Stocks Drop as Oil Prices Continue to Climb Amid Iran War

The stock market tumbled on Friday as rising oil prices and escalating developments in the Iran war heightened inflation concerns and made investors more cautious.

Overall, S&P 500 fell 0.6% to 6,632, while NASDAQ slid 0.9% to 22,105.

Chart of the Day

Here is the one-year chart of Mastercard (MA) as of February 12, 2026, when the stock was at $527.

Last quarter, Mastercard reported 25% profit growth, its fastest growth since 2023 Q4. Revenue rose 18%, driven primarily by both higher transaction volumes (+7%) across its global payment network, as well as its value-added services and solutions (+26%).

Despite such, the stock declined from $596 to $527 the past two quarters on AI concerns. Investors fear AI technologies could fundamentally disrupt traditional payment networks like Mastercard.

With the recent pullback, Mastercard now appears to be a great value with good upside. At $527, the stock trades at a P/E of 27. My Fair Value P/E is 35, implying a potential upside to $686 per share in 2026, roughly 30% above the recent quote.

MA is part of the Conservative Portfolio, the Focus List, and the Growth Portfolio.

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