NEW YORK, Dec 28, 2025, 18:16 ET — Market closed
- Apple last closed down 0.2% at $273.40 in Friday’s regular session.
- Investors are bracing for thin year-end trading and Fed minutes due Tuesday that could sway rate-cut expectations.
- China iPhone demand indicators and an Apple Watch import dispute remain on traders’ screens.
Apple Inc shares ended the last regular session down 0.2% at $273.40, with U.S. markets shut on Sunday.
The iPhone maker heads into the final week of 2025 with investors focused on year-end positioning and the outlook for U.S. interest rates — a mix that can move heavyweight stocks even on light volume.
Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s most recent policy meeting are due Tuesday, while year-end portfolio adjustments can add volatility when trading volumes are thin, Reuters reported.
Apple traded between $273.00 and $275.35 on Friday, and about 21.5 million shares changed hands, market data showed.
The backdrop is a market sitting near record levels. The S&P 500 posted a record close on Wednesday and was about 1% from the 7,000 level, Reuters said.
“Momentum is certainly on the side of the bulls,” said Paul Nolte, senior wealth adviser and market strategist at Murphy & Sylvest Wealth Management. Reuters
Investors are also trying to pin down how quickly the Fed might cut rates again after lowering its benchmark by 75 basis points — 0.75 percentage point — over its last three meetings of 2025 to 3.50%-3.75%, Reuters reported.
For Apple, traders have been watching fresh reads on China demand. Data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology showed shipments of foreign-branded phones in China jumped 128.4% year-on-year in November, while overall phone shipments rose 1.9% to 30.16 million units.
Legal uncertainty around the Apple Watch has also stayed in view. A federal judge denied as moot Masimo’s request to block Apple Watch imports in a case tied to blood-oxygen sensor patents, Bloomberg Law reported, as the U.S. International Trade Commission reviews whether design changes should fall under an earlier import ban.
Apple’s market value stands around $3.0 trillion and the stock trades at roughly 30 times earnings, leaving investors sensitive to shifts in growth expectations as 2026 approaches.
The next major company catalyst is quarterly results. Apple has not announced its next reporting date, but Nasdaq’s earnings calendar estimates results on Jan. 29.
From a technical standpoint, Apple remains below its 52-week high of $288.62; the 52-week range runs from $169.21 to $288.62, Nasdaq data show.
Before Monday’s open, investors will navigate a holiday-shortened week: stock markets are closed Thursday for New Year’s Day, and U.S. bond markets close early Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET, Investopedia reported.
The economic calendar includes pending home sales on Monday, S&P Case-Shiller home prices and the Fed minutes on Tuesday, and weekly jobless claims on Wednesday, Investopedia said. It also noted there are no significant corporate earnings scheduled for the week.
For Apple, that macro slate intersects with year-end positioning in megacap tech, alongside traders’ focus on China demand signals and developments in the Apple Watch patent fight.
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