Alphabet Stock Climbs 0.22% as Volume Plunge Slumps It to 12th in Trade Legal Hurdles and Quantum Push Shape Outlook

Alphabet (GOOGL) closed August 21, 2025, with a 0.22% gain despite a 31.29% drop in trading volume to $3.96 billion, ranking 12th among active stocks. The stock’s muted performance followed a strategic focus on its cloud computing division and ongoing legal challenges with the U.S. Justice Department, which analysts suggest remain a subdued concern for now.

Jim Cramer highlighted Alphabet as a top long-term play in quantum computing, citing its cloud infrastructure and YouTube’s resilience as key drivers. The firm’s shares have risen 22% since late June, building on a 6.4% year-to-date gain. Legal uncertainties with regulators appear to have receded, allowing investors to focus on core business momentum. Cramer also positioned Alphabet alongside IBM as a leading contender in the quantum computing space, though he emphasized that other AI stocks may offer higher return potential with lower risk.

Strategic analysis of high-volume trading strategies shows mixed results. A buy-and-hold approach for the top 500 stocks by daily volume from 2022 to 2025 yielded a 7.61% total return with a 1.98% average daily gain. However, the strategy faced a maximum drawdown of -29.16%, underscoring its vulnerability during market corrections. The Sharpe ratio of 0.94 indicates acceptable risk-adjusted returns, though volatility remains a critical factor for investors.