New York, February 25, 2026, 16:27 (EST) — After-hours
- Apple climbed 0.7%, ending Wednesday’s session at $274.16.
- Shareholders shot down a measure related to China manufacturing exposure, while CEO Tim Cook highlighted plans for more AI spending and an increase in dividends.
- Fresh regulatory pressure: U.S. legislators called on the UK to explain its encryption “backdoor” mandate, while Spain’s regulator warned that more fines could be coming.
Apple (AAPL.O) gained 0.7% on Wednesday, finishing the session at $274.16 per share. That puts the iPhone giant’s market cap near $4.05 trillion.
Wall Street’s tech rally gathered pace, with the Nasdaq closing 1.28% higher and the S&P 500 up 0.82%. Traders piled back into chip stocks ahead of Nvidia’s earnings, set for release after the bell. “We’re in the middle of a push-pull here,” said Zach Hill, head of portfolio management at Horizon Investments. (Reuters)
That’s important for Apple, since investors have sometimes lumped the “Magnificent Seven” megacaps together, regardless of how much their returns start to diverge. “Nvidia’s earnings matter because they are kind of the linchpin of the Mag Seven,” said Chuck Carlson, chief executive officer at Horizon Investment Services. (Reuters)
Apple investors weighed the aftermath of the company’s annual meeting held the day before, where a proposal for a report on Apple’s manufacturing reliance on China failed to gain shareholder approval. CEO Tim Cook addressed the crowd, saying the company still plans to keep raising its dividend each year, with an eye on spending for areas like AI. “We start by making all of the investments we believe are necessary,” Cook said. (Reuters)
According to a regulatory filing, Apple’s slate of proposals cleared the meeting without any issues, while the sole shareholder-backed measure didn’t pass. The document also revealed the outcome of the advisory “say on pay” vote regarding executive pay. (SEC)
U.S. lawmakers are pressing the UK for details after Britain ordered Apple to build a “backdoor”—a method for accessing encrypted user data—according to a letter reviewed by Reuters. The request: brief Congress by March 11. (Reuters)
Spain’s competition regulator accused Apple and Amazon of dragging their feet on scrapping anti-competitive clauses from their distribution deals, and flagged that this could trigger another penalty. Apple pushed back, saying it respected the watchdog but stood by its actions: “We will continue to work to protect our customers from counterfeit products.” (Reuters)
Other megacap tech names saw uneven moves. Microsoft dropped 3.2%. Alphabet edged down 1.1%. Nvidia managed a 0.9% gain going into its quarterly report.
Handset rivalry remains a factor. Samsung rolled out its Galaxy S26 series Thursday and hiked prices on select models in the U.S. and South Korea, pointing to increased memory chip expenses. The move spotlights how pricier components can put pressure on smartphone margins. (Reuters)
Still, it’s not all about devices for Apple holders. The stock’s been hit by fresh tariff chatter, anxieties over whether heavy bets on AI will deliver, and a stream of policy and legal news dogging Big Tech. (Investopedia)
Investors are zeroed in on Nvidia’s upcoming report and what it signals for AI budgets sector-wide. “People are so concerned about AI spending,” said Ivana Delevska, chief investment officer at Spear Invest, pointing to why these earnings are under a microscope. (Reuters)
