Apple now produces about 25% of iPhones in India as it reduces reliance on China, Bloomberg reportsMarch 10, 2026 7:09 AM
IH Market News
Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) has significantly increased iPhone manufacturing in India, highlighting the company’s efforts to diversify production away from China amid ongoing trade tensions and tariff concerns, according to a Bloomberg report published Tuesday.Apple assembled approximately 55 million iPhones in India in 2025, representing an increase of about 53% compared with roughly 36 million units produced the previous year, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.That level of production now represents around one quarter of Apple’s total global iPhone output, which is estimated at about 220 million to 230 million devices per year.The expansion reflects Apple’s broader strategy to develop India as a key manufacturing base as the company works to reduce its dependence on China, where shipments have been affected by U.S. tariffs linked to the ongoing trade dispute between the two countries.India’s growing role in Apple’s supply chain has been supported by production-linked incentive programs introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed at strengthening domestic manufacturing and boosting exports.Apple stock price

Original: Apple now produces about 25% of iPhones in India as it reduces reliance on China, Bloomberg reports

AAPL, still above the 200 sma

Say hello to MacBook NeoMarch 4, 2026 9:15 AM
Business Wire
Apple’s all-new MacBook features a durable aluminum design, a stunning 13-inch Liquid Retina display, the power of Apple silicon, and all-day battery life — all for the breakthrough starting price of just $599


Apple® today unveiled MacBook Neo™, an all-new laptop that delivers the magic of the Mac® at a breakthrough price, making it even more accessible to millions of people around the world. MacBook Neo starts with a beautiful Apple design, featuring a durable aluminum enclosure in an array of gorgeous colors — blush, indigo, silver, and a fresh new citrus. Its stunning 13-inch Liquid Retina® display brings websites, photos, videos, and apps to life with high resolution and brightness, and support for 1 billion colors. Powered by A18 Pro, MacBook Neo can fly through everyday tasks, from browsing the web and streaming content, to editing photos, exploring creative hobbies, or using AI capabilities across apps. In fact, it’s up to 50 percent faster for everyday tasks like web browsing,1 and up to 3x faster when running on-device AI workloads like applying advanced effects to photos,2 compared to the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5. Providing up to 16 hours of battery life, MacBook Neo allows users to go all day on a single charge.3 A 1080p FaceTime HD® camera and dual mics make it easy to look and sound great, and the dual side-firing speakers with Spatial Audio deliver crisp, immersive sound. MacBook Neo also features Apple’s renowned Magic Keyboard® for comfortable and precise typing, and a large Multi-Touch™ trackpad with support for intuitive gestures, enabling smooth and precise control. Completing the MacBook Neo experience is macOS® Tahoe, with powerful built-in apps like Messages, Pages, Calendar, and Safari®; seamless integration with iPhone®; Apple Intelligence™; as well as broad compatibility with third-party apps. And starting at just $599 and $499 for education, MacBook Neo is Apple’s most affordable laptop ever, providing an unprecedented combination of quality and value. MacBook Neo is available to pre-order starting today, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 11.


“We’re incredibly excited to introduce MacBook Neo, which delivers the magic of the Mac at a breakthrough price,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. “Built from the ground up to be more affordable for even more people, MacBook Neo is a laptop only Apple could create. It features a durable aluminum design in four beautiful colors; a brilliant Liquid Retina display; Apple silicon-powered performance; all-day battery life; a high-quality camera, mics, and speakers; a Magic Keyboard and Multi-Touch trackpad; and the intuitive and powerful features of macOS. There is simply no other laptop like it.”


Beautiful and Durable Aluminum Design


MacBook Neo features a beautifully crafted aluminum design that’s built to last. With its soft, rounded corners, MacBook Neo looks elegant while feeling solid and comfortable to hold. At just 2.7 pounds, it’s also easy to carry in a backpack or handbag. Bringing a fun touch of personality and style to everyday computing, MacBook Neo comes in a spectrum of four gorgeous colors: blush, indigo, silver, and citrus. These colors extend to the Magic Keyboard in lighter shades and new wallpapers, creating a cohesive design aesthetic and making MacBook Neo the most colorful MacBook® yet.


Stunning 13-Inch Liquid Retina Display


A gorgeous 13-inch Liquid Retina display features a 2408-by-1506 resolution, 500 nits of brightness, and support for 1 billion colors, bringing to life sharp, crystal-clear text and vibrant images. The display is both brighter and higher in resolution than most PC laptops in this price range, putting it in a class of its own. Finally, an anti-reflective coating provides a comfortable viewing experience in a variety of lighting conditions, allowing users to watch movies, edit photos, or take video calls from anywhere.


Apple Silicon-Powered Performance


At the heart of MacBook Neo is A18 Pro, enabling users to power through things they do every day, like browsing the web, creating documents, streaming content, editing photos, and taking advantage of AI. Users can seamlessly work between their favorite apps, like Messages, WhatsApp, Canva, Excel, Safari, and more. MacBook Neo with A18 Pro is up to 50 percent faster for everyday tasks than the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5.1 And for more demanding activities, it’s up to 3x faster for on-device AI workloads2 and up to 2x faster for tasks like photo editing.4 The integrated 5-core GPU brings graphics to life while playing action-packed games or exploring creative hobbies. And a 16-core Neural Engine supports fast on-device Apple Intelligence features and everyday AI tasks like summarizing notes in Bear or using the Clean Up tool in the Photos app, while ensuring user data stays private and secure. MacBook Neo is also fanless, so it runs completely silent.


All-Day Battery Life


Thanks to the incredible power efficiency of Apple silicon, MacBook Neo delivers up to 16 hours of battery life on a single charge.3 This makes it a perfect on-the-go companion for work or play, from the classroom to the coffee shop, and everywhere in between.


Magic Keyboard and New Multi-Touch Trackpad


MacBook Neo features Apple’s much-loved Magic Keyboard, which provides a comfortable, precise typing experience, while a large Multi-Touch trackpad lets users click, scroll, swipe, and pinch anywhere on its surface. The MacBook Neo model with Touch ID® enables easy, quick, and secure login authentication, and the ability to conveniently authorize purchases using Apple Pay®.


1080p Camera; Dual Speakers and Mics


The 1080p FaceTime HD camera on MacBook Neo has optimized image processing to deliver vibrant video calls. Dual mics with directional beamforming are designed to reduce background noise and isolate a user’s voice, allowing it to come across loud and clear for an excellent video conferencing experience. And dual side-firing speakers with support for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos produce immersive sound for watching a movie, listening to music, or using apps like GarageBand®.


Essential Connectivity


MacBook Neo features two USB-C ports for connecting accessories or an external display.5 Both ports can be used for charging. MacBook Neo also includes a headphone jack for wired audio. Wi-Fi 6E provides fast wireless connectivity, and Bluetooth 6 ensures reliable wireless connections for peripherals and accessories.


Powerful Productivity with macOS


macOS is Apple’s powerful and intuitive operating system for Mac.6 With incredible features and built-in apps like Safari, Photos, Messages, and FaceTime, macOS enables users to get started right out of the box. Apple Intelligence features like Writing Tools, Live Translation, and more are deeply integrated across macOS, elevating the user experience by bringing intelligence to the apps users rely on every day.7 Advanced privacy and security also come standard, featuring industry-leading encryption, robust virus protections, and automatic free security updates to help keep users protected.


Seamless Integration with iPhone


iPhone users can tap in to Continuity features built in to macOS to make working across iPhone and Mac a breeze. Handoff® lets users start a task on MacBook Neo and continue it on iPhone, while Universal Clipboard allows users to copy and paste content between devices. With iPhone Mirroring, users can view and interact with their iPhone directly on MacBook Neo, and users switching to Mac for the first time can use iPhone to conveniently and securely transfer settings, files, photos, passwords, and more.


Built with the Environment in Mind


MacBook Neo was built from the ground up to be Apple’s lowest-carbon MacBook, and brings the company even closer to reaching its ambitious plan to be carbon neutral across its entire footprint by 2030. It features 60 percent recycled content — the highest percentage of any Apple product.8 This includes 90 percent recycled aluminum overall and 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery. The enclosure is manufactured with a material-efficient forming process that uses 50 percent less aluminum compared to traditional machining methods. MacBook Neo is manufactured with 45 percent renewable electricity, like wind and solar, across the supply chain. It also meets Apple’s high standards for energy efficiency and safe chemistry. Additionally, the paper packaging is 100 percent fiber-based and can be easily recycled.9


Pricing and Availability



Customers can pre-order the new MacBook Neo starting today at apple.com/store and in the Apple Store® app in 30 countries and regions, including the U.S. It will begin arriving to customers, and will be in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, starting Wednesday, March 11.



MacBook Neo starts at $599 (U.S.) and $499 (U.S.) for education. It is available in four colors — blush, indigo, silver, and citrus. Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options, and accessories are available at apple.com/mac.



With Apple Trade In®, customers can trade in their current computer and get credit toward a new Mac. Customers can visit apple.com/shop/trade-in to see what their device is worth.



AppleCare® delivers exceptional service and support, with flexible options for Apple users. Customers can choose AppleCare+® to cover their new Mac, or in the U.S., AppleCare One? to protect multiple products in one simple plan. Both plans include coverage for accidents like drops and spills, theft and loss protection on eligible products, battery replacement service, and 24/7 support from Apple Experts. For more information, visit apple.com/applecare.



Every customer who buys directly from Apple Retail gets access to Personal Setup. In these guided online sessions, a Specialist can walk them through setup, or focus on features that help them make the most of their new device. Customers can also learn more about getting started and going further with their new device with a Today at Apple® session at their nearest Apple Store.



Customers in the U.S. who shop at Apple using Apple Card® can pay monthly at 0 percent APR when they choose to check out with Apple Card Monthly Installments, and they’ll get 3 percent Daily Cash® back — all up front. More information — including details on eligibility, exclusions, and Apple Card terms — is available at apple.com/apple-card/monthly-installments.



Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.


1 Testing was conducted by Apple in January and February 2026 using preproduction MacBook Neo systems with Apple A18 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 8GB of unified memory, and 256GB SSD, as well as production Intel Core Ultra 5-based PC systems with Intel Graphics, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and the latest version of Windows 11 Home available at the time of testing. Bestselling PC laptop with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5 processor is based on publicly available sales data over the prior six months. Speedometer 3.1 performance benchmark tested with pre-release Safari 26.3 on macOS Tahoe, and both Chrome 144.0.7559.110 and Edge 144.0.3719.104 on Windows 11 Home. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of MacBook Neo.


