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Apple (AAPL): FQ1 EPS of $13.81 beats by $0.37. Revenue of $54.51B (+18% Y/Y) misses by $220M....

  • Wednesday, January 23, 4:33 PM ET
    Apple (AAPL): FQ1 EPS of $13.81 beats by $0.37. Revenue of $54.51B (+18% Y/Y) misses by $220M. 47.8M iPhones, 22.9M iPads, 4.1M Macs, 12.7M iPods. Expects FQ2 revenue of $41B-$43B, below $45.6B consensus. Shares -4.3% AH. (PR)
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This news story has 217 comments:

  • Not looking good...
    23 Jan, 04:35 PM Reply Like
  • This was a 13 week quarter, not 14 like Q1 2012.

    On a comparable basis, earnings for this quarter would be 7.6% more:

    $14.86 per share on $58.65B of revenue.

    Looks like rock solid earnings to me...
    23 Jan, 05:02 PM Reply Like
  • The consensus numbers from Wall Street appear to be well within 1% of the actual numbers. That's not a miss, that's Wall Street being pretty damn close.
    23 Jan, 05:09 PM Reply Like
  • Also, they complain about gross margins going down but at the same time want Apple to introduce lower priced new products. Talk about wanting it both ways!
    23 Jan, 05:17 PM Reply Like
  • Apple can't seem to win, except by doing what they're doing and ignoring wall street.

    I'd take any of apple's problems any day. 1 bln of profit per week. Selling an ios device every 10 seconds for the whole quarter.
    23 Jan, 05:29 PM Reply Like
  • Looks like a good time to buy when the panic selling stops mid day Wed.. Gotta luv the herd they follow the analyst off the cliff and then the big boys buy up the stock at a bargain.
    23 Jan, 05:36 PM Reply Like
  • Supply was constrained for the whole quarter on iPhone5, iPhone4, iPad Mini, and iMacs.

    And they still managed 50+bln on revenue.
    23 Jan, 05:41 PM Reply Like
  • The analysts don't go over the cliff though. They're on the edge clinging and laughing at everyone that jumped.
    23 Jan, 05:42 PM Reply Like
  • LOL, in my dreams they follow the herd over the cliff...
    \
    \
    \ analyst
    ^^^^^^^
    23 Jan, 05:53 PM Reply Like
  • ROFL. In my dreams I am pushing them.
    23 Jan, 05:54 PM Reply Like
  • You're right... it's looking great. Apple makes more than any company on the planet and the stock falls? Buying opportunity.
    23 Jan, 06:08 PM Reply Like
  • Apple generated 54 billion in revenue, 13 billion in profit on the quarter. Google generated 14 billion in revenue, 2.89 billion in profit. Apple stock takes a 50 point hit in after hours trading. Google stock gained 40 point today. Im long Google and happy with the jump in value however, my investor sanity module questions the obvious crazy nature of this market.

    I don't buy the pie in the sky "growth" factors over profit that is being pushed by many investors. Apple's slowing growth should be a concern to long term investors in a couple of years.... if the trend continues, however, currently the profits generated by Apple are simply put AMAZING!
    23 Jan, 06:09 PM Reply Like
  • I'm right there with ya.
    23 Jan, 06:10 PM Reply Like
  • its just algos hft each other, no real person trades anymore.
    23 Jan, 06:32 PM Reply Like
  • Doesn't help the shareholders.

    137 Billion in cash!!!

    Buy back shares for 100 Billion NOW!

    They will still have 47-50 billion left at the end of the next quarter...
    23 Jan, 06:49 PM Reply Like
  • Yeah, if the $460 price holds buying back sounds a good deal but if the price drops to $200 over the next 6 months, then it isn't.

    The future is unknown!

    LOL! ROFL! Real loud!
    23 Jan, 06:53 PM Reply Like
  • its all about the guidance fundamentals don't have anything to do it with when it comes to Apple
    23 Jan, 07:17 PM Reply Like
  • Some people won't be happy until Steve Jobs is resurrected.
    23 Jan, 10:08 PM Reply Like
  • Underlying theme: the global economy has topped and is going down. WE have already had our harvest. Now we are getting pimped by the media to pretend we can have harvest after harvest after harvest...if we just print more money whenever we start to go down.

