Google Avoids Harsh Antitrust Penalty, Apple Shares Rise

U.S. stock futures rose following a federal court ruling in an antitrust case against Alphabet, allowing Google to maintain its Chrome browser and continue paying Apple to set Google as the default search engine on iPhones. The ruling barred Google from exclusive contracts and required it to share search data with rivals, but was less severe than the Department of Justice's initial demands, leading to a surge in Alphabet shares by over 7% and a rise in Apple shares by more than 3%. Despite this optimism, overall market sentiment remained cautious due to a federal appeals court ruling that found many of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs illegal, creating uncertainty and causing the Dow Jones futures to fall. September, historically a weak month for equities, started negatively with major indexes closing lower amid profit-taking and rising Treasury yields. The antitrust decision emphasized that while Google cannot engage in exclusive preloading deals, payments to distribution partners like Apple to preload Google Search and related products are still permitted, avoiding significant harm to partners and consumers. The final judgment in the case is expected on September 10, with investors closely watching further developments amid ongoing regulatory scrutiny and trade policy uncertainty.