2 Testing was conducted by Apple in January and February 2026 using preproduction MacBook Neo systems with Apple A18 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 8GB of unified memory, and 256GB SSD, as well as production Intel Core Ultra 5-based PC systems with Intel Graphics, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and the latest version of Windows 11 Home available at the time of testing. Bestselling PC laptop with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5 processor is based on publicly available sales data over the prior six months. Adobe Photoshop 2026 27.3.0 tested using the following filters and functions: super zoom, depth blur, JPEG artifact removal, style transfer, photo restoration, and landscape mixer. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of MacBook Neo.


3 Testing was conducted by Apple in January 2026 using preproduction MacBook Neo systems with Apple A18 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 8GB of unified memory, and 256GB SSD. Wireless web battery life tested by browsing 25 popular websites while connected to Wi-Fi. Video streaming battery life tested with 1080p content in Safari while connected to Wi-Fi. All systems tested with display brightness set to eight clicks from bottom. Battery life varies by use and configuration. See apple.com/batteries for more information.


4 Testing was conducted by Apple in January and February 2026 using preproduction MacBook Neo systems with Apple A18 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 8GB of unified memory, and 256GB SSD, as well as production Intel Core Ultra 5-based PC systems with Intel Graphics, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and the latest version of Windows 11 Home available at the time of testing. Bestselling PC laptop with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5 processor is based on publicly available sales data over the prior six months. Tested with Affinity v3.0.3.4027 using the built-in benchmark 30000. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of MacBook Neo.


5 MacBook Neo features two USB-C ports — USB 3 (left) and USB 2 (right). External display connectivity supported on left USB 3 port only.


6 macOS Tahoe is available as a free software update. Some features may not be available in all regions or in all languages. See requirements at apple.com/os/macos.


7 Apple Intelligence is available in beta with support for these languages: English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Japanese, and Korean. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. For feature and language availability and system requirements, see support.apple.com/en-us/121115.


8 Product recycled or renewable content is the mass of certified recycled material relative to the overall mass of the device, not including packaging or in-box accessories. Comparison excludes accessories.


9 Breakdown of U.S. retail packaging by weight. Adhesives, inks, and coatings are excluded from calculations.


NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple Newsroom (www.apple.com/newsroom), or email Apple’s Media Helpline at media.help@apple.com.


© 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, MacBook Neo, Mac, Liquid Retina, FaceTime HD, Magic Keyboard, Multi-Touch, macOS, Safari, iPhone, Apple Intelligence, MacBook, Touch ID, Apple Pay, Garage Band, Handoff, Apple Store, Apple Trade In, AppleCare, AppleCare+, AppleCare One, Today at Apple, Apple Card, and Daily Cash are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260304013394/en/
Starlayne Meza

Apple

starlayne_meza@apple.com


Original: Say hello to MacBook Neo

Apple In $AAPL has Total Debt (mrq) $90.51 Billions

AAPL, inching higher

Spot on. The latest 13F filings show Berkshire doing exactly this—dumping AAPL to avoid the tariff exposure and hoarding cash instead. Smart money is already out.

Rotation out of risk assets such as stocks who have factories across the world on tariffs $AAPL

Apple accelerates U.S. manufacturing, with Mac mini production coming later this yearFebruary 24, 2026 6:00 AM
Business Wire
Mac mini will be made at a new facility in Houston, and a soon-to-be-launched training center will support advanced manufacturing skills development


Apple® today announced a significant expansion of factory operations in Houston, bringing the future production of Mac mini® to the U.S. for the first time. The company will also expand advanced AI server manufacturing at the factory and provide hands-on training at its new Advanced Manufacturing Center beginning later this year. Altogether, Apple’s Houston operations will create thousands of jobs.


“Apple is deeply committed to the future of American manufacturing, and we’re proud to significantly expand our footprint in Houston with the production of Mac mini starting later this year,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We began shipping advanced AI servers from Houston ahead of schedule, and we’re excited to accelerate that work even further.”


For more than two decades, users around the world have relied on the incredibly popular Mac mini for the tremendous power it packs into its ultra-compact design. With its next-level AI capabilities, it has become an essential tool for everyone from students and aspiring creatives to small business owners. Beginning later this year, Mac mini will be produced in a new factory on Apple’s Houston manufacturing site, doubling the campus’s footprint.


Apple began producing advanced AI servers in Houston in 2025 for the first time, and production is already ahead of schedule. Servers assembled in Houston — including logic boards produced onsite — are used in Apple data centers around the country.


Beyond production, Apple is investing in the workforce that will drive American manufacturing forward. Later this year, Apple’s 20,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center is scheduled to open its doors in Houston. Currently under construction, the dedicated facility will provide hands-on training in advanced manufacturing techniques to students, supplier employees, and American businesses of all sizes. Apple experts will teach participants the same innovative processes that are used to make Apple products, allowing American manufacturers to take their work to the next level.


Since announcing its $600 billion commitment to the U.S. last year, Apple and its American Manufacturing Program partners have already reached several milestones:



Apple exceeded its target and sourced more than 20 billion U.S.-made chips from 24 factories across 12 states, including those of partners like TSMC, Broadcom, and Texas Instruments.



GlobalWafers has begun production at its new $4 billion bare silicon wafer facility in Sherman, Texas. At Apple’s direction, wafers produced in Sherman will be used by Apple’s chip manufacturing partners in the U.S., including TSMC and Texas Instruments.



Supported by Apple’s investment, Amkor broke ground on its new $7 billion semiconductor advanced packaging and test facility in Peoria, Arizona, where Apple will be the first and largest customer.



Corning’s Harrodsburg, Kentucky, facility is now 100 percent dedicated to cover glass for iPhone® and Apple Watch® shipped globally, and by the end of this year, every new iPhone and Apple Watch will have cover glass made in the state.



In 2026, Apple is on track to purchase well over 100 million advanced chips produced by TSMC at its Arizona facility — a significant increase from 2025.



Apple opened its Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit, which is already supporting more than 130 small- and medium-sized American manufacturers with hands-on training in AI, automation, and smart manufacturing. The academy recently expanded with new virtual programming, giving businesses across the country on-demand access to the curriculum developed by Apple experts and Michigan State University faculty.



Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.


NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple Newsroom (www.apple.com/newsroom), or email Apple’s Media Helpline at media.help@apple.com.


© 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac mini, iPhone, and Apple Watch are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224984011/en/
Press contacts:
Nick Leahy

Apple

nleahy@apple.com
Anna Mitchell

Apple

anna_m@apple.com
Apple Media Helpline

media.help@apple.com


Original: Apple accelerates U.S. manufacturing, with Mac mini production coming later this year

AAPL, stopped going down, but still bearish

LOL..Where did ya go? Certainly not to VPLM since you can't post there.
Lemme guess, you dumped your puts on AAPL last week, right?

Private Credit Worries Mount; U.S. PCE and GDP Data in Focus – Market Movers: Dow Jones, S&P, Nasdaq, Wall Street FuturesFebruary 20, 2026 5:36 AM
IH Market News
U.S. equity futures moved modestly higher on Friday as investors prepared for key inflation and growth readings, while unease spread through private credit markets following a move by Blue Owl Capital (NYSE:OWL). Oil prices steadied amid ongoing geopolitical strains between Washington and Tehran.



Futures Edge Higher



By 03:09 ET, Dow futures were up 54 points, or 0.1%, S&P 500 futures had added 14 points, or 0.2%, and Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 57 points, or 0.2%.Wall Street’s main indices closed lower in the previous session, pressured by Middle East tensions and a string of earnings reports that analysts at Vital Knowledge characterized as “underwhelming.” Retail giant Walmart (NYSE:WMT) warned that general merchandise inflation had accelerated sharply amid broad U.S. tariffs and issued cautious guidance for the year ahead, weighing on its shares.Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) also slipped, dragging the S&P 500 lower.On the policy front, Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran appeared less dovish on rates. His remarks followed minutes from the Fed’s January meeting showing some officials cautioning that interest rate hikes could still be on the table in coming months. According to Vital Knowledge, this fuels speculation that borrowing costs may be “heading further away” from President Donald Trump’s preference for swift and aggressive cuts, potentially setting the stage for tensions between the White House and the central bank.



Private Credit Sector Under Scrutiny



Attention on Thursday centered on private credit after Blue Owl Capital announced changes to its investor redemption policy. Instead of allowing investors to withdraw a predetermined amount each quarter, the firm said it would decide how much capital to return on a quarterly basis.The announcement sent Blue Owl shares lower, along with other major players such as Ares (NASDAQ:ARCC) and Blackstone (NYSE:BX). The reaction underscored concerns that vulnerabilities may be emerging within the opaque private credit industry, which has extended trillions of dollars in loans to businesses in recent years.Market participants are also increasingly focused on lenders’ exposure to software companies, a segment facing pressure as investors weigh the disruptive impact of new artificial intelligence models.In a post on social media, former PIMCO chief Mohamed El-Erian questioned whether the shift in Blue Owl’s redemption terms could mark a “canary-in-the-coalmine” moment reminiscent of early warning signs before the global financial crisis.“There’s plenty to think about here, starting with the risks of an investing phenomenon in advanced (not developing) markets that has gone too far overall (short answer: yes), to the approaches being taken by specific firms (lots of differences, yet subject to the “market for lemons” risk),” El-Erian wrote.



Oil Prices Steady



Crude prices stabilized and remained on track for their first weekly gain in three weeks as tensions between the U.S. and Iran heightened supply concerns.Brent crude was last trading broadly unchanged at $71.66 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate slipped 0.1% to $66.35. Both benchmarks hovered near their highest levels since early August and were poised to post weekly gains exceeding 6%.Tensions escalated after Trump warned on Thursday that “really bad things” would happen if Iran failed to reach an agreement on its nuclear program within 10 to 15 days, raising the possibility of military action.Any escalation involving Iran — a key OPEC producer — could disrupt shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint for around 20% of global oil flows.



Inflation Data in Spotlight



Friday’s economic calendar is headlined by the release of the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index.The core PCE measure, closely monitored by the Federal Reserve, is expected to rise 0.3% month on month in December, compared with 0.2% in November. On an annual basis, it is projected at 3.0%, up from 2.8%, according to estimates from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.Recent data showed that headline consumer price inflation increased more slowly than expected in January, bolstering hopes that the Fed could begin cutting rates as early as June. However, a stronger-than-anticipated labor market report earlier in the week had tempered those expectations, suggesting the central bank — which reduced rates several times in 2025 — may delay further easing until later in the year.



