NEW YORK, Feb 14, 2026, 10:04 EST — Market closed
- Apple shares dropped roughly 2.3% Friday, deepening a two-day selloff.
- Regulators circling and reports of delays to Siri’s AI overhaul have thrown Apple’s 2026 roadmap into sharper relief.
- U.S. markets get back to business Tuesday following the Presidents Day break. Apple’s shareholder meeting comes up Feb. 24.
Apple shares ended Friday at $255.78, off roughly 2.3%. The stock ranged from $254.94 to $264.18 during the session. Volume came in at about 56.3 million shares.
After Thursday’s 5% slide—Apple’s steepest decline since the tariff jolt last spring—about $200 billion in market value vanished.
Why it matters now: Apple remains a bellwether. If it trips up, the tech tape and other index giants usually react—especially in a holiday-shortened week, when positioning may lurch.
Investors face a straightforward dilemma: is this just a temporary pullback sparked by headlines, or are they looking at a longer period where sentiment gets knocked around by regulatory developments and product schedules?
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is pressing Apple after allegations surfaced that Apple News limits visibility for conservative-leaning publications. FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson, in a letter addressed to CEO Tim Cook, cautioned that such practices “may violate the FTC Act” if found at odds with Apple’s own terms of service or what consumers reasonably expect. Apple hasn’t offered a comment yet. Reuters
Apple’s AI story isn’t getting any relief from fresh headlines. According to a Bloomberg piece picked up by Investing.com, Apple’s overhaul of Siri has reportedly stumbled in testing. Now, some features that were supposed to land with iOS 26.4 in March might slip to iOS 26.5 in May—or possibly get pushed all the way to iOS 27, expected in September.
Apple’s headlines hit just as investors were already on edge over AI’s potential impact on earnings and employment. “With fear driving market sentiment, investors remain in ‘sell first think later’ mode,” Barclays equity strategist Emmanual Cau said. Reuters
Friday’s macro headlines brought a bit of relief after U.S. data pointed to annual CPI inflation easing to 2.4% in January—fuel for those betting on rate cuts this year. “It is a bit of good news as we head into the long holiday weekend,” said Tim Holland, chief investment officer at Orion. Tech stocks, though, didn’t catch the break; the Nasdaq closed down. Reuters
Apple notched a legal win Thursday, beating back a 4G LTE patent suit from Optis Wireless. Optis plans to appeal, while over in the U.K., another case involving the same companies is on track for the Supreme Court in June.
Friday brought a loss for Apple, Google and others, after a U.S. appeals court tossed their challenge to a patent office rule curbing the use of “inter partes review,” the process companies rely on to get patents re-examined for validity. Reuters
Still, Apple’s next swing might depend on what fails to materialize. Should the FTC’s worries stick to letters and news flashes, and Apple manages to keep its AI schedule intact, selling could let up fast. But if trouble ramps up on either side, traders could trim positions further.
With U.S. stock markets shut for Presidents Day on Monday, Apple investors have an extra day to mull over last week’s news—there’s no Monday trading session. Markets resume Tuesday.
Apple’s next scheduled event falls on February 24, with its annual shareholder meeting set for 8:00 a.m. Pacific time in a virtual format. The gathering often brings sharp questions about everything from product plans to policy risks and capital allocation.
