{"id":58812,"date":"2026-02-19T19:08:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T23:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/s-hsbc-and-meta-trim-costs\/58812\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T19:08:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T23:08:41","slug":"s-hsbc-and-meta-trim-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/s-hsbc-and-meta-trim-costs\/58812\/","title":{"rendered":"S&#038;P Slashes U.S. Recession Risk to 20% as Fed\u2019s Daly Navigates Inflation Shocks; HSBC and Meta Trim Costs"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>S&amp;P Global<\/strong> lowered the probability of a U.S. recession to <strong>20%\u201325%<\/strong>, down from <strong>30%<\/strong> in September, citing resilient economic growth.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Federal Reserve<\/strong> official Mary Daly stated the labor market has stabilized following <strong>75 basis points<\/strong> of rate cuts, though she warned that <strong>tariffs<\/strong> are making the &quot;last mile&quot; of inflation difficult.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Meta Platforms (<a href=\"\/stock\/META\">META<\/a>)<\/strong> is reportedly cutting staff stock awards for the second consecutive year to manage expenses amid heavy AI investment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>HSBC (<a href=\"\/stock\/HSBC\">HSBC<\/a>)<\/strong> is reducing its <strong>U.S. Debt Capital Markets<\/strong> team by <strong>10%<\/strong> as part of a strategic restructuring under new leadership.<\/li>\n<li><strong>President Trump<\/strong> criticized health insurance companies over recent stock gains and declared that his administration has &quot;solved&quot; the issue of national affordability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>S&amp;P Global has significantly upgraded its outlook for the U.S. economy, reducing the probability of a recession starting within the next 12 months to a range of <strong>20%\u201325%<\/strong>. This revision from the previous <strong>30%<\/strong> estimate is driven by the firm\u2019s Business Cycle Barometer, which highlights a resilient growth trajectory. <em>Analysts noted that while tech and AI-related valuations appear &quot;stretched,&quot; the broader economy is robust enough to absorb a potential equity market pullback without triggering a downturn.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly indicated that the central bank&#39;s recent policy shifts have successfully placed the labor market in a &quot;better place.&quot; Following <strong>75 basis points<\/strong> of interest rate cuts, Daly believes current monetary policy is well-positioned to maintain stability. However, she cautioned that price pressures remain persistent in sectors outside of goods, noting that the &quot;last mile&quot; of inflation control has been complicated by external shocks, specifically the impact of <strong>tariffs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In the corporate sector, <strong>Meta Platforms (<a href=\"\/stock\/META\">META<\/a>)<\/strong> is moving to reduce staff stock awards for a second consecutive year, according to a report by the <em>Financial Times<\/em>. This move comes as the social media giant continues to funnel billions into AI infrastructure and headcount efficiency. <em>Investors are closely watching how these compensation adjustments affect talent retention in an increasingly competitive Silicon Valley landscape.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Simultaneously, <strong>HSBC (<a href=\"\/stock\/HSBC\">HSBC<\/a>)<\/strong> has initiated a <strong>10%<\/strong> workforce reduction within its <strong>U.S. Debt Capital Markets<\/strong> team. The cuts are part of a broader restructuring effort led by CEO Georges Elhedery to streamline the bank&#39;s global operations and focus on core strengths. <em>The move reflects a wider trend among global lenders to optimize their investment banking divisions amid shifting deal volumes and high interest rates.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>President Trump took aim at the healthcare sector today, specifically criticizing health insurance providers such as UnitedHealth Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/UNH\">UNH<\/a>) and Humana (<a href=\"\/stock\/HUM\">HUM<\/a>) for their recent financial performance. The President expressed frustration over reports of significant stock gains within the industry, stating the news made him &quot;upset.&quot; Despite these criticisms of the private sector, the President struck an optimistic tone regarding the broader cost of living, claiming that regarding affordability, &quot;We\u2019ve solved it.&quot;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways S&amp;P Global lowered the probability of a U.S. recession to 20%\u201325%, down from 30% in September, citing resilient 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