NEW YORK, Jan 16, 2026, 09:33 (EST) — Regular session
- Apple shares rose 0.1% early Friday, recovering from an initial drop
- India’s regulator warned it will move forward with an antitrust case if Apple doesn’t reply by next week
- Investors are focused on Apple’s earnings report due Jan. 29 and an upcoming court hearing in India on Jan. 27
Apple Inc shares edged up 0.1% to $258.43 in early Friday trading, bouncing back from a low of $257.15. The company’s market cap hovered around $3.01 trillion.
The stock has come under fresh pressure after India’s competition watchdog issued a final warning, saying it will move forward with an antitrust case if Apple doesn’t respond by next week, according to a confidential order. The Competition Commission of India criticized Apple for repeated delays, calling them a breach of “procedural discipline.” Apple, meanwhile, has expressed concerns about a potential fine reaching $38 billion, if penalties are based on global turnover—that is, worldwide revenue. Reuters
The timing is crucial since the App Store anchors Apple’s services segment, and its developer policies often draw scrutiny from regulators and competitors. Apple will release quarterly earnings on Jan. 29, with investors keen to spot any changes in messaging around services growth and legal expenses.
Pressure is mounting in Washington as a coalition of women’s and advocacy groups called on Apple and Alphabet-owned Google to pull X and its Grok chatbot from their app stores, citing concerns over sexualized deepfakes. “We are really imploring Apple and Google to take this extremely seriously,” said Jenna Sherman, campaign director at UltraViolet. Reuters
Apple is moving in a market increasingly skeptical about how long megacap tech can keep driving gains, even without fresh U.S. headlines. “There is a lot of hope that this is going to be the year where we are going to see some true broadening of leadership,” Angelo Kourkafas, senior global investment strategist at Edward Jones, said. Reuters
U.S. stock futures hinted at a modest gain early on, with chipmakers pushing the advance as earnings season ramps up and traders gear up for the long weekend. Markets in the U.S. will close Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Regulatory headlines don’t always lead to swift moves, and the India case might still get tied up in procedures and legal battles. Any fix could come in small steps, with a bigger penalty more of a tail risk than a given for many investors.
Two key dates loom: a Jan. 27 court hearing in India over Apple’s challenge to penalty rules, followed by Apple’s earnings report on Jan. 29. Traders will be watching closely for any updates on App Store regulatory issues ahead of those events.
