What remaining regulatory or legal risks could still weigh on the stock despite the recent favorable ruling?

Remaining regulatory/legal tailwinds

Even though the U.S. judge ruled that Google can avoid a structural breakup, the decision does not eliminate the broader antitrust exposure that Alphabet faces. The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission have signaled that they could still pursue behavioral remedies, hefty fines, or a second‑round injunction that forces the company to change its ad‑tech, search‑ranking, or app‑store practices. Moreover, the European Commission, the UK Competition and Markets Authority, and regulators in India, Brazil and South Korea have parallel investigations that can result in separate penalties or forced divestitures. Alphabet is also still contending with a slate of privacy‑and‑data‑security lawsuits (e.g., the “Project Veritas” class action, GDPR enforcement actions) and ongoing copyright disputes that could generate multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar settlements or new injunctions. Finally, the ruling remains subject to appeal; if higher courts overturn or modify the judgment, the company could be forced back into a breakup scenario or face even stricter curbs.

Trading implications

The pre‑market 6 % pop reflects short‑term relief, but the risk‑adjusted upside is limited until the regulatory cloud clears. Technicals show the stock trading near its 50‑day moving average with modest bullish momentum; a pull‑back to the lower Bollinger Band or the 20‑day EMA could provide a better entry if you’re comfortable with the residual risk. A prudent approach is to lock in a portion of the gain (e.g., sell 25‑30 % of the position) and keep the remainder in a tight stop‑loss (≈ 4‑5 % below current levels) to protect against a negative regulatory surprise—such as a fresh FTC fine, an EU fine, or an appeal that re‑opens the breakup question. Keep a close eye on upcoming filing dates (e.g., the FTC’s “second request” deadline, EU “remedies” deadline, and any appellate court calendar) as catalysts that could reignite volatility.