Stock futures on Nasdaq surge, driven by Alphabet's advance, prior to the release of U.S. JOLTs report

In the pre-market trading, a handful of notable companies saw significant gains. Alphabet (GOOGL) jumped over +5%, HealthEquity (HQY) climbed nearly +4%, Zscaler (ZS) rose more than +2%, and Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) gained over +1%. However, not all stocks were in the green. Nvidia (NVDA) slid nearly -2% and Amazon.com (AMZN) dropped more than -1% in yesterday's trading session. Apple (AAPL) also benefited from a ruling, with the stock up over +2% in pre-market trading.

Meanwhile, Kraft Heinz (KHC) slumped over -6% after announcing plans to split into two separate companies.

Economic indicators from around the world showed a mixed picture. China's August RatingDog Services PMI came in stronger than expectations at 53.0, while the U.S. ISM manufacturing index fell short, weakening to 48.7. The Eurozone's July PPI was stronger than expected, with a +0.4% m/m increase and a +0.2% y/y growth.

Wall Street's main stock indexes closed lower in yesterday's trading session, and this trend continued in Asian markets today. Asian stock markets closed in the red, with China's Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) down -1.16% and Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Index (NIK) down -0.88%. Defence and military-related stocks led the declines in China's stock market, as investors booked profits after the military parade.

Looking ahead, September Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQU25) are trending up +0.69% this morning. Today's U.S. Earnings Spotlight includes companies such as Salesforce (CRM), Figma (FIG), Hewlett Packard (HPE), Dollar Tree (DLTR), Credo Technology Holding (CRDO), Campbell's (CPB), Descartes Systems (DSGX), Gitlab (GTLB), Macy's Inc (M), Asana (ASAN), Rev Group (REVG), C3.ai (AI), American Eagle Outfitters (AEO), Sprinklr (CXM), Pagerduty (PD), J.Jill (JILL), Tillys (TLYS).

On September 3, 2025, Braze A will release its quarterly results. Economists, on average, forecast that the July JOLTs Job Openings will arrive at 7.380 million.

Japan's service sector growth slowed slightly in August, with domestic demand remaining strong even as companies reduced staffing levels for the first time in almost two years. China's largest military parade, led by President Xi Jinping, concluded on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) rose more than +8% after Barclays raised its price target on the stock. Lam Research (LRCX) declined more than -3% after Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock.

In other news, Alphabet (GOOGL) jumped over +5% in pre-market trading after a U.S. district judge permitted the tech giant to retain its Chrome browser. China's Shanghai Composite Index experienced a second consecutive session of closing lower, following a climb to a decade high.

This mixed bag of gains and losses underscores the ongoing volatility in global markets, as economic indicators and corporate earnings continue to shape the investment landscape.