Stock futures exhibited mixed performance in the premarket hours of Wednesday after Wall Street began September with a downturn. The negative sentiment was driven by a combination of factors, including rising Treasury yields, ongoing inflation concerns, and questions about the Federal Reserve’s policy independence and its impact on the economy.
Biggest stock gainers
- Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) +7% – Shares surged after a federal judge ruled that Google will not be forced to sell its Chrome browser, a key victory against a government push for the company’s breakup. The ruling, while not fully rejecting the government’s case, ordered Google to share data with competitors and barred exclusive search contracts. This nuance also benefited Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), whose stock rose 3% due to the preservation of its lucrative default search deal with Google. The decision is being appealed, meaning the final outcome of the case could be years away.
- HealthEquity (NASDAQ:HQY) +4% – Shares rose after the company reported a strong Q2, exceeding expectations with approximately 9% Y/Y revenue growth. The company also announced record highs for both its gross margin at 71% and adjusted EBITDA at $151M. Following this performance, HealthEquity raised its FY2026 guidance for revenue from $1.285b-$1.305B to $1.29B-$1.31B and increased its non-GAAP net income per share outlook to a range of $3.74-$3.91 from $3.61-$3.78. Management cited an expected average yield of approximately 3.5% on HSA cash as a key factor supporting the positive forecast.
- United Parks & Resorts (NYSE:PRKS) and TechnipFMC (NYSE:FTI) +4% – Shares rose as both companies are set to be added to major S&P indices. United Parks & Resorts (NYSE:PRKS) will replace Foot Locker (FL) in the S&P SmallCap 600, while TechnipFMC (NYSE:FTI) will replace Skechers USA (SKX) in the S&P MidCap 400. The changes are due to the upcoming acquisitions of Foot Locker by Dick’s Sporting Goods and Skechers by 3G Capital.
Biggest stock losers
- Skillz (NYSE:SKLZ) -17% – Shares plunged after a key developer, Tether, issued a notice to terminate its agreements with the company. The termination threatens to remove popular games like Solitaire Cube and 21 Blitz from the Skillz platform, which accounts for a significant portion of its revenue. Skillz believes the termination notice is invalid and a breach of contract and has since filed a lawsuit in the Delaware Court of Chancery to block the move and protect its interests. While the company intends to fight Tether’s action, it has stated that it cannot provide any assurance about the outcome or the potential impact on its business.
- Bruker (NASDAQ:BRKR) -10% – Shares slid after the company launched a public offering of $600M in Series A Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock. The company plans to use the net proceeds to repay its term loan due December 2026, outstanding borrowings under its 2024 revolving credit agreement, and part of its term loan due March 2027. Each share will carry a $250 liquidation preference and will be converted into a variable number of common shares by around September 1, 2028, unless converted earlier by holders.