03:29 PM EST, 02/18/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Tech stocks were mixed late Wednesday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) rising 0.6% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) shedding 0.7%.

The Philadelphia Semiconductor index increased 0.4%.

In corporate news, Meta Platforms ( META ) is launching a $65 million political spending initiative to support state-level politicians favoring AI development, with efforts starting this week in Texas and Illinois, The New York Times reported, citing the company's representatives. Meta shares were fractionally lower.