NEW YORK, Feb 14, 2026, 10:04 EST — Market closed
- Apple was last down about 2.3% on Friday, extending a sharp two-day slide.
- Regulators and reported delays to Siri’s AI revamp put fresh focus on Apple’s 2026 roadmap.
- U.S. markets reopen Tuesday after the Presidents Day holiday; Apple’s Feb. 24 shareholder meeting is next.
Apple shares last traded at $255.78 on Friday, down about 2.3%, after swinging between $254.94 and $264.18. About 56.3 million shares changed hands.
The move followed Thursday’s 5% drop, which wiped roughly $200 billion from Apple’s market value and marked its worst day since last spring’s tariff shock. (Reuters)
Why it matters now: Apple is still a bellwether. When it stumbles, index heavyweights and the tech tape tend to feel it, especially into a holiday-shortened week where positioning can get jumpy.
Investors are also wrestling with a simpler question: is this a headline-driven dip, or the start of a tougher stretch where regulators and product timing take turns leaning on sentiment?
On the regulatory front, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission raised concerns with Apple after accusations that Apple News suppresses conservative-leaning outlets. In a letter to CEO Tim Cook, FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson warned the company’s practices “may violate the FTC Act” if they conflict with Apple’s terms of service or consumers’ reasonable expectations. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reuters)
A separate report has kept pressure on Apple’s AI narrative. A Bloomberg report cited by Investing.com said Apple’s latest attempt to revamp Siri ran into testing difficulties, potentially pushing some features from iOS 26.4, due in March, into iOS 26.5 expected in May — or even iOS 27 in September. (Investing)
The Apple headlines have landed in a market already skittish about artificial intelligence reshaping profits and jobs. “With fear driving market sentiment, investors remain in ‘sell first think later’ mode,” Barclays equity strategist Emmanual Cau wrote. (Reuters)
Macro news offered some relief on Friday, after U.S. data showed annual CPI inflation cooled to 2.4% in January and helped support expectations for rate cuts this year. “It is a bit of good news as we head into the long holiday weekend,” Tim Holland, chief investment officer at Orion, said. Tech still lagged, and the Nasdaq ended lower. (Reuters)
Apple also had legal news in the background. The company won a defense verdict on Thursday in a 4G LTE patent case brought by Optis Wireless; Optis said it would appeal, and a separate U.K. case is headed to the Supreme Court in June. (Reuters)
On Friday, a U.S. appeals court also rejected a challenge from Apple, Google and other firms to a U.S. patent office rule that limited access to “inter partes review” — a process companies use to ask the agency to re-check a patent’s validity. (Reuters)
But the next move in Apple stock could hinge on what doesn’t happen. If the FTC’s concerns stay at the level of letters and headlines, and Apple avoids fresh slips on its AI timetable, the selling pressure can fade quickly. If either front escalates, traders may keep cutting exposure.
U.S. stock markets are closed on Monday for Presidents Day and reopen on Tuesday, leaving Apple investors to digest the week’s headlines with no Monday session to trade them. (Nasdaq)
The next fixed date on Apple’s calendar is February 24, when it holds its annual shareholder meeting at 8:00 a.m. Pacific time in a virtual format — an event that can draw pointed questions on product roadmaps, policy risk and capital returns. (Apple)
