WORLD

US futures fall while Asian markets are mostly higher after the Supreme Court nixes Trump’s tariffs

Feb 22, 2026, 7:11 PM | Updated: Feb 23, 2026, 6:52 am

BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. futures fell and most Asian markets climbed Monday after the Supreme Court struck down most of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

Tokyo’s markets were closed for a holiday.

Hong Kong led regional gains as its Hang Seng index surged 2.2% to 27,003.47. But the Shanghai Composite index lost 1.3% to 4,082.07.

In South Korea, the Kospi gained 1.1% to 5,873.07.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.4% to 9,041.00.

Taiwan’s Taiex jumped 1.4%.

The mixed reactions are “highlighting the winners-and-losers effect of shifts in tariff policy that has just delivered a boost to countries who previously had a comparatively bad deal,” Benjamin Picton of Rabobank said in a commentary.

“U.S. tariff policy will continue to be a source of uncertainty for markets as traders attempt to price in the implications of what is still a movable feast,” he wrote.

The future for the S&P 500 lost 0.7% and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.6%. The future for the Nasdaq composite index was down 0.8%.

On Friday, Wall Street kept calm after the Supreme Court’s ruling against Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which had triggered panic in financial markets when they were announced last year.

The S&P 500 rose 0.7% to 6,909.51. It had been flipping between small gains and losses before the court’s ruling, following discouraging reports showing slowing growth for the U.S. economy and faster inflation.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.5% to 49,625.97. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.9% to 22,886.07.

Tariffs also aren’t going away, even with the Supreme Court’s ruling. Trump in the afternoon said he would use other avenues to put taxes on imports from other countries after calling the court’s decision terrible.

“Just so you understand, we have tariffs, we just have them in a different way,” Trump told reporters in an afternoon briefing. He said he would sign an executive order to impose a 10% global tariff under a law that could limit it to 150 days. He later raised that to 15%.

The president also said he’s exploring other tariffs through other avenues, ones that would require an investigation through the Commerce Department.

The reaction has been tentative given persisting uncertainties over what Trump will do.

On Wall Street, Akamai Technologies dropped 14.1% for one of the market’s sharpest losses. The cybersecurity and cloud computing company reported stronger results for the end of 2025 than analysts expected, but it gave a profit forecast for the upcoming year that fell short of estimates.

Akamai plans to spend a bigger percentage of its revenue this upcoming year on equipment and other investments. It’s the latest potential indicator of how shortages of computer memory created by the AI boom are affecting customers throughout the economy.

Discouraging reports showing slowing U.S. economic growth and accelerating inflation drew a relatively muted response from investors.

The reports underscore the tricky situation the Federal Reserve faces as it sets interest rates, but did not change traders’ expectations much for what the Fed will ultimately do. Traders are still betting that the Fed will lower rates at least twice this year, according to data from CME Group.

Lower interest rates would give the economy and investment prices a boost, but they also risk worsening inflation. Fed officials said at their last meeting that they want to see inflation fall further before they would support cutting rates further.

In other dealings early Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 53 cents to $65.95 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 51 cents to $70.79 per barrel.

The U.S. dollar slipped to 154.11 Japanese yen f rom 154.99 yen. The euro rose to $1.1828 from $1.1780.

The price of gold rose 1.9%, while the price of silver was up 5.5%.

Please follow our Community Guidelines

World

Pope Leo XIV delivers the Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 2...

Associated Press

Vatican confirms Pope Leo’s Latin America trip after post-surgery checkup

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV will proceed with his planned Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, after doctors determined there are no medical reasons preventing him from traveling three weeks after lung cancer surgery, the Vatican confirmed Monday. The Vatican press office said the pope’s recovery continues to progress in line […]

5 hours ago

Palestinian women and children watch the Palestine Strongman Championship from among the rubble of ...

Associated Press

UN-commissioned experts say Gaza ceasefire has not stopped Israel from committing genocide

JERUSALEM (AP) — A ceasefire agreement in Gaza has not stopped what a group of independent experts commissioned by the U.N. say is genocide carried out by Israel in the territory, the team said in a new report Monday. They also accused Israeli forces of crimes against humanity, including torture and rape, in the West […]

10 hours ago

A bird flies low over the water as cargo ships lie at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abb...

Associated Press

Delegations meeting in Tehran with region on edge over potential for renewed fighting

CAIRO (AP) — High-level delegations from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey were in Tehran on Monday for meetings with Iranian authorities to try to avert renewed fighting between Iran and Israel and the United States, two regional officials said. The talks come as many in Iran are girding themselves for the possible return to a […]

14 hours ago

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the National Day reception on the eve of the 77th...

Associated Press

What to know about China’s plenum as Xi seeks stronger Communist Party discipline

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s political leaders and elites begin a four-day meeting Monday to discuss strengthening the ruling Communist Party’s discipline, as Chinese President Xi Jinping pushes for greater loyalty and reliability from officials while deepening his yearslong campaign against corruption. This week’s closed-door gathering, known as the fifth plenum of the Central Committee […]

19 hours ago

Palestinians transport bags of semolina past a military gate closed to vehicles during an Israeli a...

Associated Press

Days before Israeli election, military conducts massive West Bank operation

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military carried out a massive military operation in the occupied West Bank over the weekend, displacing hundreds of Palestinians and placing major restrictions on Palestinian movement, in response to a gun attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others in Hebron on Friday. The operation comes […]

2 days ago

A woman with a child casts her vote in Sofia, Bulgaria, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, during the President...

Associated Press

Presidential race in Bulgaria heads to runoff due to record low turnout

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — The presidential election in Bulgaria on Sunday ended inconclusively, with the next head of state to be picked in a runoff, according to election officials. A record low turnout, attributed by observers to a general mistrust in politicians resulting in voter apathy, will pit two contrasting political visions against each other […]

2 days ago

US futures fall while Asian markets are mostly higher after the Supreme Court nixes Trump’s tariffs