Key Takeaways

Major U.S. equities indexes hovered near record levels in Thursday trading before closing lower ahead of Friday morning's employment report.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.2%, ending a streak of four straight all-time closing highs. The Nasdaq and the Dow were down 0.2% and 0.6%, respectively, also receding from record levels.

Synopsys ( SNPS ) shares plunged 12.4%, the steepest loss of any stock in the S&P 500 . Although the electronic design automation company topped quarterly revenue and profit estimates, its fiscal 2025 sales outlook came in below expectations, reflecting pressure on its China business as the U.S. implements new restrictions on the export of semiconductor technology. Shares of fellow electronic design software maker Cadence Design Systems ( CDNS ) fell 6.4%.

Uber Technologies ( UBER ) shares dropped 9.6% as Waymo, the autonomous driving company owned by Google parent Alphabet ( GOOGL ), announced plans to expand its robotaxi service to Miami, Florida. Waymo said it will begin testing vehicles in the city early next year and plans to launch its Miami taxi fleet in 2026, potentially disrupting the ridesharing business. Shares of Uber competitor Lyft ( LYFT ) were down 10.1%.

Aluminum prices ticked higher this week after China's Ministry of Finance eliminated export tax rebates on aluminum and copper. Analysts expect the move to constrain global aluminum supplies and support higher prices for the metal. Shares of Ball Corp. ( BALL ), a provider of beverage cans and other aluminum packaging, lost 5.8% on Thursday.

Shares of whiskey maker Brown-Forman ( BF.B ) turned in a top-shelf performance, leading all S&P 500 constituents with a Thursday surge of 10.7%. The maker of Jack Daniels reported better-than-expected quarterly sales and profits, highlighting the strength of its Woodford Reserve brand and expectations for international sales to help jumpstart organic growth in fiscal 2025.

Tesla ( TSLA ) shares jumped 3.2% following positive updates from several research analysts. After visiting Tesla's Giga Austin plant, Bank of America analysts lifted their price target on Tesla stock, pointing to the potential impact of the company's Optimus humanoid robot, already in use at its energy storage division.