Week of 16 February 2026
Weekly markets 18 02 2026
0:00
/630.7613333333334
China's slow-burning exit from US Treasuries takes centre stage this week — the stockpile has nearly halved since its 2013 peak and is now at its lowest level since 2008. We cover what a large-scale sell-off could mean for US borrowing costs, the dollar, and the geopolitical tension driving the shift. On the home front, the UK housing market is showing a two-speed split: prices rising across most of the country while London endures its longest losing run since the financial crisis. We also look at Bitcoin's bruising start to 2026, down over 40% from its peak, and explain what stablecoins are and why they're quietly becoming one of the biggest buyers of US government debt.
