QQQ ends nearly flat while SPY falls 0.49% as weak payrolls and tech policy dominate

QQQ gave back a 0.91% opening gain to finish 0.06% below the previous close, while SPY fell 0.49%, leaving QQQ ahead by 0.43 percentage points. August payrolls rose only 22,000 versus 75,000 expected and unemployment reached 4.3%, while average hourly earnings matched estimates. Lululemon cut guidance amid weak U.S. sales and tariff pressure, and the EU fined Google €2.95 billion. Meta outlined at least $600 billion of U.S. investment through 2028, Tesla proposed a compensation plan potentially worth about $1 trillion, and Robinhood and AppLovin were named for S&P 500 inclusion.