NEW YORK, Feb 13, 2026, 10:17 EST — Regular session
Apple (AAPL.O) slid 0.9% to $259.29 early Friday, dropping $2.44 from where it finished on Thursday. Shares kicked off the session at $262.06, and so far have swung between $258.84 and $264.18.
Thursday hit hard. Apple dropped 5%, wiping out roughly $200 billion in market value as tech stocks slid again, jolting investors who’ve been counting on the major growth names to prop up the indexes. 1
Apple’s outsized role in U.S. benchmarks—and as a pillar of the “Magnificent Seven” megacaps behind much of the rally—has real consequences now. A sharp move in Apple typically drags fund flows and investor sentiment along for the ride.
Tensions on the political and regulatory front are rising again. Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson fired off a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, accusing Apple News of “suppressing” conservative sources and calling on the tech giant to reassess how it promotes stories. Apple hasn’t responded to a request for comment, according to the Associated Press. 2
Ferguson, in his letter, cautioned the company that its approach to managing the feed might create consumer-protection problems if Apple’s actions don’t match what it’s telling users. “As an American citizen, I abhor and condemn any attempt to censor content for ideological reasons,” he said. 3
Word out of Bloomberg has investors reacting to trouble inside Apple, where the push for new Siri features reportedly isn’t going smoothly. The company wanted to have everything inside iOS 26.4 for March, but sources who spoke to Bloomberg say the updates might end up split between iOS 26.5 — that’s on track for May — and iOS 27 in September. 4
Tech stocks are still on edge. “We see this as a ‘prove it’ year for AI. We need to start seeing some return on investments,” Jack Herr, who serves as primary investment analyst at GuideStone Funds, told Reuters after Thursday’s selloff. 5
Apple scored a legal victory Thursday evening, with a jury tossing out Optis Wireless’ 4G LTE patent allegations in a case that’s been dragging on for years. “We thank the jury for their time, and we’re pleased they rejected Optis’ false claims,” said an Apple spokesperson. 6
Even so, there’s a real chance investors end up waiting longer for clarity. The FTC’s warning might easily spill into a drawn-out spat with Washington. Any fresh delays for Siri would just fuel the “behind on AI” story—a narrative that’s already stinging in a market with little patience.
Looking ahead, Apple’s annual shareholder meeting lands on Feb. 24, set for 8:00 a.m. Pacific, with the event taking place online. Traders are waiting to see if Apple addresses the FTC letter or gives firmer hints about when Siri might launch. 7