GDP Growth Expected to Slow



Investors are also awaiting an advance estimate of U.S. fourth-quarter GDP, which is expected to show a moderation in growth.Economists forecast that the economy expanded at an annualized rate of 2.8% in the October–December period, down from 4.4% in the third quarter.In the previous quarter, consumer spending remained a primary driver of growth, while a narrowing trade deficit — partly linked to President Trump’s broad tariff policies — also supported activity.Despite the overall resilience, some analysts argue that the recovery has taken on a “K” shape. Higher-income households and large corporations have powered much of the expansion, while lower-income Americans continue to contend with elevated prices and subdued hiring conditions. Smaller businesses, meanwhile, face rising import costs and tighter labor supply amid ongoing immigration restrictions.Blue Owl Capital stock priceWalmart stock priceApple stock priceAres Capital Corporation stock priceBlackstone stock price

Original: Private Credit Worries Mount; U.S. PCE and GDP Data in Focus – Market Movers: Dow Jones, S&P, Nasdaq, Wall Street Futures

Fed Minutes in Focus; Palo Alto Networks Slides – Key Market Drivers: Dow Jones, S&P, Nasdaq, Wall Street FuturesFebruary 18, 2026 4:40 AM
IH Market News
U.S. equity futures edged higher early Wednesday as investors prepared for the release of the Federal Reserve’s January meeting minutes and digested fresh corporate developments. Shares of cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) declined after issuing weaker-than-expected profit guidance. Meanwhile, Warren Buffett’s final quarter leading Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) featured notable portfolio shifts, including trims to major tech and banking holdings.



Futures point upward



As of 02:43 ET, Dow futures were up 55 points, or 0.1%. S&P 500 futures gained 12 points, or 0.2%, while Nasdaq 100 futures dipped 35 points, or 0.1%.Wall Street’s main indices finished higher in the previous session, supported by a modest rebound in technology stocks that had recently come under pressure. Advances in Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) helped offset weakness in Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), lifting the S&P 500 information technology sector by 0.5%.Despite the recovery, uncertainty persists around the tech sector’s outlook following the launch of new artificial intelligence tools. Some investors worry that emerging AI models could disrupt industries ranging from software and financial services to real estate and logistics.Questions also remain about when heavy investments in AI-focused data centers will begin delivering meaningful returns. Large-cap tech firms have committed significant capital to infrastructure supporting AI chips, raising concerns about profitability timelines.“Tech investors remain traumatized by the volatility of the last several weeks and the shifting AI conversation, although there is growing anticipation for Nvidia’s earnings report next week (which most people expect will be strong) while software is still firmly in the penalty box despite the extremely oversold price action,” analysts at Vital Knowledge wrote.



Fed minutes awaited



The minutes from the Federal Reserve’s January policy meeting, due later Wednesday, are expected to offer further clarity on the central bank’s rate trajectory.At that meeting, two policymakers—Stephen Miran and Christopher Waller—dissented from the decision to keep rates unchanged, marking a pause in the rate-cut cycle that began in mid-2024.Officials cited signs of a steady labor market and inflation that, while still above target, appears to be stabilizing as justification for maintaining rates within the 3.5% to 3.75% range.Markets broadly anticipate the Fed will hold rates steady at least through June, adopting a cautious approach as it monitors employment and price trends.Chair Jerome Powell is nearing the conclusion of his tenure at the central bank. Former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh has been nominated by President Donald Trump as Powell’s successor, prompting speculation about potential shifts in monetary policy direction under new leadership.



Oil edges higher on US–Iran diplomacy



Oil prices rose modestly after falling nearly 2% in the prior session, as progress in U.S.–Iran nuclear talks reduced fears of supply disruptions.By 02:58 ET, Brent crude futures for April delivery were up 0.3% at $67.61 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures gained 0.2% to $62.40 per barrel.Brent had dropped close to 2% on Tuesday, with WTI down 1%.Reports indicated that Washington and Tehran reached agreement on key “guiding principles” during discussions in Switzerland, boosting hopes for a deal that could eventually allow additional Iranian crude to enter global markets.However, Iran’s foreign minister emphasized that the understanding does not mean a comprehensive agreement is imminent.Energy markets are closely monitoring the talks, given Iran’s role as a significant oil producer and its strategic location along the Strait of Hormuz, a critical transit route for roughly 20% of global oil consumption.



Palo Alto Networks tumbles on outlook



Shares of Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) fell in after-hours trading despite the company exceeding quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, as its updated profit outlook disappointed investors.The Santa Clara-based cybersecurity company reported fiscal second-quarter earnings of $1.03 per share on revenue of $2.59 billion, surpassing analyst projections of $0.94 per share on $2.58 billion in revenue.However, the company lowered its fiscal 2026 earnings per share forecast to a range of $3.65 to $3.70, down from a prior estimate of $3.80 to $3.90. The consensus expectation had been $3.87.Full-year revenue is now projected between $11.28 billion and $11.31 billion, above the previous outlook of $10.50 billion to $10.54 billion and exceeding market expectations.



Berkshire adjusts portfolio in Buffett’s final quarter



Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) reduced its stakes in Apple and Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) while initiating a new position in New York Times (NYSE:NYT) during Warren Buffett’s last quarter as CEO.A regulatory filing revealed that the conglomerate sold approximately 10.3 million Apple shares in the quarter ended December 31, marking the third straight quarter of reductions in its holdings of the iPhone maker. Berkshire also trimmed its position in Bank of America by 50.8 million shares.At the same time, the company acquired about 5.1 million shares of New York Times, backing a firm that has expanded beyond traditional journalism into digital subscriptions, including games and recipe content.Buffett, 95, stepped down as chief executive at the end of 2025, handing leadership to his designated successor, Greg Abel. Abel is set to present his first shareholder letter later this month alongside Berkshire’s annual earnings report.Palo Alto stock priceBerkshire Hathaway stock priceNvidia stock priceApple stock priceMicrosoft stock priceOracle stock priceBank of America stock priceNew York Times stock price

Original: Fed Minutes in Focus; Palo Alto Networks Slides – Key Market Drivers: Dow Jones, S&P, Nasdaq, Wall Street Futures

Masimo jumps over 30% on report of potential $10 billion Danaher takeoverFebruary 17, 2026 9:43 AM
IH Market News
Masimo Corporation (NASDAQ:MASI) rallied more than 32% in U.S. premarket trading Tuesday following a report from the Financial Times that Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) is nearing a deal worth almost $10 billion to acquire the medical technology group.According to the newspaper, which cited sources familiar with the discussions, an agreement for the California-based company could be unveiled as soon as Tuesday.Such a transaction would represent a premium to Masimo’s market capitalization of nearly $7 billion at Friday’s close.Masimo is known for producing medical monitoring technologies, including pulse oximeters, and has previously accused Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) of violating its intellectual property rights.Danaher has built a reputation for sustained acquisition activity over the past 25 years, including its landmark $21.4 billion purchase of Cytiva in 2020.Masimo Corporation stock priceDanaher stock price

Original: Masimo jumps over 30% on report of potential $10 billion Danaher takeover

Closing the Intent-to-Execution Gap May Define Next Wave of AI InvestmentFebruary 17, 2026 9:00 AM
InvestorsHub NewsWireFebruary 17th, 2026 -- InvestorsHub NewsWire -- via AINewsWire Editorial Coverage: As artificial intelligence (“AI”) evolves beyond generative chat systems into agentic AI capable of autonomous action, a critical bottleneck has emerged: the lack of high-fidelity, real-time input connecting human intent to machine execution. While AI models can generate text, images or strategies, translating subtle human signals into actionable machine instructions remains a major technical challenge. Without precise and continuous intent capture, autonomous systems — from humanoid robotics to extended reality (“XR”) environments — struggle to operate seamlessly alongside humans. Wearable Devices Ltd. (NASDAQ:WLDS) (Profile) aims to address this gap with the launch of ai6 Labs, a synergistic neural AI ecosystem designed to bridge intent and digital reality by integrating research, product monetization and accelerated innovation through technologies such as its Large MUAP Model (“LMM”). The launch positions the AI pioneer as a foundational infrastructure provider for the emerging autonomous AI era and establishes it as an innovator in the space, enabling boosting solutions by other AI leaders, such as Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) to the next level.


In an environment increasingly defined by investor demand for clear commercialization pathways, ai6 Labs introduces a business model built around a structured, closed-loop ecosystem.
Rather than positioning itself purely as a hardware company, Wearable Devices describes ai6 Labs as developing infrastructure for the autonomous computing era.
At the core of ai6 Labs lies LMM, a proprietary neural AI framework designed to interpret electromyographic signals.
The launch of ai6 Labs arrives amid rapid shifts in the human-machine interaction landscape.


Click here to view the custom infographic of the Wearable Devices editorial.

The Bottleneck Slowing Autonomous AI

The rapid expansion of generative AI has exposed limitations in how machines interpret real-world human intent. While large language models can understand commands expressed through text or speech, many applications, especially in spatial computing, robotics and wearable environments, require continuous and precise control signals that traditional interfaces cannot provide. Industry analysts frequently note that the future of AI interaction depends on new input modalities capable of delivering real-time contextual data rather than static commands.

Gesture recognition and neural signal interpretation are increasingly explored as natural human–machine interface modalities because electromyography (“EMG”) enables direct translation of muscle activity into digital control signals, supporting more intuitive interaction models beyond traditional input devices. However, achieving reliable, high-fidelity interpretation remains technically challenging, as EMG signals are inherently weak, highly variable across users, and susceptible to environmental noise, motion artifacts and electrode placement differences. Research in biosignal processing further shows that decoding muscle activation into accurate commands typically requires advanced machine-learning architectures and extensive training datasets to address the nonstationary and complex nature of biological signals.

Simultaneously, the proliferation of smart glasses, XR environments and wearable AI devices has increased demand for touch-free control methods. Wearable Devices reports growing interest in intuitive gesture-based interaction aligned with the expansion of smart glasses markets expected to reach multibillion-dollar scale, reinforcing the need for reliable intent-capture infrastructure. Traditional input devices such as keyboards, controllers and voice assistants introduce latency or context limitations that restrict autonomous systems. For AI agents to perform real-world tasks, they require a continuous flow of high-resolution signals that reflect user intent instantly and accurately. This “intent gap” has created a “capabilities overhang” where the reasoning power of modern agents remains physically bottlenecked by the high-friction, low-resolution interfaces of the past.

