The Latest in Apple

All the news from Apple, including the latest on iOS 15.4 and the Apple Mac Pro, as well as market news. Read before you trade Apple shares as CFDs.

Apple Still On Top

On the first day of trading this year, Apple shares touched $182.88 and the market value of the company exceeded the $3 trillion mark. “It just shows you how far Apple has come, and how dominant it is seen in the majority of investors’ eyes”, commented Jake Dollarhide of Longbow Asset Management. Comparable companies include Microsoft Corp, on the one hand, with a market value of about $2.5 trillion, and Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Tesla and Amazon on the other, each worth more than $1 trillion. Apple’s growth since the launch of the first iPhone in 2007 has indeed been startling, with shares having gained 5,800% in value.

In the three weeks that followed though, Apple stock lost as much as 13%, parallel with the S&P 500 that was down 11% in this low period for tech shares. Some felt this was partially connected with the milestone of earlier in the month, because it has happened before that the tech market stumbled just after Apple’s market value overcame a trillion-dollar landmark; the same thing happened, for example, in 2018, when the $1 trillion mark was reached, and two years later, when it became $2 trillion. According to the pattern, big tech rebounds when the dollar loses value, the reason being that, since many investors put their money into big tech companies in times of uncertainty, hoping for secure growth, these shares tend to become overvalued. But when the dollar weakens, investors regain their tech optimism. Other factors guided this low period too, like the policy of the US Federal Reserve and the general state of the world economy. Let’s take a bigger look at how Apple share prices have performed lately before you trade Apple shares as CFDs.

March and April

By the first week of March, the tech sector was still suffering, with the Nasdaq Composite Index having clocked up $5 trillion of losses in 2022. The hawkish policy of the Fed was a factor behind this, but the Ukraine/Russia conflict was, too. Apple, though, remained relatively steady, losing 2.4% on March 7^th, compared with Amazon’s loss of 5.6% and Nvidia’s loss of 6%. Apple was “A safe tech name to own during the market storm”, Wedbush said.

What followed was that, “The selloff got overdone and took these big tech names down to levels that were very attractive”, explained David Katz of Matrix Asset Advisors. The tech-themed Nasdaq 100 was again in favour, and, by March 29^th, Apple stock had been growing for eleven consecutive days and held at $178.96. This was “confounding” according to Lisa Shalett of Morgan Stanley, because the hiked interest rates were expected to remain bad news for tech shares. Still, the Nasdaq 100 was down 7% for the year so far.

By mid-April, Apple shares had lost 6.7% for the year, compared with the Nasdaq 100 loss of 14%, which was still exhibiting relative stability over its peers. Apple managed this even though they had to deal with production obstacles, which Jim Suva of Citigroup said “Could provide a near-term stock pullback which we could use as a buying opportunity”.

Apple Mac Pro and iOS 15.4

The Apple Mac Pro is Apple’s most powerful desktop computer, launched in 2006 and updated in the two years following, and then again in 2013 and 2019. One the specialties of the Apple Mac Pro is its high-level graphics ability, which is used by professionals for animation and gaming, and which is made possible by its 1.5TB of memory and 28 cores of power. A refreshment for this popular model is expected this year, perhaps in June.

iOS 15.4 is an update for the iOS 15 software, which became available late last year, bringing with it SharePlay, FaceTime, and privacy reports for all apps. This new update, which appeared on March 14^th, facilitates Face ID even while wearing a mask, a new set of emojis, new camera modes, and the Live Text Feature – an exciting tool made to capture text with your camera and paste it in the app of your choice.

Looking Ahead

If you plan to trade Apple shares as CFDs, the next few years and months will be an interesting time. Sometime in 2024, a blood pressure monitor is expected to make its appearance on the Apple Smartwatch, with technicians still struggling to perfect the technology. Improvements that are expected sooner include a body-temperature sensor for fertility planning, sleep enhancement features, and a feature that assists in managing medication. Apple’s watch saw rising popularity last year, with sales up 25% to $38.4 billion. Recent rumours have even suggested that Apple may be developing an electric vehicle, however the details are vague and nothing has been confirmed.

With times still looking volatile, “The market is rewarding companies that have strong fundamentals and balance sheets”, says Scott Wren of Wells Fargo Investment Institute. If you’re looking to trade Apple shares as CFDs, keep up to date with company news, including product launches as well as market updates.