Apple Inc. shares declined 1.3% to $274.62 during Tuesday's early trading session, underperforming other major technology companies. The drop reduced the iPhone maker's market capitalization to approximately $4.05 trillion.
Economic and Sector Pressures
Investors reacted to disappointing U.S. retail figures showing flat December sales versus expectations of 0.4% growth, raising concerns about consumer spending. Concurrently, UBS downgraded the technology sector to neutral, citing upcoming economic data releases and Federal Reserve commentary.
Regulatory Developments
Britain's Competition and Markets Authority announced that Apple and Google have agreed to implement modifications making their app marketplaces more transparent. While these changes address ranking systems and developer access to certain iOS features, the regulator continues examining commission structures that can reach 30%. "These represent significant initial steps," stated CMA chief Sarah Cardell.
Apple responded that the commitments "enable continued advancement of privacy and security innovations while creating opportunities for developers."
Product and Corporate Updates
Separately, reports indicate Apple plans to introduce an iPhone 17e model by early March featuring MagSafe charging and an A19 processor, while maintaining a $599 starting price. The company also declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.26 per share payable February 12 to shareholders of record February 9.
Market Context and Outlook
While Microsoft gained 3%, Alphabet added 0.4%, and Nvidia rose 2.4%, Apple trailed this peer group. Market participants now await additional U.S. economic indicators and Apple's annual shareholder meeting scheduled for February 24.
