New York, January 10, 2026, 13:09 ET — The market has closed.
Apple (AAPL) shares ended Friday up about 0.1%, closing at $259.37 and snapping a seven-day slide that weighed on the stock earlier this year. Throughout the day, the price swung between $256.29 and $260.92.
This change carries weight for Big Tech stocks, especially with Apple’s strong impact on U.S. equity indexes. Investors are bracing for a slew of inflation data and earnings reports, with little patience for surprises.
Friday’s jobs report missed expectations, sparking renewed discussions about interest rate moves that matter a lot for mega-cap tech stocks. Payrolls rose by only 50,000 in December, the unemployment rate dipped to 4.4%, and average hourly earnings were up 3.8% year-over-year, according to Reuters.
Evercore ISI raised its Apple price target to $330 from $325, keeping an Outperform rating. The firm pointed to robust iPhone demand and said memory chip costs had only a “minimal” effect. Investing.com
Evercore’s Amit Daryanani maintained Apple as a “top pick” and boosted his revenue estimate for the December quarter to $140.5 billion. He projects earnings per share of $2.71. Strong sales in North America, China, and India are driving the upgrade, though Europe showed some softness, according to TipRanks. TipRanks
The upgrade follows a rare dip for Apple, with shares falling 5.4% over the last week. This marks the stock’s longest losing streak since May, Barron’s reported.
Apple’s newest proxy filing shows CEO Tim Cook’s total compensation for 2025 is set at $74.29 million, slightly down from $74.61 million in 2024.
Not everyone is optimistic. Mizuho has downgraded Qualcomm, a key Apple supplier, forecasting an 8% drop in Apple unit sales by 2026, citing a weak handset market and growing consumer price sensitivity, Barron’s reports.
During the last session, mega-cap stocks moved unevenly: Alphabet rose about 0.9%, Microsoft inched up 0.2%, and Nvidia slipped roughly 0.1%.
The Labor Department is set to release December’s consumer price index on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. ET, marking the next major macro update. This figure remains a crucial gauge of inflation, per the agency’s timeline.
Apple is gearing up to release its quarterly earnings on Jan. 29, once markets close. Investors will focus tightly on gross margin — that slice of revenue left after subtracting direct costs — along with any hints about iPhone demand and component prices ahead of the March quarter.
The setup cuts both ways. A stronger inflation report or evidence that demand is shifting to cheaper models might tighten margins and spark fresh selling pressure.
U.S. markets reopen Monday with attention locked on Tuesday’s CPI data. After that, the spotlight turns to Apple’s January 29 earnings, potentially setting the tone for Big Tech in February.
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