy and materials are seeing steady inflows. Financials are regaining favour as rate expectations settle. Healthcare is now a safer spot without being too defensive.

Technology has not broken. That’s why the equal-weighted S&P is beating the main index. Leadership is spreading out, which often feels odd before it becomes clear.

Energy
Up sharply year to date, supported by cash flow, dividends, and inflation protection. Names like ExxonMobil and Chevron are doing exactly what investors ask for in uncertain macro conditions.

Materials and Industrials
Beneficiaries of reflation, infrastructure spending, and global stabilisation. Less exciting, more dependable.

Healthcare
Defensive, but not defensive in the old sense. Earnings visibility matters when macro clarity fades.

Small Caps
Often dismissed until they are not. Their outperformance so far in 2026 suggests risk appetite has not vanished; it has rotated.

This isn’t a week for bold predictions.

It is a week for watching how markets behave when the data arrives. Who sells first? Who holds up. Which earnings misses get forgiven, and which ones do not?

Jobs and inflation will test the rate narrative. Earnings will test whether breadth is durable or temporary. Flows will tell you whether institutions are leaning into volatility or stepping back.

Those signals matter more than whether the S&P finishes the week up or down.