Wearable Devices positions ai6 Labs as a direct response to this challenge. The lab aims to create a neural ecosystem capable of decoding biological signals into machine-readable data, effectively forming a “digital nervous system” linking human intention to AI-driven action.

A Virtuous Cycle Designed for Investor Discipline

In an environment increasingly defined by investor demand for clear commercialization pathways, ai6 Labs introduces a business model built around a structured, closed-loop ecosystem. Rather than separating research from revenue generation, Wearable Devices integrates innovation, productization and rapid experimentation into a single operational framework designed to accelerate market adoption.

The first pillar of the cycle, the foundation layer, focuses on generating intellectual property and core technologies such as the Large MUAP Model (“LMM”). This model represents a neural interface framework designed to interpret biological signals using advanced machine learning, forming the technological backbone for future applications.

The second pillar, commercialization and growth, focuses on turning research into commercial products. Hardware, software and data infrastructure powers the ecosystem. WLDS’s Mudra Studio is the premier commercial launch for this pillar, generating revenue by standardizing intent-based control for developers. By monetizing intellectual property directly through product channels, the company seeks to demonstrate immediate revenue pathways rather than relying solely on long-term R&D outcomes.

The third pillar, the AI Accelerator, functions as a rapid prototyping engine that develops minimum viable products (MVPs) and tests new applications quickly. This structure allows concepts generated in research to enter real-world testing and commercialization cycles faster, aligning with investor expectations for scalable growth models.

Together, these components create a “virtuous cycle” in which research drives products, products generate data and data fuels further innovation. In an era where capital markets increasingly reward operational discipline and transparent pathways to profitability, this integrated structure may enhance credibility with investors seeking measurable progress rather than speculative experimentation.

Building the Brain-AI Bus for Autonomous Systems

Rather than positioning itself purely as a hardware company, Wearable Devices describes ai6 Labs as developing infrastructure for the autonomous computing era. Central to this strategy is the concept of a “Brain-AI Bus,” or a digital nervous system, that translates biological signals into high-fidelity, machine-readable data streams.

The Brain-AI Bus concept reflects a shift toward neural interface platforms capable of serving multiple device ecosystems simultaneously. Instead of designing standalone controllers, the company aims to create a standardized interface layer that connects human intent directly to AI agents, XR platforms and robotics systems.

By converting “neural bits” into actionable digital signals, the platform could enable more natural and immersive interaction models. This approach aligns with broader industry trends emphasizing multimodal AI interaction, where gesture, movement and biosignals complement traditional interfaces such as voice or text. Wearable Devices’ ai6 Labs launch frames this infrastructure strategy as a foundation for next-generation computing, positioning the company as an enabler of autonomous ecosystems rather than simply a device manufacturer.

The Large MUAP Model as a Deep-Tech Moat

At the core of ai6 Labs lies LMM, a proprietary neural AI framework designed to interpret electromyographic signals. The company describes LMM as equivalent to a large language model for gesture control, capable of learning complex patterns from muscle activation signals.

Years of noninvasive EMG research underpin the model’s development, creating a technological foundation that could be difficult for competitors to replicate quickly. Neural interface systems require extensive datasets and iterative model training to achieve reliable accuracy, which can form significant barriers to entry. A robust patent portfolio and accumulated research experience further strengthen this competitive positioning. Proprietary models trained on unique datasets may establish defensible advantages, particularly if widely adopted across device ecosystems.

By positioning LMM as the interpretive layer translating human biology into machine instructions, Wearable Devices aims to establish itself as a potential global standard for neural interface interpretation, a strategic positioning that aligns with infrastructure-level ambitions rather than single-product innovation.

Seizing the Inflection Point in Human-Machine Interaction

The launch of ai6 Labs arrives amid rapid shifts in the human-machine interaction landscape. The growing adoption of AI wearables, XR devices and advanced robotics suggests that traditional user interfaces may soon give way to more natural interaction paradigms. Industry showcases such as CES have demonstrated accelerating investment in spatial computing and wearable AI technologies, reinforcing the need for intuitive control systems.

Wearable Devices has long focused on touch-free interaction, and the company now positions ai6 Labs as the engine accelerating innovation beyond speculative research into scalable commercialization. By combining infrastructure development, product monetization and rapid prototyping, the lab reflects a strategic response to a market transitioning from experimentation to deployment.

The convergence of hardware miniaturization, AI capability growth and consumer adoption of wearable computing creates conditions for a significant inflection point. Companies capable of providing foundational interaction layers may capture outsized strategic value as ecosystems mature.

Through ai6 Labs, Wearable Devices aims to transform its prior research into a dominant market position by aligning technology development with emerging industry demands. As AI moves from passive generation to autonomous action, the ability to interpret human intent instantly and accurately may become one of the most critical infrastructure challenges of the decade — and ai6 Labs positions Wearable Devices at the center of that transition.

AI Moves Beyond the Screen

The artificial intelligence landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace, marked by breakthroughs that expand AI’s role from digital tools into deeply integrated, real-world systems. Recent developments across the industry highlight shifts toward more proactive personal intelligence, massive infrastructure investments to support growing compute demands, creative software enhanced by automation and intelligence, and the emergence of physical AI designed to operate in the real world.



Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is moving AI toward a new era of personal intelligence, making products such as Search, Chrome and the Gemini app more proactive than ever. In an announcement summarizing its January AI announcements, the company noted that whether “it’s Chrome’s ‘auto browse’ handling your complex chores or Gmail surfacing what matters most, these new personalization features are focused on anticipating your needs, understanding your context and helping you get things done.” The company also announced new learning and education tools, released new SAT and JEE Main practice tests, and made premium Google AI features available to more educators and students.

Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is breaking ground on its newest data center: a state-of-the-art IGW campus in Lebanon, Indiana. The facility represents an investment of more than $10 billion in data center infrastructure and the surrounding community, one of the company’s largest infrastructure investments to date. “As AI advances and compute demands continue to grow, gigawatt sites like this one will be critical to advancing the technology that supports our core business as well as our AI ambitions,” the company said. “Building at this scale creates the flexibility to support both goals while enabling technology with higher bandwidth, lower latency and improved reliability.”

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) launched Apple Creator Studio, an inspiring collection of the most powerful creative apps. The collection includes new AI features and premium content in Keynote, Pages,and Numbers as well as Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage, with everything coming together in a single subscription. The creative apps are designed to put studio-grade power into the hands of everyone, building on the role Mac, iPad and iPhone play in the lives of millions of creators around the world. The apps include tools for video editing, music making, creative imaging, and visual productivity.

NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) has announced new open models, frameworks and AI infrastructure for physical AI, as well as unveiling robots for every industry from global partners. According to the company, the new NVIDIA technologies speed workflows across the entire robot development lifecycle to accelerate the next wave of AI robotics, including building generalist-specialist robots that can quickly learn many tasks. “The ChatGPT moment for robotics is here. Breakthroughs in physical AI, models that understand the real world, reason and plan actions, are unlocking entirely new applications,” said NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang. “

Collectively, these milestones underscore how AI is transitioning from experimentation to foundational infrastructure powering the next generation of technology. As innovation converges across across sectors, the industry appears poised for accelerated adoption and broader societal impact, reshaping how individuals, organizations and industries interact with intelligent systems in the years ahead.

For more information about Wearable Devices, please visit the Wearable Devices profile.

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Original: Closing the Intent-to-Execution Gap May Define Next Wave of AI Investment

AAPL, bearish week

Services revenue keeps supporting the base and ecosystem remains strong. Not explosive, but steady compounder vibes.

FTC Questions Apple News Over Claims of Political BiasFebruary 12, 2026 6:02 AM
IH Market News
Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) is facing scrutiny from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission following allegations that its Apple News platform favors left-leaning outlets while limiting visibility for conservative publications.FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said in a post on X that he had written to Apple CEO Tim Cook, warning that the company could be breaching FTC regulations if it is found to be suppressing content based on political ideology.Ferguson cited reports claiming that Apple News does not display “a single article from an American conservative-leaning news source.”“These reports raise serious questions about whether Apple News is acting in accordance with its terms of service and its representations to consumers, as well as the reasonable consumer expectations of the tens of millions of Americans who use Apple News,” Ferguson said.Apple News is preloaded on most Apple devices and reaches tens of millions of users worldwide, making it a significant distribution channel for digital journalism.Ferguson, who was appointed FTC chair by President Donald Trump in early 2025, has repeatedly voiced concerns about what he describes as online censorship of right-leaning media outlets.Apple stock price

Original: FTC Questions Apple News Over Claims of Political Bias

Apple and Google agree to app store reforms following UK competition scrutinyFebruary 10, 2026 8:19 AM
IH Market News
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) have agreed to introduce changes to their mobile app marketplaces aimed at improving fairness and transparency for developers, Britain’s competition watchdog said on Tuesday.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the undertakings mark an important early move under its strengthened regulatory framework.As part of the commitments, both companies will adopt app review processes that are fair, objective and transparent, according to the CMA.The changes will also give developers greater ability to request access to additional Apple iOS functionalities, enabling them to build rival services — including in areas such as digital wallets and live translation tools — that compete more directly with Apple’s own offerings.Apple stock priceAlphabet stock price

Original: Apple and Google agree to app store reforms following UK competition scrutiny

AAPL, rebounding continues

Seems like the future here is a new Home appliance and maybe some kind of small robot. In the mean time memory may be a problem.

I now what you mean. I've watched this for years. I suspect the pps will rise in the next month.