    We call this leadership? The Fed sells the VIX 24/7 to try to pretend that stocks can't go down. The Fed needs to be sued for generating a corrupt Las Vegas out of Wall Street: "the house cannot lose".

    Apple is a great company; the global economy is dead. Apple was OVERPRICED. Now Apple is trying to settle. Does the world NEED Apple products; or does the world just LIKE them? Is Steve Job's replacement a magician, or just a technician -- if the latter, then the magic might be gone. (He doesn't strike me as being a magician. FUNCTIONARY ENGINEER more likely.)
    24 Jan, 05:52 AM Reply Like
  • "the global economy is dead"

    wow

    That is a big statement.

    Have you ever seen something dead? A person, a dog, a computer, a company?

    Dead is a irreversible non-functional state.

    Why make extreme statements such as this?

    How does this contribute meaningfully to discourse, analysis and discussion?

    Worldwide employment continues to grow as does productivity. Worldwide R&D is the highest it has ever been. Oil production is at an all time high. Computer use, cell phone use, air travel, shipping... by any measure are at all time highs. Do you think peoples' desire for a better life, an improved standard of living is going to slow down?

    The IMF's World Economic Outlook anticipates global growth at 3.5 percent in 2013. There are hot spots and cold spots to be sure. But overall, continued economic expansion, improved worker productivity and aggregate improvements in standard of living are very likely to occur.

    Please support your claim that "the global economy is dead".
    24 Jan, 06:41 AM Reply Like
  • SO people should invest in Amazon, right? How are their revenues growing compared to apple? What are they earning per share compared to apple? how much debt and cash do they have compared to apple?
    Yet, Amazon posts worse news, yet skyrockets.
    24 Jan, 09:43 AM Reply Like
  • I had the comments and it goes something like this, Apple met the revenue ( that it missed by $220 million) how would that affect the price- the stock will show no change everybody will go home as if nothing happens or the stock would still go down and may be nudge a little higher.
    25 Jan, 03:38 PM Reply Like
  • Well, you accept anything but it hurts the "investors".
    25 Jan, 03:41 PM Reply Like
  • It only "hurt" the investors, if they were stupid enough to sell their shares into this manipulated sell off. Otherwise their "losses" are just on paper, and therefore not real losses at all.
    25 Jan, 03:48 PM Reply Like
  • damn... every time, everybody has something to moan about AAPL's numbers...
    23 Jan, 04:36 PM Reply Like
  • sigh only +18% Y/Y? Apple is done
    23 Jan, 04:38 PM Reply Like
  • iPod sales still falling, Apple still doomed.
    23 Jan, 05:30 PM Reply Like
  • ya, you're right

    record revenues
    record sales
    record iPhone sales
    record iPad sales

    another 23B on the cash pile.
    ya, you go sell away because i'll be the first one sellin to ya.
    23 Jan, 05:35 PM Reply Like
  • </sarcasm>
    23 Jan, 05:39 PM Reply Like
  • iPod sales are falling because more people are buying iPhones. What a tragedy.
    23 Jan, 06:11 PM Reply Like
  • But that's my _favorite_ comment!


    (according to a quick scan, now 5 times in the last 6 months)
    23 Jan, 07:57 PM Reply Like
  • JohndJ:
    You mean 'buying from you, don't you'?

    Apple has a vacuum in leadership. Apple is suffering because of the ghost of Steve Jobs. Hard to replace a 'magician' with a technician, an engineer. Microsoft is the same. Technicians have no magic.
    24 Jan, 05:53 AM Reply Like
  • Time for a huge sell-off, so I can buy more.
    23 Jan, 04:39 PM Reply Like
  • That's the idea.
    23 Jan, 06:13 PM Reply Like
  • ROFL! Teaches me not to gamble.
    23 Jan, 04:40 PM Reply Like
  • so the margin is better than expected, what is the problem?
    23 Jan, 04:40 PM Reply Like
  • the problem is the future of AAPL called "margin compression"
    23 Jan, 04:42 PM Reply Like
  • The problem is AAPL is a stock under an electron microscope, probably the most closely watched stock out of all of them. When you have the world watching your every move, and results are mixed investors get cautious. So goes the "stock of a generation."

