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Apple Shares Hit An All-time High

Shares of Apple jumped to a record high on Tuesday, marking their biggest daily gain since late 2022. The big jump came after Wall Street welcomed the iPhone maker’s long-awaited announcement about its plans for generative artificial intelligence .

KEY FACTS

  • Apple shares rose more than 7% to $207, about $8 higher than the previous record close and topped $200 for the first time.
  • That sent Apple’s market capitalization jumping from roughly $215 billion to $3.2 trillion, ranking among the 10 biggest daily market value jumps in history.
  • The rally came a day after Apple announced various AI features that will be integrated into the iPhone and other devices later this year, the most notable of which is the integration of OpenAI’s hit AI-generating chatbot ChatGPT directly into iPhone apps.
  • Even after the sharp jump, Apple remains behind Microsoft as the world’s most valuable company, a title Apple lost in January. Apple has narrowed the market capitalization gap between it and Microsoft to less than $50 billion.

IMPORTANT QUOTE

“Apple’s WWDC keynote showed enough improvements to reassure us of the expected upgrade cycle with the release of iPhone 16 and the release of iOS18 in the fall of this year,” wrote JPMorgan analysts led by Samik Chatterjee. Apple could certainly use a rekindling of iPhone sales, which are expected to fall to their lowest level since 2020 in the current quarter, according to consensus analyst estimates compiled by FactSet.

BIG NUMBER

7%. That’s how much Apple shares have risen in price since the beginning of the year. That’s far worse than the S&P 500’s 13% gain, but still marks a significant stock market turnaround for Apple, whose shares were down 12% year-to-date as of the end of April.

CONTRA

Apple regained its position as Wall Street’s second most valuable company after losing it to Nvidia last week. The leader in chip manufacturing received a market valuation of 3.003 trillion. dollar. However, Nvidia is currently valued at $2.9 trillion. dollars, while Apple exceeds a valuation of 3.1 trillion. dollar.

KEY STORY

Apple finally unveiled its overarching generative AI offerings “Apple Intelligence” on Monday, a highly anticipated announcement that heralded upcoming upgrades to the iPhone’s Siri voice assistant and messaging, all powered by OpenAI. Apple seems to have fallen behind with the integration of artificial intelligence compared to its major technological rivals such as Alphabet and Meta, and it may be a strategy, analysts say. “Apple’s position seems to be that it doesn’t need to pursue AI. Instead, it leaves that up to Meta, OpenAI and others, saving billions,” Rosenblatt analyst Barton Crockett summarized.

Bitcoin Surges 23% In A Week As Investor Optimism Returns

Bitcoin was on track for a weekly gain of around 23% on Friday as a series of positive macroeconomic and policy developments boosted investor sentiment.

The cryptocurrency was trading about 6% higher at roughly $77,000, up from around $62,800 at the start of the week. Crypto-related stocks also rallied, with Coinbase and Circle gaining more than 9%, while Strategy rose 7%.

Macro Factors Fuel Rally

Bitcoin’s latest surge began Wednesday after Treasury yields fell sharply following a major intervention by the U.S. Treasury in the bond market. Lower yields eased pressure on risk assets and helped trigger a broader move into cryptocurrencies.

The rally was further amplified by a major short squeeze. Around $2.7 billion in crypto short positions were liquidated, according to CoinGlass.

Max Stuedlein, head of Partnerships at Sygnum APAC, said the move reflected an alignment of macroeconomic and policy catalysts, including the Treasury’s decision to increase buybacks of longer-dated government debt.

Clarity Act Boosts Sentiment

Investor confidence improved further on Thursday as the White House and crypto industry leaders made a final push to advance the Clarity Act in the coming weeks.

The legislation is widely viewed as a potential catalyst for the crypto market, although its chances of passing remain relatively limited.

Despite the rally, bitcoin remains well below its 2026 high of $94,820 reached in January and its all-time high of $126,198, set last October.

Analysts See More Volatility Ahead

Lucy Gazmararian, founder and managing partner at Token Bay Capital, said the crypto market may be approaching the end of its bear cycle.

She expects bitcoin could experience one more decline of around 20% before the market turns, pointing to historical cycles and the recent liquidation of heavily leveraged short positions.

Gazmararian also described bitcoin as a long-term hedge against monetary debasement, while warning that its short-term price remains highly volatile and driven by market cycles.

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