Nasdaq Futures Climb as Chipmakers Provide a Boost Ahead of Key U.S. Jobs Report

U.S. stock indices experienced mixed trading as a significantly stronger-than-expected August jobs report raised expectations of an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve. Nonfarm payrolls surged by 162,000 against consensus forecasts of 55,000, marking the largest increase in five months, while July figures were upwardly revised from an initial contraction of 23,000 to an expansion of 21,000. Following the labor data, the probability of a 25-basis-point rate hike at the September FOMC meeting jumped from 52% to 62%, lifting the 10-year Treasury yield to 4.774%. While the broader market faced downward pressure—with the S&P 500 shedding 0.46% and the Dow Jones falling 0.68%—the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 managed to edge up 0.03%, supported by strength in semiconductor and artificial intelligence infrastructure stocks. Leading gainers included SanDisk, KLA Corp, Marvell Technology, Applied Materials, and Micron Technology, counterbalancing sharp declines in software providers, credit rating agencies, and retail names such as Lululemon Athletica.