    FWIW, I think AAPL will be up by the end of the month from where it lands tomorrow. There's one more thing, on the tip of my tongue...oh yea, AAPL SPLIT YOUR STOCK ALREADY.
    23 Jan, 04:44 PM Reply Like
  • Revenue lower by a 0.4% and profit up by 2.8%...where's the margin compression...
    23 Jan, 05:09 PM Reply Like
  • the current price of the stock always reflects expectations of future price of the stock, not today's facts about the stock, guys..
    23 Jan, 05:17 PM Reply Like
  • I agree
    I'm doubling down on all my positions - WallStreet and their short term craziness.
    Split would be nice - allow more folks to enter into the buy of the decade.
    23 Jan, 05:37 PM Reply Like
  • you're right -
    do the math.

    oh, shoot - record revenue, again. dear, would you put that 23B on the pile over there witht he rest love ...

    LONG AAPL
    23 Jan, 05:38 PM Reply Like
  • Apple, do NOT split the stock. I was also originally against the dividend... and I still am.
    23 Jan, 06:14 PM Reply Like
  • It's very dangerous to double down on Apple at this point. I hold a lot of Apple, so I'm obviously an Apple bull, but this stock is a falling knife. I've learned (unfortunately from experience) that falling knives lose people a ton of money.
    23 Jan, 06:18 PM Reply Like
  • as long as these "analysts" are expecting y/y growth of 45% for every quarter,... they will knock the stock down...
    23 Jan, 04:40 PM Reply Like
  • Burn the analysts. We don't need them.
    Always pimping their own stocks when they're low, and trying to get people to sell when they're high so they can go back in and buy some more
    23 Jan, 04:41 PM Reply Like
  • Agreed. they are completely useless. They serve zero purpose anymore. Only to stir things up and cloud reality.
    23 Jan, 05:00 PM Reply Like
  • The poor guidance for the next quarter will hit the stock!
    23 Jan, 04:40 PM Reply Like
  • obviously, poor in the sense that 41 bio revenue.... is bad... /s
    23 Jan, 04:42 PM Reply Like
  • hammer time..it is going to get crushed tomorrow morning
    23 Jan, 04:41 PM Reply Like
  • And then people will realize they're selling a stock that is growing 18% at less than an 8-9 P/E with cash
    23 Jan, 04:43 PM Reply Like
  • Fundamentals nowadays give you a floor on the downside, but does not guarantee any upside.
    23 Jan, 04:47 PM Reply Like
  • which is bad according to analysts /s ... that's unbelievable... AMZN trading @ 3000 P/E...
    23 Jan, 04:48 PM Reply Like
  • Exactly. And then reality will set in. And just wait until they ink a deal with the big telco they don't have yet in China.
    23 Jan, 05:02 PM Reply Like
  • Correct re: AMZN, but I bet that AMZN will continue to make folks a lot more money over the next 2 years than most of the choices out there...and then the AMZN bubble will burst into a gazillion pieces.
    23 Jan, 06:49 PM Reply Like
  • A bottom will be made when value funds move-in after mo'mos have moved-out.
    23 Jan, 08:22 PM Reply Like
  • I was about to click the sell button just before the close. I had better stuck to my plan of getting always out of a company before earnings. Each time I don't I pay the price later. I didn't buy NFLX and GOOG but AAPL...fed up.
    23 Jan, 04:43 PM Reply Like
  • I feel frustrated too, but in a way, if that is possible, maybe now expectations will be muted and maybe,just maybe, we can see the fundamentals with more sober views.Reality is, selling nearly 200b of product and the company is dying seems nuts imo. Lots more earnings profits to come,so buck up.
    23 Jan, 05:05 PM Reply Like
  • dont kick yourself - you didi the right thing.
    these are not bad earnings - should have little impact
    as well every analyst in th world pegs AAPL at $700 +

    hang in there
    23 Jan, 05:41 PM Reply Like
  • im right there with you mktneutralhedger....but got greedy and thinking too much about being right than being smart(get out and not take the earning risk)....went from nice profit day to bad month in a matter of seconds...