AAPL. Still above the 200 sma

And yet the stock is down with a blow out quarter 

Apple Posts Strongest iPhone Sales Growth in More Than Four YearsJanuary 30, 2026 5:54 AM
IH Market News
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) reported a clear beat on both earnings and revenue for its fiscal first quarter of 2026 on Thursday, underpinned by its fastest quarterly iPhone sales growth in over four years. iPhone revenue surged 23.3% year on year to $85.27 billion, marking the strongest increase since the December quarter of 2021 and reaffirming the iPhone’s central role in the group’s performance.Despite the upbeat results, shares in the world’s third-largest listed company were broadly unchanged in premarket trading on Friday. Demand for the latest iPhone 17 range, particularly the higher-end Pro models, has been a key driver, helping Apple lift its global smartphone market share to about 20% in 2025, up from 18% the previous year.The strength in iPhone sales comes even as Apple, like other handset makers, continues to navigate tight conditions in the memory chip market. Earlier on Thursday, rival Samsung Electronics (KS:005930) warned that chip supply constraints are likely to persist. Against this backdrop, the robust iPhone performance has offered reassurance to investors who have been concerned about limited near-term visibility on how Apple’s artificial intelligence ambitions will translate into revenue.“We believe Apple’s growth strategy in the next few years could continue to be new form factors and new products, as AI’s commercialization and monetization remains challenging. Not only is the AI use case not clear for consumers, rapidly rising memory prices would likely make any edge AI applications harder to financially justify in the next two years,” Jefferies analysts led by Edison Lee said earlier this week in a preview note.For the quarter ended December 27, 2025, Apple reported earnings of $2.84 per share on revenue of $143.76 billion, comfortably ahead of consensus forecasts of $2.68 per share on $138.40 billion of revenue. Performance across hardware categories was mixed: Mac sales declined 6.7% year on year to $8.39 billion, while iPad revenue rose 6.3% to $8.60 billion. Revenue from wearables, home and accessories slipped 2.2% to $11.49 billion.The Services division continued to stand out, with sales climbing 13.9% year on year to $30.01 billion, supported by growth across subscriptions such as iCloud and Apple Music, as well as App Store fees.“Apple delivered a record-breaking quarter driven by unprecedented iPhone demand and another all-time high for Services revenue, validating its strategy amid an industry in constant flux and reinforcing its position atop the global smartphone market,” said Jacob Bourne, analyst at Emarketer.
“Yet maintaining that dominance is perhaps more uncertain than ever, hinging on the right calls around pricing and developing the next generation of devices, particularly wearables and the anticipated foldable iPhone,” he added.The results come just over two weeks after Apple signed an agreement with Alphabet’s Google to integrate the Gemini artificial intelligence model into Siri and other Apple Intelligence features, a move widely viewed as one of the most significant shifts so far in Apple’s AI approach and an effort to strengthen its position in the intensifying AI race among the so-called Magnificent Seven.“(Apple) also has to make the most of its Google Gemini partnership to deliver Siri upgrades that make consumer voice AI relevant, seamless, and monetizable. The backdrop of inflation-fatigued consumers and an ongoing memory chip shortage will pressure hardware margins in coming quarters, making that high-margin Services momentum even more vital,” Bourne said.Analysts at Bank of America, led by Wamsi Mohan, said they “remain bullish on shares of Apple heading into 2026,” citing improving iPhone upgrade cycles, margin expansion, new AI features expected next year and a growing installed base that continues to support Services growth. Evercore ISI analyst Amit Daryanani also pointed to an “outsized beat on strong iPhone refresh,” adding that investor attention will now turn to guidance for the March quarter amid concerns over rising memory costs and how Apple plans to offset them.Separately, Apple also announced earlier on Thursday that it has acquired Israeli startup Q.ai, marking its first sizeable acquisition in several years and adding another strand to its broader push in artificial intelligence.Apple stock price

Original: Apple Posts Strongest iPhone Sales Growth in More Than Four Years

Fed Chair Speculation, Apple Results and Shutdown Deal Shape Market Moves: Dow Jones, S&P, Nasdaq, Wall Street FuturesJanuary 30, 2026 5:24 AM
IH Market News
U.S. equity futures edged lower on Friday as investors assessed growing speculation that Kevin Warsh could be named the next chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Corporate news provided some support, led by a strong earnings update from Apple, while precious metals pulled back from record highs. Meanwhile, political risk eased after signs emerged that a U.S. government shutdown has likely been avoided.



Apple delivers standout quarter and upbeat outlook



Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) reported results that comfortably exceeded expectations for both revenue and profit in its fiscal first quarter, which includes the key holiday period. The group posted its strongest quarterly iPhone sales growth in more than four years, with iPhone revenue surging 23.3% year on year to $85.27bn, the largest increase since the fourth quarter of 2021.Demand has been particularly strong for the latest iPhone 17 range, especially higher-end Pro models, helping Apple lift its global smartphone market share to around 20% in 2025 from 18% a year earlier. The company also surprised on guidance, forecasting revenue growth of up to 16% for the March quarter, driven by sustained iPhone demand, a sharp recovery in China and accelerating momentum in India. Operating expenses are expected to come in between $18.4bn and $18.7bn, slightly higher than in the first quarter.Despite the strong performance, Apple acknowledged ongoing supply-side challenges. “We’re currently constrained. And at this point, it’s difficult to predict when supply and demand will balance,” CEO Tim Cook said, adding, “we’re seeing less flexibility in supply chains than normal, partly because of our increased demand that I just spoke about.” The company, like many peers, continues to face tight availability of memory chips, which is weighing on production.



U.S. futures slip as investors turn cautious



U.S. stock futures traded lower as risk appetite softened ahead of the expected Fed announcement. By 03:25 ET, S&P 500 futures were down 55 points, or 0.8%, Nasdaq 100 futures had fallen 240 points, or 0.9%, and Dow futures were lower by around 400 points, or 0.8%.Wall Street ended Thursday’s session mixed. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite closed lower, dragged down by weakness in technology stocks following earnings-related losses at Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), while the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged modestly higher. For the week so far, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq are both up close to 0.8%, while the Dow is slightly negative.Attention is also turning to another busy earnings day, with results due from Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), Chevron (NYSE:CVX), American Express (NYSE:AXP), Verizon (NYSE:VZ), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN) and Aon (NYSE:AON).



Kevin Warsh emerges as leading Fed contender



President Donald Trump said late Thursday that he will unveil his nominee to succeed Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair later in the session, fuelling speculation that former Fed governor Kevin Warsh is the frontrunner. “A lot of people think that this is somebody that could have been there a few years ago,” Trump said. “It’s going to be somebody that is very respected, somebody that’s known to everybody in the financial world.”Those remarks have been widely interpreted as pointing to Warsh, who lost out to Powell for the role in 2017 during Trump’s first term. Reports from Reuters said Warsh visited the White House on Thursday, while both the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg indicated the administration is preparing to nominate him.Warsh is generally viewed as supportive of lower interest rates, aligning more closely with Trump’s policy preferences, but is also seen as a relatively moderate choice compared with some other names floated for the role. Trump has repeatedly criticised Powell for not cutting rates as aggressively as he wanted, a dispute that has raised concerns about central bank independence. Those concerns intensified earlier this month when Powell suggested that a criminal investigation into a Fed renovation project was politically motivated.



Shutdown risk eases after last-minute deal



Political uncertainty also eased after lawmakers reached a late-night agreement to prevent another U.S. government shutdown. The White House and Senate Democrats agreed to advance a large package of spending bills, while splitting out the Department of Homeland Security budget and funding that agency at current levels for an additional two weeks.Saturday had been the deadline to pass five spending bills required to keep much of the government operating. The Trump administration previously endured a 43-day shutdown last autumn. Democrats had resisted backing DHS funding without changes to immigration enforcement tied to Trump’s mass deportation programme. The compromise is seen as buying time for further negotiations, particularly following renewed scrutiny of enforcement policies after the deaths of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.



Gold, silver and oil pull back from recent peaks



Precious metals retreated sharply after reaching record levels, as expectations of a less dovish Fed chair candidate boosted the U.S. dollar. Spot gold fell 3.1% to $5,184.26 an ounce, while April gold futures dropped 4.1% to $5,151.24 per ounce. Even after the pullback, gold remains up more than 20% so far in January, on track for a sixth consecutive monthly gain and its strongest monthly rise since 1982.Other metals also cooled after a volatile week. Spot silver slid 7.3% to $106.073 an ounce after hitting a record high on Thursday, while platinum dropped 8.5% to $2,394.98 an ounce.Oil prices eased following a three-day rally, though both benchmarks remained on course for strong weekly gains amid concerns that potential U.S. military action against Iran could disrupt supplies. Brent crude slipped 1.8% to $68.36 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate fell 1.8% to $64.24. Both were still set to rise by more than 5% on the week.OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, are due to meet on Sunday. Recent reports suggest the group is likely to keep output unchanged, having paused monthly production increases from January after raising supply by around 2.9 million barrels per day through 2025, a move that had previously weighed heavily on oil prices amid fears of oversupply and softer global demand.Apple stock priceExxonMobil stock priceChevron stock priceAmerican Express stock priceVerizon Communications stock priceRegeneron Pharmaceuticals stock priceAon stock price

Original: Fed Chair Speculation, Apple Results and Shutdown Deal Shape Market Moves: Dow Jones, S&P, Nasdaq, Wall Street Futures

~lousy action now 

Apple reports first quarter resultsJanuary 29, 2026 4:30 PM
Business Wire
All-time records for total company revenue and EPS


iPhone and Services revenue reach new all-time highs


Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2026 first quarter ended December 27, 2025. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $143.8 billion, up 16 percent year over year. Diluted earnings per share was $2.84, up 19 percent year over year.


“Today, Apple is proud to report a remarkable, record-breaking quarter, with revenue of $143.8 billion, up 16 percent from a year ago and well above our expectations,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “iPhone had its best-ever quarter driven by unprecedented demand, with all-time records across every geographic segment, and Services also achieved an all-time revenue record, up 14 percent from a year ago. We are also excited to announce that our installed base now has more than 2.5 billion active devices, which is a testament to incredible customer satisfaction for the very best products and services in the world.”


“During the December quarter, our record business performance and strong margins led to EPS growth of 19 percent, setting a new all-time EPS record,” said Kevan Parekh, Apple’s CFO. “These exceptionally strong results generated nearly $54 billion in operating cash flow, allowing us to return almost $32 billion to shareholders.”


Apple’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.26 per share of the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on February 12, 2026, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 9, 2026.


Apple will provide live streaming of its Q1 2026 financial results conference call beginning at 2:00 p.m. PT on January 29, 2026, at apple.com/investor/earnings-call. The webcast will be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter.


Apple periodically provides information for investors on its corporate website, apple.com, and its investor relations website, investor.apple.com. This includes press releases and other information about financial performance, reports filed or furnished with the SEC, information on corporate governance, and details related to its annual meeting of shareholders.


This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include without limitation those about payment of the Company’s quarterly dividend and future business plans. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include without limitation: effects of global and regional economic conditions, including as a result of government policies, trade and other international disputes, geopolitical tensions, conflict, terrorism, natural disasters, and public health issues; risks relating to the design, manufacture, introduction, and transition of products and services in highly competitive and rapidly changing markets, including from reliance on third parties for components, technology, manufacturing, applications, services, support, and content; risks relating to information technology system failures, network disruptions, and failure to protect, loss of, or unauthorized access to, or release of, data; and effects of unfavorable legal proceedings, government investigations, and complex and changing laws and regulations. More information on these risks and other potential factors that could affect the Company’s business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition, and stock price is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of the Company’s most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made.


Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.


NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple Newsroom (www.apple.com/newsroom), or email Apple’s Media Helpline at media.help@apple.com.


© 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.




Apple Inc.




CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited)




(In millions, except number of shares, which are reflected in thousands, and per-share amounts)








 



 






Three Months Ended








 






December 27,

2025






 






December 28,

2024








Net sales:






 






 






 








Products






$






113,743






 






$






97,960






 








Services






 






30,013






 






 






26,340






 








Total net sales (1)






 






143,756






 






 






124,300






 








Cost of sales:






 






 






 








Products






 






67,478






 






 






59,447






 








Services






 






7,047






 






 






6,578






 








Total cost of sales






 






74,525






 






 






66,025






 








Gross margin






 






69,231






 






 






58,275






 








 






 






 






 








Operating expenses:






 






 






 








Research and development






 






10,887






 






 






8,268






 








Selling, general and administrative






 






7,492






 






 






7,175






 








Total operating expenses






 






18,379






 






 






15,443






 








 






 






 






 








Operating income






 






50,852






 






 






42,832






 








Other income/(expense), net






 






150






 






 






(248






)








Income before provision for income taxes






 






51,002






 






 






42,584






 








Provision for income taxes






 






8,905






 






 






6,254






 








Net income






$






42,097






 






$






36,330






 








 






 






 






 








Earnings per share:






 






 






 








Basic






$






2.85






 






$






2.41






 








Diluted






$






2.84






 






$






2.40






 








Shares used in computing earnings per share:






 






 






 








Basic






 






14,748,158






 






 






15,081,724






 








Diluted






 






14,810,356






 






 






15,150,865






 








 






 






 






 








(1) Net sales by reportable segment:






 






 






 








Americas






$






58,529






 






$






52,648






 








Europe






 






38,146






 






 






33,861






 








Greater China






 






25,526






 






 






18,513






 








Japan






 






9,413






 






 






8,987






 








Rest of Asia Pacific






 






12,142






 






 






10,291






 








Total net sales






$






143,756






 






$






124,300






 








 






 






 






 








(1) Net sales by category:






 






 






 








iPhone






$






85,269






 






$






69,138






 








Mac






 






8,386






 






 






8,987






 








iPad






 






8,595






 






 






8,088






 








Wearables, Home and Accessories






 






11,493






 






 






11,747






 








Services






 






30,013






 






 






26,340






 








Total net sales






$






143,756







$






124,300






 









Apple Inc.




CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)




(In millions, except number of shares, which are reflected in thousands, and par value)










 



 






December 27,

2025






 






September 27,

2025








ASSETS:








Current assets:






 






 






 








Cash and cash equivalents






$






45,317






 






 






$






35,934






 








Marketable securities






 






21,590






 






 






 






18,763






 








Accounts receivable, net






 






39,921






 






 






 






39,777






 








Vendor non-trade receivables






 






30,399






 






 






 






33,180






 








Inventories






 






5,875






 






 






 






5,718






 








Other current assets






 






15,002






 






 






 






14,585






 








Total current assets






 






158,104






 






 






 






147,957






 








 






 






 






 








Non-current assets:






 






 






 








Marketable securities






 






77,888






 






 






 






77,723






 








Property, plant and equipment, net






 






50,159






 






 






 






49,834






 








Other non-current assets






 






93,146






 






 






 






83,727






 








Total non-current assets






 






221,193






 






 






 






211,284






 








Total assets






$






379,297






 






 






$






359,241






 








 






 






 






 








LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY:








Current liabilities:






 






 






 








Accounts payable






$






70,587






 






 






$






69,860






 








Other current liabilities






 






68,543






 






 






 






66,387






 








Deferred revenue






 






9,413






 






 






 






9,055






 








Commercial paper






 






1,997






 






 






 






7,979






 








Term debt






 






11,827






 






 






 






12,350






 








Total current liabilities






 






162,367






 






 






 






165,631






 








 






 






 






 








Non-current liabilities:






 






 






 








Term debt






 






76,685






 






 






 






78,328






 








Other non-current liabilities






 






52,055






 






 






 






41,549






 








Total non-current liabilities






 






128,740






 






 






 






119,877






 








Total liabilities






 






291,107






 






 






 






285,508






 








 






 






 






 








Commitments and contingencies






 






 






 








 






 






 






 








Shareholders’ equity:






 






 






 








Common stock and additional paid-in capital, $0.00001 par value: 50,400,000 shares authorized; 14,702,703 and 14,773,260 shares issued and outstanding, respectively






 






95,221






 






 






 






93,568






 








Accumulated deficit






 






(2,177






)






 






 






(14,264






)








Accumulated other comprehensive loss






 






(4,854






)






 






 






(5,571






)








Total shareholders’ equity






 






88,190






 






 






 






73,733






 








Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity






$






379,297






 






 






$






359,241






 









Apple Inc.




CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)




(In millions)








 



 






Three Months Ended








 






December 27,

2025






 






December 28,

2024








Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents, beginning balances






$






35,934






 






 






$






29,943






 








 






 






 






 








Operating activities:






 






 






 








Net income






 






42,097






 






 






 






36,330






 








Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash generated by operating activities:






 






 






 








Depreciation and amortization






 






3,214






 






 






 






3,080






 








Share-based compensation expense






 






3,594






 






 






 






3,286






 








Other






 






(528






)






 






 






(2,009






)








Changes in operating assets and liabilities:






 






 






 








Accounts receivable, net






 






(153






)






 






 






3,597






 








Vendor non-trade receivables






 






2,781






 






 






 






3,166






 








Inventories






 






(211






)






 






 






215






 








Other current and non-current assets






 






(10,250






)






 






 






939






 








Accounts payable






 






848






 






 






 






(6,671






)








Other current and non-current liabilities






 






12,533






 






 






 






(11,998






)








Cash generated by operating activities






 






53,925






 






 






 






29,935






 








 






 






 






 








Investing activities:






 






 






 








Purchases of marketable securities






 






(12,693






)






 






 






(6,124






)








Proceeds from maturities of marketable securities






 






7,510






 






 






 






15,967






 








Proceeds from sales of marketable securities






 






2,824






 






 






 






3,492






 








Payments for acquisition of property, plant and equipment






 






(2,373






)






 






 






(2,940






)








Other






 






(154






)






 






 






(603






)








Cash generated by/(used in) investing activities






 






(4,886






)






 






 






9,792






 








 






 






 






 








Financing activities:






 






 






 








Payments for taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards






 






(2,922






)






 






 






(2,921






)








Payments for dividends and dividend equivalents






 






(3,921






)






 






 






(3,856






)








Repurchases of common stock






 






(24,701






)






 






 






(23,606






)








Repayments of term debt






 






(2,164






)






 






 






(1,009






)








Repayments of commercial paper, net






 






(5,910






)






 






 






(7,944






)








Other






 






(38






)






 






 






(35






)








Cash used in financing activities






 






(39,656






)






 






 






(39,371






)








 






 






 






 








Increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents






 






9,383






 






 






 






356






 








Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents, ending balances






$






45,317






 






 






$






30,299






 








 






 






 






 








Supplemental cash flow disclosure:






 






 






 








Cash paid for income taxes, net






$






3,434






 






 






$






18,651






 







 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260129405756/en/
Press Contact:

Josh Rosenstock

Apple

jrosenstock@apple.com

(408) 862-1142


Investor Relations Contact:

Suhasini Chandramouli

Apple

suhasini@apple.com

(408) 974-3123


Original: Apple reports first quarter results

~well they beat.  All depends on what their spending on memory.  I'm up more than double after hours, hopefully that at least holds til market open.  

Hey G. Another gutsy one for you. Could be tough to get back to that $0.10....... don't see anything moving the needle $20+ in the next couple weeks.

$255.10 WELL, I'm waiting!? Couple of large block, put trades, in the money. These opening trades are going out two days....🤔🤔🤔🤔🤣🤣🤣 Someone betting against SCAM STREET and aapl?

Qorvo Shares Drop After Weak Outlook Flags Apple-Related SlowdownJanuary 28, 2026 10:50 AM
IH Market News
Shares of Qorvo Inc (NASDAQ:QRVO) fell around 10% in U.S. premarket trading on Wednesday after the radio-frequency chipmaker issued softer-than-expected guidance for the current quarter, citing weaker seasonal demand from its largest customer, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL).Qorvo, which is in the process of being acquired by larger rival Skyworks Solutions Inc (NASDAQ:SWKS), supplies radio-frequency components such as filters and switches used in smartphones. Its technology is also deployed across a broad range of end markets, including automotive, power management, defense and aerospace.For its fiscal third quarter, Qorvo reported earnings of $2.17 per share, beating analysts’ expectations by 31 cents. Revenue reached $993 million, slightly ahead of Wall Street forecasts of $988.69 million.However, the company’s forward guidance disappointed investors. For the current quarter, Qorvo expects earnings of between $1.05 and $1.35 per share on revenue of $775.00 million to $825.00 million. Analysts had been looking for profit of $1.37 per share on revenue of $903.80 million.“Our March quarterly outlook reflects the seasonal decline at our largest customer,” Qorvo CEO Bob Bruggeworth said in a statement, referring to Apple, which generates nearly half of the company’s total revenue. Bruggeworth also pointed to “the ongoing strategic resizing of our Android business, and continued strength in high performance analog business, which focuses on providing radio frequency solutions.”Qorvo and Skyworks unveiled plans for their merger in October 2025, agreeing to combine in a $22 billion cash-and-stock transaction. The deal is expected to close early next year.Commenting on the tie-up, Morgan Stanley analysts said “[p]art of the rationale for the deal is that it would help stabilize content in between cycles,” but cautioned that this “could be challenging if both companies are struggling to hold share against competitors.”“That being said, enhanced scale and pooled R&D capabilities should help strengthen their competitiveness and increase their leverage with Apple in future cycles,” the analysts added.Qorvo stock priceApple stock priceSkyworks Solutions stock price

Original: Qorvo Shares Drop After Weak Outlook Flags Apple-Related Slowdown

S&P 500 Reaches Record Closing High But Dow Gives Back GroundJanuary 27, 2026 9:39 PM
IH Market News
Following the upward move seen in the previous session, the major U.S. stock indexes moved in starkly opposite directions during trading on Tuesday. While the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 saw further upside, the narrower Dow showed a notable pullback.The Nasdaq jumped 215.74 points or 0.9 percent to a nearly three-month closing high of 23,817.10, and the S&P 500 (SPI:SP500) climbed 28.37 points or 0.4 percent to a record closing high of 6,978.60.Meanwhile, the Dow ended the day off its worst levels of the session but still closed 408.99 points or 0.8 percent at 49,003.41.The strength in the broader markets came as traders remain optimistic ahead of the release of earnings news from big-name tech companies like Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META).Shares of Microsoft surged by 2.2 percent and shares of Apple jumped by 1.1 percent, while shares of Meta edged slightly higher.Positive sentiment may also have been generated in reaction to upbeat earnings news from big-name companies like General Motors (GM) and UPS (UPS).On the other hand, a slump by shares of UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH) weighed on the Dow, with the health insurance giant plunging by 19.6 percent.The steep drop by UnitedHealth came after the company reported slightly better than expected fourth quarter earnings but provided disappointing revenue guidance.A Trump administration proposal calling for nearly flat rates for Medicare Advantage insurers also weighed on insurance stocks.In U.S. economic news, the Conference Board released a report unexpectedly showing a significant deterioration in consumer confidence in the month of January.The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index plummeted to 84.5 in January from an upwardly revised 94.2 in December.Economists had expected the consumer confidence index to inch up to 90.0 from the 89.1 originally reported for the previous month.With the steep drop, the consumer confidence index tumbled to its lowest level since hitting 82.2 in May of 2014.



