{"id":942912,"date":"2026-03-09T12:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T16:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/schwab-trading-activity-index-stax-score-soared-in-february-defying-ai-panic\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T12:33:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T16:33:00","slug":"schwab-trading-activity-index-stax-score-soared-in-february-defying-ai-panic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/schwab-trading-activity-index-stax-score-soared-in-february-defying-ai-panic\/","title":{"rendered":"Schwab Trading Activity Index\u2122: STAX Score Soared in February, Defying AI Panic"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Schwab Trading Activity Index\u2122: STAX Score Soared in February, Defying AI Panic<\/b><\/p>\n

Schwab clients were enthusiastic buyers in February; STAX has now outgained the S&P 500\u00ae index (SPX) in six of the last seven months.<\/i><\/p>\n

WESTLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE<\/a>)–
\nThe Schwab Trading Activity Index\u2122 (STAX) increased to 57.32 in February, up from its score of 49.96 in January. The only index of its kind, the STAX is a proprietary, behavior-based index that analyzes retail investor stock positions and trading activity from Schwab\u2019s millions of client accounts to illuminate what investors were actually doing and how they were positioned in the markets each month.<\/p>\n

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20260309776813\/en\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\u201cFebruary\u2019s score represented the biggest month-over-month percentage gain since late 2020, and the highest score we\u2019ve seen since February 2022,\u201d said Joe Mazzola, Head Trading and Derivatives Strategist at Charles Schwab. \u201cThe trading behavior we saw among our retail clients tells a clear story: the AI-driven panic that rattled the markets in February was likely overblown and, more than anything, may have represented an opportune time to pick up some names that had taken a perhaps unfair beating.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nIn February, the S&P 500 Index struggled and failed to regain its January highs, generally trading in a tight range between 6,800 and 7,000 most of the month before conflict with Iran began in early March. Volatility rose in February, partly due to geopolitical concerns.<\/p>\n

\nIn addition, markets suffered slings and arrows throughout February stemming from worries about AI competition for functions currently performed by software firms, sending shares of that technology sub-sector to 25% losses year-to-date by the end of the month. Financial names were hurt by AI substitution worries, too, along with concerns about private credit liquidity due to private asset management firms\u2019 large positions in software.<\/p>\n

\nThe fourth quarter earnings season rolled along with mostly positive numbers, and by the end of February, 97% of S&P 500 companies had reported. Earnings growth was 14.2% year over year, according to FactSet, well above expectations of about 8%.<\/p>\n

\nEconomic data in February was mixed. Fourth quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth came in well below estimates, but January jobs growth of 130,000 easily topped consensus.<\/p>\n

\nMore affluent and older investors led the buying among Schwab clients last month, with Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, topping the list of age groups. Popular names bought by all Schwab clients during the period included:<\/p>\n