Futures tied to the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 fell on Friday, with most technology stocks, including Nvidia, remaining under pressure following a selloff in the previous session, as concerns over stretched valuations in the sector persisted.
Nvidia NVDA shares dropped 2.8% in premarket trading after a volatile session on Thursday when the stock swung as much as 5% higher before closing 3.2% down.
The world’s most valuable company surpassed third-quarter revenue expectations and forecast fourth-quarter sales above analysts’ estimate late on Wednesday, while its CEO dismissed concerns about an AI bubble.
“Relief around Nvidia’s results didn’t last long as investors couldn’t shake their fears that the AI boom might have gotten ahead of itself,” said Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell.
“When markets remain on a knife edge, it’s inevitable that some people will want to protect any profits by trimming positions. That selling behavior is likely to be what’s dragging down markets.”
Other chip-related stocks such as Advanced Micro Devices AMD fell 2.3%, while Broadcom AVGO was down 1.3%.
Megacap and growth stocks also fell, with Meta Platforms META down 1.1% and Microsoft MSFT losing 0.6%.
At 05:15 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis (YMcv1) were up 49 points, or 0.11%, S&P 500 E-minis ES1! were down 22.25 points, or 0.34%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis NQ1! were down 160.5 points, or 0.67%.
All three main indexes were on track for their worst weekly drop since March, as worries over soaring valuations in high-flying technology stocks and dimming prospects of a U.S. interest rate cut in December hurt sentiment.
The Nasdaq IXIC has retreated sharply from its October peak and is poised for a steep decline in November amid skepticism over tech monetization prospects, circular spending within the sector and rising debt issuance.
Consumer discretionary S5COND and information technology S5INFT sectors are set for a more than 4% drop this week.
Global brokerages were divided over the likelihood of a December rate cut after Thursday’s release of the long-delayed September jobs report, which marks the last employment reading before the Federal Reserve’s verdict next month.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics plans to skip its October update and instead combine October and November nonfarm payroll data in a single report due mid-December.
Traders currently see nearly a 37% chance of a December rate cut, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.
At least five Fed officials are slated to make public remarks through the day.
Among other stocks, Gap GAP gained 2.8% after the apparel maker beat third-quarter comparable sales and profit estimates.
Cryptocurrency and blockchain-related stocks dropped as bitcoin BTCUSD and ether ETHUSD hit multi-month lows.
Exchange operator Coinbase Global COIN fell 2.8% and Strategy MSTR, the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, slid 5.2%.