Sector News



Semiconductor stocks showed a substantial move to the upside on the day, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index surging by 2.4 percent to a new record closing high.Computer hardware and networking stocks also saw significant strength, contributing to the advance by the tech-heavy Nasdaq.Outside of the tech sector, oil service stocks moved sharply higher along with the price of crude oil, driving the Philadelphia Oil Service Index up by 2.0 percent.On the other hand, healthcare, airline and housing stocks came under considerable selling pressure over the course of the session.



Other Markets



In overseas trading, stock markets across the Asia-Pacific region moved mostly higher during trading on Tuesday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index advanced by 0.9 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index jumped by 1.4 percent and South Korea’s Kospi surged by 2.7 percent.Most European stocks also moved to the upside on the day. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index climbed by 0.6 percent and the French CAC 40 Index rose by 0.3 percent, although the German DAX Index bucked the uptrend and dipped by 0.2 percent.In the bond market, treasuries moved modestly lower over the course of the session. As a result, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, inched up 1.0 basis points to 4.223 percent.



Looking Ahead



Early trading activity may be somewhat subdued on Wednesday ahead of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy announcement later in the afternoon.SOURCE: RTTNEWS

Original: S&P 500 Reaches Record Closing High But Dow Gives Back Ground

~bought some 2/11 $300 calls @.10c

$260.00 100% BULLSHIT. Show me ONE time where I've said I've shorted ANY STOCK! 50+ years in the markets, 14 years as a full service broker, AND I'VE NEVER SHORTED A STOCK! I use options and my current put spread on appl goes out to Dec. '26.

My early posting on aapl concerned VPLM patent lawsuits vs. aapl. NOW VPLM has anti-trust/rico/class-actions vs aapl which go into $hundreds of $Billions.

Try to keep up and not lie about what I've done/posted!

Five market themes to track in the coming weekJanuary 26, 2026 11:50 AM
IH Market News
Markets head into a pivotal week with a closely watched Federal Reserve rate decision at the forefront, heightened by fresh concerns over the central bank’s independence following a criminal investigation involving Chair Jerome Powell. At the same time, heavyweight technology companies are set to report earnings, with investors eager for clearer evidence that massive artificial intelligence spending is translating into growth. Adding to the risk backdrop, President Donald Trump has issued a new tariff threat against Canada, keeping geopolitical uncertainty firmly in focus.



1. Fed decision takes center stage



The highlight of the week is likely to be Wednesday’s interest rate decision from the Federal Reserve, following a two-day policy meeting.Officials will assess how best to set borrowing costs at a time when the U.S. economy remains broadly resilient. Employment — a key reason behind a series of rate cuts in 2025 — appears stable, with subdued hiring but limited layoffs. Inflation, the Fed’s other core mandate, has eased but remains above the 2% target.Some economists warn the economy is becoming “K-shaped,” where higher-income households and corporations account for much of the growth, while lower-income groups struggle with rising living costs.Against this backdrop, markets widely expect rates to remain unchanged at 3.5%–3.75%. CME FedWatch data suggests the next rate cut is unlikely before June.



2. Focus on Powell’s successor



This week’s Fed meeting also comes amid repeated pressure from President Trump for swift and aggressive rate cuts.Longstanding worries about political influence over the Fed intensified earlier this month when the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Chair Jerome Powell. In an unusual public response, Powell criticized the probe as an attempt to steer monetary policy in Trump’s preferred direction.With only months left in his term, markets are watching closely to see whether Powell remains on the Fed’s policy-setting board once he steps down as chair.Attention is also turning to who might replace him. Prediction markets now favor Rick Rieder over former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, while Trump has suggested he may already have a single candidate in mind.



3. Big tech earnings under scrutiny



Earnings season heats up with results due from major technology players, including Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL).Driven by enthusiasm around artificial intelligence, these companies have dominated equity markets in recent years. Their push to lead the AI race has triggered a surge in capital spending, particularly on data centers and advanced semiconductors.While investors have largely accepted the heavy outlays so far, expectations for tangible revenue gains are rising. Analysts have described 2026 as a potential “show me” year for big tech, making this week’s earnings reports an early test of whether returns are starting to materialize.



4. ASML in the spotlight



In Europe, attention turns to ASML (EU:ASML), the world’s largest supplier of chipmaking equipment, which reports on Wednesday.The Dutch group’s valuation recently crossed $500 billion after key customer TSMC unveiled larger-than-expected capital spending plans to meet booming AI chip demand. ASML has since reinforced its position as Europe’s most valuable listed company.However, its guidance for the current year has been relatively cautious, with sales potentially flat. This has raised questions about whether the pace of new factory construction is keeping up with surging AI-driven demand.



5. Trump renews tariff threat



Geopolitical risk returned to the fore after Trump said he would impose a 100% tariff on Canada if it were to strike a trade agreement with China.Trump warned on social media that Prime Minister Mark Carney, who recently visited China and spoke in Davos about smaller nations resisting economic pressure from global powers, could endanger Canada by pursuing such a deal.“China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,” Trump wrote, adding that “all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.” would face a 100% import tax if an agreement were reached.Carney responded that Canada has “no intention” of seeking a free trade deal with China, stressing that Ottawa would honor its commitments under an existing pact with the U.S. and Mexico.“[W]e don’t think investors need to spend a lot of time worrying about Trump’s 100% Canada tariff actually coming to fruition, but the fact he continues to impetuously make these threats is gradually undermining sentiment,” analysts at Vital Knowledge said.Meta stock priceMicrosoft stock priceApple stock price

Original: Five market themes to track in the coming week

Wall Street futures signal largely flat start to the week: Dow Jones, S&P, NasdaqJanuary 26, 2026 2:19 PM
IH Market News
U.S. equity futures are pointing to a mostly unchanged open on Monday, suggesting a lack of clear direction after the mixed showing seen in the previous session on Friday.Market participants appear hesitant to take strong positions ahead of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decision due on Wednesday. While the central bank is broadly expected to keep interest rates unchanged, attention will be firmly on the accompanying statement for any guidance on the future path of rates.Upcoming earnings from major companies including Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) are also set to be key drivers of sentiment in the days ahead.Geopolitical developments remain on investors’ radar as well. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on Canadian imports in response to the possibility of a trade agreement between Canada and China. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed back, saying his government has no intention of pursuing such a deal.Meanwhile, the risk of another U.S. government shutdown is resurfacing. Several Democratic senators have warned they will oppose a funding bill if it includes money for the Department of Homeland Security, following the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis over the weekend.After strong gains over the prior two sessions, Wall Street delivered a split performance on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average moved lower, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq continued to advance, closing higher for a third consecutive day.By the close, the Dow fell 285.30 points, or 0.6%, to 49,098.71. The S&P 500 edged up 2.26 points, or less than 0.1%, to 6,915.61, while the Nasdaq gained 65.22 points, or 0.3%, to 23,501.24.For the holiday-shortened week as a whole, all three major indexes finished lower. The Nasdaq slipped 0.1%, while the S&P 500 and the Dow declined by 0.4% and 0.5%, respectively.Friday’s uneven trading reflected shifting geopolitical concerns. Earlier worries over tensions surrounding Greenland eased, only to be replaced by renewed anxiety over a potential confrontation between the United States and Iran.After ruling out the use of force to acquire Greenland and easing tariff threats toward Europe, Trump appeared to refocus attention on Iran. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday, he said a U.S. “armada” was heading toward the Middle East.“We’re watching Iran,” Trump said. “You know we have a lot of ships going in that direction just in case. We have a big flotilla going in that direction and we’ll see what happens.”Trump had previously stepped back from threats of military action against Iran linked to its crackdown on widespread protests.On the economic front, data from the University of Michigan showed a stronger-than-expected improvement in consumer sentiment for January. The university revised its consumer sentiment index up to 56.4 from a preliminary reading of 54.0, compared with expectations for no revision. The revised figure also marks a notable increase from December’s reading of 52.9.Sector-wise, software stocks were among the day’s strongest performers, pushing the Dow Jones U.S. Software Index up 2.2%. Gold miners also advanced, supported by another surge in gold prices, with the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index rising 1.5%.In contrast, computer hardware stocks lagged, dragging the NYSE Arca Computer Hardware Index down 2.9%. Banking and housing stocks also weakened, as the KBW Bank Index fell 2.2% and the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index dropped 1.6%.Meta stock priceMicrosoft stock priceTesla stock priceApple stock price

Original: Wall Street futures signal largely flat start to the week: Dow Jones, S&P, Nasdaq

U.S. Stocks Move To The Upside Ahead Of Key Tech EarningsJanuary 26, 2026 9:39 PM
IH Market News
Following the mixed performance seen during last Friday’s session, stocks moved mostly higher during trading on Monday. With the upward move, the major averages further offset the steep drop seen last Tuesday.The major averages moved to the downside going into the end of the day but remained in positive territory. The Dow advanced 313.69 points or 0.6 percent to 49,412.40, the Nasdaq rose 100.11 points or 0.4 percent to 23,601.36 and the S&P 500 (SPI:SP500) climbed 34.62 points or 0.5 percent to 6,950.23.The strength on Wall Street came amid strong gains by Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), which are moving higher ahead of the release of their quarterly results later this week.Shares of Apple surged by 3.0 percent, shares of Meta jumped by 2.1 percent and shares of Microsoft advanced by 0.9 percent.However, traders seemed reluctant to make more significant moves ahead of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy announcement on Wednesday.While the Fed is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged, traders will pay close attention to the accompanying statement for clues about the outlook for rates.Traders also kept an eye on the latest geopolitical developments, with President Donald Trump threatening to impose a 100 percent tariff on goods from Canada over a potential free trade deal with China.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded by saying his country has no intention of pursuing such a deal.The U.S. government is also facing the possibility of another shutdown, as several Democratic senators have threatened to oppose a spending bill if it includes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security.The impasse over DHS funding comes after federal immigration agents shot and killed another U.S. citizen in Minneapolis over the weekend.In U.S. economic news, a report released by the Commerce Department showed new orders for U.S. manufactured durable goods surged by much more than expected in the month of November.



