Good morning.

Markets are up to start the day and while U.S. investors are likely content over how portfolios have performed since the start of this year, broader smiles might be on the faces of those who invested internationally … as the drop in the dollar helped overseas investments … and Goldman Sachs is reporting the worst “U.S. vs. Global Market” performance in over 30 years!

“AI” continues to dominate both business headlines and markets … and I found myself wondering just what the future holds … for as I see it, the effect on jobs (negative) will grow larger as the error rate reduces and employers get more comfortable with their use.

Heck, I couldn’t even get through to a betting site the other day … trying in vain to speak to a live person … as the only online response I got was, “hello, I am your AI agent.  Please explain the nature of your problem.”  It took hours for me to solve, but these systems will no-doubt improve greatly … and quickly … picking off employees in the process.

I will share that I had a very concerning issue yesterday.

I have piled on a lot of stuff over the next couple of weeks, but that has been the norm my whole life and has always been welcomed … and easily handled.

There was an event … an important event … that I had on my calendar scheduled for yesterday.

I knew about it, as I volunteered well in advanced … participated in planning sessions leading up to it … even going so far as receiving (and responding to) a note on what to wear and where to meet up before the meeting.

And then … while juggling a couple of items … it completely skipped my mind … and I mean completely … until 4-5 hours after it took place … with one empty chair.

I don’t know whether it is the stress of too many things on my plate … or lack of sleep (I do admit I need to get to bed earlier) … or maybe even age showing early signs of catching up to me … but I felt devastated over having completely and fully forgotten this … as it is not like misplacing my wallet (which I do on a daily basis). And now I sit contemplating some lifestyle changes to (hopefully) prevent this from happening again … until I am ready for assisted living and a diaper … which I can only hope is far down the highway.

But it was, indeed, scary … very scary indeed.

And now I have yet another thing to worry about.

I borrowed an audiobook from the library … which I’ve somehow lost …

… and now I’ll never hear the end to it.

Have a great day,

Joseph G. Witthohn, CFA

Have any questions? Please contact info@teamemerald.com

A Look At The News | February 18, 2026 As of 10:00 AM today … If looking for a home, one thing to check is whether or not the mortgage is “assumable.” If so, you might be able to adopt the rate the seller is paying … sweetening the deal (NPR) https://www.npr.org/2026/02/15/nx-s1-5704697/assumable-mortgage-rates-housing-market   It does seem strange that surveys show Americans feel less comfortable, which seems to be the opposite of an economy which appears strong (CNBC) https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/18/boomcession-econonomy-gdp-recession-consumer-sentiment.html   … but maybe the media could be contributing to people’s discomfort … as comments of financial collapse make the headlines (FinBold) https://finbold.com/robert-kiyosaki-warns-the-biggest-stock-market-crash-in-history-is-imminent/   There is also worry among our youth that jobs might not be there for them upon retirement. Well, this is not entirely true, as some majors are still very much in demand (Investopedia) https://www.investopedia.com/the-bachelors-degrees-most-likely-to-get-you-a-job-after-you-graduate-11899999   Sure, it is cutting corners … and certainly needs to be checked for accuracy … but using AI to assist with market research is a no=brainer (Inc) https://www.inc.com/ben-sherry/this-single-chatgpt-prompt-can-do-hours-of-market-research-in-minutes-heres-how/91302442   The improving abilities of robots to perform certain tasks is mind-blowing … though it is not a big leap to imagine their eventual use in … shall we say … not so friendly ways (Futurism) https://futurism.com/robots-and-machines/robots-run-up-walls   The statements above are supplied for educational purposes only. The statements depict the viewpoints and opinion of the author and are not necessarily the views of Emerald Asset Management or its affiliates. The information described herein is taken from sources which are believed to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of such information is not guaranteed by us. Emerald Asset Management PA, LLC | 717-556-8900 | 3175 Oregon Pike, Leola, PA 17540 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list. ———————————————————————————- The statements above are supplied for educational purposes only. The statements depict the viewpoints and opinion of the author and are not necessarily the views of Emerald Asset Management or its affiliates. The information described herein is taken from sources which are believed to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of such information is not guaranteed by us.