    Out of this trade....onto the next...keeping my 401k stuff in apple for long term trade...guidance is cloudly, not even going to give a eps for next quarter....its possible market may price in no growth for this stock for the year....
    23 Jan, 07:27 PM Reply Like
  • Predict apple ends tomorrow at exactly where it finished today. There is negative for the uber-bulls in that numbers did not crush. There will be relief that it was not much worse as was feared by many.

    y/y growth of 18% or so is not bad. Guidance is probably a bit better than expected. Analysts probably raise their March quarter expectations and full year expectations a bit. Valuation is so low that stock probably rises but wtf knows. This certainly was not the blowout that some folks expected/hoped for.

    One of funny things is that all those strangles are probably worthless -- yeah stock is way down now, but if you dig into the numbers you can easily see a no big deal one way or another with most likely result being a wash.
    23 Jan, 04:45 PM Reply Like
  • woops -- well, as my wife says, every once in awhile I'm right. But it is a rare occurrence.
    24 Jan, 11:26 AM Reply Like
  • This is why no one should buy individual stocks. Buy the S&P 500.
    23 Jan, 04:45 PM Reply Like
  • S&P at a 5 year high? No thanks, rather buy protection like the VIX futures.
    23 Jan, 04:48 PM Reply Like
  • Macro

    Silly notion. People who bought NFLX <$100 will pooh pooh your SPY ETF :P
    23 Jan, 04:51 PM Reply Like
  • I totally agree. Unfortunately I am a seller of volatility and no asset is giving me juice. I had to switch to single stocks. In this case I had to sell calls!
    23 Jan, 04:56 PM Reply Like
  • somebody at the casino table is deliberately bringing the VIX to zero. Mr Goldman and his friends want to give the world a sensation of feelgood goldilocks style and then....push the algo button and sell everything for another fat finger crash...but fatter this time. Straight down to 1350.
    23 Jan, 04:58 PM Reply Like
  • People who bought NFLX >$300 will wish they bought your SPY ETF.
    23 Jan, 04:59 PM Reply Like
  • actually I think we can thank the fed for that. but, maybe the distinction between goldman and the fed is a moot point.
    23 Jan, 05:08 PM Reply Like
  • "somebody at the casino table is deliberately bringing the VIX to zero"

    And still making it expensive to hedge at a decent duration. Term structure.
    23 Jan, 05:15 PM Reply Like
  • @Macro: The S&P is a casino chip too. In fact, some companies part of indexes are not happy with the forced correlations to the indexes that now can occur.
    23 Jan, 05:19 PM Reply Like
  • Everything is a casino chip, but betting on the S&P500 is like counting cards while betting on individual equities is like betting on a fancy side bet while playing blackjack.
    23 Jan, 05:48 PM Reply Like
  • I have almost nothing but individual stocks. It's working just fine for me.
    23 Jan, 06:16 PM Reply Like
  • Good for you! You should open a hedge fund. 95% of hedge fund managers trailed the S&P500 in 2012.
    23 Jan, 06:34 PM Reply Like
  • issue is gross margin going from 44.7 to 38.6 with Q2 guidance 3.5/38.5.this is quick...
    analysts using DCF with a 700 price target had gross margin at 41 in 2013 to 31 in 2019 as a slope.many will cut their target to 600 as a result.
    the stock is at 490....wait for 425 to be a buyer.....
    23 Jan, 04:49 PM Reply Like
  • yeah macro. I bought apple at 10. A fifty bagger. Try doing that with the s&p -- also, if you are not an apple investor -- either a bull or a bear, why are you posting here?
    23 Jan, 04:49 PM Reply Like
  • A record revenue of $54B and yet those poor folks at Apple "missed" analyst estimates.