Sector News



Networking stocks turned in some of the market’s best performances on the day, with the NYSE Arca Networking Index jumping by 2.0 percent.Notable strength was also visible among software stocks, as reflected by the 1.1 percent gain posted by the Dow Jones U.S. Software Index.On the other hand, steel stocks showed a significant move to the downside, dragging the NYSE Arca Steel index down by 2.2 percent.Airline stocks also saw considerable weakness on the day, resulting in a 1.5 percent loss by the NYSE Arca Airline Index.



Other Markets



In overseas trading, stock markets across the Asia-Pacific region turned in a mixed performance on Monday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index tumbled by 1.8 percent and China’s Shanghai Composite Index edged down by 0.1 percent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index crept up by 0.1 percent.The major European markets also ended the day narrowly mixed. While the French CAC 40 Index dipped by 0.2 percent, the U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index and the German DAX Index both crept up by 0.1 percent.In the bond market, treasuries saw further upside after ending last Friday’s session slightly higher. As a result, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, fell 2.6 basis points to 4.213 percent.SOURCE: RTTNEWS

Original: U.S. Stocks Move To The Upside Ahead Of Key Tech Earnings

Futures rise on tech earnings optimism despite UnitedHealth plunge ahead of Fed decision — Dow Jones, S&P 500 and NasdaqJanuary 27, 2026 2:11 PM
IH Market News
Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures are currently pointing to a higher open on Tuesday, with stocks likely to see further upside following the strength seen in the previous session.Tech stocks may help to lead an early advance on Wall Street, as reflected by the 0.6 percent increase by the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures.Traders remain optimistic ahead of the release of earnings news from big-name tech companies like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT).Shares of Apple are jumping by 1.6 percent in pre-market trading after surging by 3.0 percent on Monday, while Meta and Microsoft may also see further upside after moving notably higher in the previous session.Positive sentiment may also be generated in reaction to upbeat earnings news from big-name companies like General Motors (NYSE:GM) and UPS (NYSE:UPS).On the other hand, a slump by shares of UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH) is likely to weigh on the Dow, with the health insurance giant plunging by 15.7 percent in pre-market trading.The steep drop by UnitedHealth comes after the company reported slightly better than expected fourth quarter earnings but provided disappointing revenue guidance.A Trump administration proposal calling for nearly flat rates for Medicare Advantage insurers is also likely to weigh on insurance stocks.Following the mixed performance seen during last Friday’s session, stocks moved mostly higher during trading on Monday. With the upward move, the major averages further offset the steep drop seen last Tuesday.The major averages moved to the downside going into the end of the day but remained in positive territory. The Dow advanced 313.69 points or 0.6 percent to 49,412.40, the Nasdaq rose 100.11 points or 0.4 percent to 23,601.36 and the S&P 500 climbed 34.62 points or 0.5 percent to 6,950.23.The strength on Wall Street came amid strong gains by Apple, Meta Platforms and Microsoft, which moved higher ahead of the release of their quarterly results later this week.Shares of Apple surged by 3.0 percent, shares of Meta jumped by 2.1 percent and shares of Microsoft advanced by 0.9 percent.However, traders seemed reluctant to make more significant moves ahead of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy announcement on Wednesday.While the Fed is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged, traders will pay close attention to the accompanying statement for clues about the outlook for rates.Traders also kept an eye on the latest geopolitical developments, with President Donald Trump threatening to impose a 100 percent tariff on goods from Canada over a potential free trade deal with China.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded by saying his country has no intention of pursuing such a deal.The U.S. government is also facing the possibility of another shutdown, as several Democratic senators have threatened to oppose a spending bill if it includes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security.The impasse over DHS funding comes after federal immigration agents shot and killed another U.S. citizen in Minneapolis over the weekend.In U.S. economic news, a report released by the Commerce Department showed new orders for U.S. manufactured durable goods surged by much more than expected in the month of November.Networking stocks turned in some of the market’s best performances on the day, with the NYSE Arca Networking Index jumping by 2.0 percent.Notable strength was also visible among software stocks, as reflected by the 1.1 percent gain posted by the Dow Jones U.S. Software Index (DOWI:DJUSSW).On the other hand, steel stocks showed a significant move to the downside, dragging the NYSE Arca Steel index down by 2.2 percent.Airline stocks also saw considerable weakness on the day, resulting in a 1.5 percent loss by the NYSE Arca Airline Index.

Original: Futures rise on tech earnings optimism despite UnitedHealth plunge ahead of Fed decision — Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq

You are full of it!  You have said you have been shorting this since well under $100.  If you have been betting against Apple as much as you say, you would be bankrupt.

$256.14 So, a SCAM (wall) STREET upgrade... Bought puts on Sunday??????? Sawee, option market not open then. NO, MY PUT SPREAD IS OUT TO DECEMBER (2....0....2....6). 🙃🫣

HA HA! Don't look now but the share price is rising quickly again!
Lemme guess, you dumped all the Puts you never bought on Sunday?
Where's the giant lawsuit there bubba?

Hackers threaten to release ‘exact’ details of unreleased Apple products

~ Apple supplier hit by a major data breach, and hackers claim to have confidential files.

~ by David Price, Editor, Macworld, Jan 2026

In summary:

• Macworld reports that RansomHub hackers breached Luxshare, a major Apple supplier assembling iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, and Vision Pro devices.

• The ransomware attack potentially exposed sensitive data including 2D/3D CAD drawings, engineering designs, and exact dimensions of unreleased Apple products.

• Hackers threaten to leak confidential Apple product details and prototypes unless ransom demands are met, with neither Apple nor Luxshare commenting officially.

(continue reading the article from the following iHub message link:)

https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=177219030






•

Services remains the stabilizer while hardware cycles normalize. AI features are rolling out cautiously, which limits near-term upside but supports ecosystem stickiness.

I'm denying my own post. "PUT SPREAD ON"????? That means I BOUGHT PUTS! My little one is up 127% off its low; aapl 47%....ur losing it, old man!

Right....you're just losing in your scam pump penny stock. I thought they were suing AAPL? How's that going?
Lemme know when you want to compare portfolios big boy.
Can't believe you're denying your own post. What a tool

AAPL, still declining

$248.35 I see, you say I say I haven't bought puts(aapl), then you show where I said I bought them??????? 🙃🫣 And, so you know, December '25 wasn't the last December to be, hopefully; there's Dec. '26, and those are when my put spreads expire...

My returns are far beyond 22%/year, over the past five! aapl is helping!


fung_derf Tuesday, January 20, 2026 3:00:05 PM

LOL! Funny how you always say you haven't bought the puts yet, thinking you can lie later. If you bought them in Nov you paid one heck of a time premium and would MAYBE be in the money. But we both know you're lying.
As for me, I sold my AAPL this summer and just told my guy to call me when it hits $235.
I just checked and noticed I have a 22%+ average return over the last 5 years by buying real stocks and bonds. That's well over a double and a half.
Meanwhile, your little garbage scam penny stock that you're paid to talk people into holding as insiders dump weekly is


VPLM • OTCMKTS
Voip-Pal.Com Inc
$0.011
46.10%
-0.0092 5Y
Jan 20, 1:50:34?PM UTC-5 · USD · OTCMKTS · Disclaimer

Great job! ...and of course AAPL is up 108% in that time frame, wven with its recent fall.
I dunno, you claim to have been in the brokerage biz, but its pretty obvious why you were booted out and have to shill penny stocks.

OH! Here was a great job by you! Considering the stock is $247 today



DeerBalls

Re: fung_derf post# 147804

Tuesday, September 02, 2025 1:13:18 PM

Post#
147807
of 147923
$228.20...Working well. Put spread on, NOT SHORTING, and when it goes against me,

LOL! Funny how you always say you haven't bought the puts yet, thinking you can lie later. If you bought them in Nov you paid one heck of a time premium and would MAYBE be in the money. But we both know you're lying.
As for me, I sold my AAPL this summer and just told my guy to call me when it hits $235.
I just checked and noticed I have a 22%+ average return over the last 5 years by buying real stocks and bonds. That's well over a double and a half.
Meanwhile, your little garbage scam penny stock that you're paid to talk people into holding as insiders dump weekly is


VPLM • OTCMKTS
Voip-Pal.Com Inc
$0.011
46.10%
-0.0092 5Y
Jan 20, 1:50:34?PM UTC-5 · USD · OTCMKTS · Disclaimer

Great job! ...and of course AAPL is up 108% in that time frame, wven with its recent fall.
I dunno, you claim to have been in the brokerage biz, but its pretty obvious why you were booted out and have to shill penny stocks.

OH! Here was a great job by you! Considering the stock is $247 today

DeerBalls

Re: fung_derf post# 147804

Tuesday, September 02, 2025 1:13:18 PM

Post#
147807
of 147923
$228.20...Working well. Put spread on, NOT SHORTING, and when it goes against me, I buy more and widen the spread!

$248.50 WHAAAAAAT, aapl dropping like a rock...MY PUTS ARE GROWING!


fung_derf DeerBalls post# 147882

Sunday, November 09, 2025
ROTFL!...what a tool. I see losing out badlt on AAPL, you've move onto your next set of losses. Meanwhile your garbage pump and dump sinks



DeerBalls

Monday, November 03, 2025 2:08:47 PM
Post# of 137810
$.00824 Hey, VPLM is up more than any of the defendants! 🚀🚀 Been watching tmus stock price crap the bed for sometime...👏👏👏

Remember, size is only spoofing when on the bid-side!🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

Services continue to carry the story while hardware growth stays muted. The AI angle feels more incremental than transformative so far.