Nasdaq Futures Slump As Nvidia China News Brings Tech-Sector Jitters, Investors Cautious Ahead Of Friday's Jobs Report

U.S. stocks appear on track to clock a fifth straight session of losses, with the tech sector potentially leading the slide after the U.S. asked domestic chipmakers not to supply AI chips to China to keep them out of the reach of the military.

The major U.S. averages ended Wednesday’s session lower, as investors digested data showing a slowdown in private payroll growth and Fed’s hawkish signal. All three averages continue to languish at 5-week lows. They were also lower for the month.

Explaining the market malaise, Brad McMillan, chief investment officer for Commonwealth Financial Network said, “In the short term, it likely means higher rates and more pressure on the stock market. But in the medium term, rates will likely come down again.”

The fact that higher rates are expected for now should limit the damage going forward, he added.

Here’s a peek into index futures trading:

Among the Main Street readings scheduled for the day are the weekly jobless claims data, and U.S. August purchasing managers’ indices from S&P and the Institute for Supply Management. The U.S. Census Bureau’s construction spending report for July is due at 10 a.m. ET.

See also: S&P 500 Bracing For More Pain In September? Here's What History Tells Us

On the corporate front, tech stocks, specifically chip stocks, should come under pressure after Nvidia Corporation NVDA disclosed that the U.S. government has laid forth a special licensing requirement for AI chip exports to China. Peer Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD has also hinted at a similar development, according to Reuters.

Walt Disney Company could be in the spotlight after a Wall Street Journal report said it is toying with the idea of an Amazon, Inc. AMZN Prime-like membership plan.

Chinese electric vehicle trio Nio, Inc. NIO, XPeng, Inc. XPEV and Li Auto, Inc.’s LI shares were all lower following the release of August sales results.

Crude oil futures are lower for the third straight session, declining about 2% ahead of the New York session.

The Asian markets closed mostly lower, weighed down by the negative lead from Wall Street overnight and data showing continued contraction of the manufacturing sector in China.

European stocks are deep in the red in early trading.

In premarket trading on Thursday, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY was slipping 0.63% to $395.18 and the Invesco QQQ TrustQQQ was moving down 0.84% to $296.75, according to Benzinga Pro data.