New York, Jan 17, 2026, 07:40 EST — Market closed.
- Apple shares closed Friday roughly 1% lower, at $255.53, ahead of Monday’s U.S. market holiday for MLK Day
- India’s competition watchdog said it will move forward with an App Store case if Apple fails to respond by next week
- Antitrust actions targeting Google’s search dominance in the U.S. might also impact payments linked to Apple’s default search agreement
Apple Inc shares slipped on Friday, closing at $255.53 as investors digested a fresh antitrust warning from India ahead of the upcoming U.S. trading session.
The timing couldn’t be more inconvenient. U.S. markets close Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, squeezing the week and spotlighting just a few key dates and court filings.
Apple’s legal risks have resurfaced, not only in India but also in Washington. Efforts to challenge Alphabet’s Google have consistently highlighted the huge sums Apple pockets for default search placement.
Wall Street gave little clue on where it’s headed as the weekend approached. The S&P 500 edged down 0.1% on Friday, and the Nasdaq Composite also lost 0.1%. All three major U.S. indexes finished the week in the red, the Associated Press reported.
Apple shares (AAPL.O) fluctuated between $254.93 and $258.90 on Friday, with roughly 72 million shares traded, market data showed.
India’s Competition Commission issued a confidential Dec. 31 order, seen by Reuters, delivering a final warning to Apple. It said it would move forward with an antitrust case unless Apple responds by next week. The regulator pointed to “repeated extensions,” while Apple warns that potential penalties tied to “global turnover” — or worldwide sales — could top $38 billion. A source close to the issue said Apple probably won’t reply before a Jan. 27 hearing at the Delhi High Court. Reuters
In a separate U.S. antitrust case, Google has asked a judge to delay sharing data with competitors while it appeals a ruling that found it to hold an illegal monopoly in online search, Reuters reported late Friday. The Justice Department and a coalition of states have until Feb. 3 to decide whether to appeal a ruling that dismissed stricter remedies, including a demand that Google stop paying Apple and others to be the default search engine on new devices.
Options trading suggests jitters ahead of Apple’s upcoming earnings. Implied volatility, which shows how much movement traders anticipate, has spiked in short-term Apple contracts, Nasdaq said in a market note.
After a strong rally, some investors are growing cautious about whether large-cap tech stocks have already priced in too much good news. “Tech valuations were getting a little too far ahead of themselves,” said Alan Lancz, president of Alan B. Lancz & Associates, in a Reuters markets wrapup this week. Reuters
Legal timelines often shift, and remedies can morph quickly as judges and regulators weigh in. Either lawsuit could stretch out, but headline risk usually hits the stock hard initially—especially during shortened trading weeks.
Apple will release its quarterly earnings and hold a conference call on Jan. 29 at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT), the company confirmed.
