Apple reclaims title of world’s most valuable company

Published 5 hours ago 53 sources

Apple reclaimed its position as the world’s most valuable publicly traded company on Thursday, surpassing Nvidia as a broad selloff in semiconductor stocks dragged on the chipmaker’s shares while Apple extended a rally fueled by its long-awaited approval to launch AI services in China.

The shift caps a weeks-long convergence. As recently as early July, Nvidia held a lead of roughly $200 billion over Apple, with the chipmaker valued at approximately $4.7 to $4.8 trillion and Apple at around $4.5 to $4.6 trillion. Apple’s stock then surged more than 7% in a single week, hitting repeated all-time highs, while Nvidia slipped on profit-taking pressure that swept through the AI chip sector. Mmacdailynews Sstocksdownunder 2247wallst Qqz Aaol

Apple reclaims title of world's most valuable company

China AI Approval Sparks Rally

A key catalyst for Apple’s advance came on July 15, when China’s Cyberspace Administration approved Apple Intelligence for release in mainland China, ending a lengthy regulatory wait. The approval clears the way for Alibaba Group’s Qwen AI model to be integrated across Apple’s iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS operating systems in China. Baidu confirmed it is also working with Apple on developing Apple Intelligence features for Chinese users. Sstraitstimes Bbloomberg Ggeopolitechs Ttechcrunch

The news removed one of the largest overhangs on Apple’s stock, given that Apple Intelligence — first unveiled in 2024 — had been unavailable in one of the company’s most important markets due to local generative AI regulations. By mid-week, Apple shares had risen roughly 20% year to date and the company’s market value was approaching $5 trillion. Ttechrepublic 2247wallst

Chip Sector Rotation

Nvidia’s decline reflects broader pressure on AI hardware stocks. On Thursday, Micron dropped about 6%, SK Hynix fell around 11%, and Broadcom slid approximately 4%, with Nvidia also slipping as investors took profits after an extended rally. Nvidia’s stock had already fallen nearly 4% over the prior month heading into mid-July, underperforming after a period in which it dominated the market-cap leaderboard on the back of insatiable demand for its AI chips. Sstocksdownunder 2247wallst

The last time Apple held the top spot was in early 2025, before Nvidia surged ahead as the AI infrastructure boom intensified. Whether Apple can sustain its lead may depend on how quickly it can translate China’s regulatory green light into actual product availability — and whether Nvidia’s next earnings cycle reignites the AI spending narrative. Mmorningstar Mmacdailynews