    I guess that shows Apple! How dare you "beat" estimates so often. The analysts will continue to set the bar too high to be reached.

    This story is becoming a non-story, in my opinion.
    23 Jan, 04:50 PM Reply Like
  • Yep, the margins spell trouble for short term stock price... The thinking is going to be

    'gee, if in their strongest quarter with full length of new products Iphone5 and Ipad mini and yet they getting lower margins ?!!! What's next? This should have been their BANNER quarter!!'
    23 Jan, 04:52 PM Reply Like
  • It was the banner quarter. Did you miss the parts about record revenue and earnings?
    23 Jan, 05:26 PM Reply Like
  • Apple had already warned of forthcoming margin compression during the October 2012 earnings call because of new product roll-out costs, so that was entirely expected. Memories are short. It was a banner quarter, but it didn't impress Wall Street because YOY growth has slowed. More troubling is the guidance for the current quarter, and the fact that no per share profit number was forecast.
    23 Jan, 05:39 PM Reply Like
  • When comparing apples to apples YOY growth was almost exactly the same as last year's. Remember last year was a 14 week quarter vs a 13 week this year.
    25 Jan, 04:11 PM Reply Like
  • Let see, NFLX posts a 13 cent eps profit, misses revenue..........but jumps 30%.
    AAPL, posts a $13.81 eps profit, misses revenue..........drops 5%, and it pays a nice dividend.

    Am I missing some logic here? Do traders think a fair price for apple is when the P/E ratio is at 1?
    23 Jan, 04:52 PM Reply Like
  • never compare nominal EPS of two different stocks
    23 Jan, 04:57 PM Reply Like
  • This is what happens when you take on Google. Analysts crack me up.
    23 Jan, 04:54 PM Reply Like
  • R&D up, gross margin down, sales meh...
    23 Jan, 04:54 PM Reply Like
  • It`ll be up by may if not sooner...everything looks good guidence for Q2 most likely is underestimated. 18% growth pretty good given the economic conditions, still undervalued company.

    Split stock and increase the div we`re back in business.
    23 Jan, 04:54 PM Reply Like
  • Numbers are not bad but will require more patience.
    23 Jan, 05:01 PM Reply Like
  • real investors have patience, not the .... analysts...
    23 Jan, 05:03 PM Reply Like
  • The cash now is up to $150/share. From $485 net $335/ share.

    Earnings for this fiscal year projected $51/share. P.E. down to about 6.5 Amazing!
    23 Jan, 05:08 PM Reply Like
  • like amaz...on... /s
    23 Jan, 05:11 PM Reply Like
  • I'm in at $450.
    23 Jan, 05:10 PM Reply Like
  • You won't need to wait long for 450 ;) it's almost there...
    23 Jan, 05:30 PM Reply Like
  • Most companies would kill for results like these in a tough global market but analysts are so unrealistic it just keeps hurting the stock.
    Fundamentals have no influence whatsoever. Ridiculous.
    23 Jan, 05:11 PM Reply Like
  • and when it worked like that..?
    23 Jan, 05:20 PM Reply Like
  • AAPL down to about $475 a share now AH. I am in at $425.
    23 Jan, 05:25 PM Reply Like
  • Why? Because of what Gundlach said? (rolleyes)
    23 Jan, 06:17 PM Reply Like
  • I was worried about iPad and Mac sales. They sold 22.9M mini ipads but that should be less revenue than last quarter when they sold 14M ipad 3s so the mini while selling well has not been an iPhone like sensation.

    And they sold 4.1M Macs vs. 4.9M last quarter. The numbers for iPad sales and Mac sales should have been better given that it was Xmas.
    23 Jan, 05:28 PM Reply Like
  • iMac supply was seriously constrained, to the point of not having any large screen ones from end of October to mid December. Their guidance for the next quarter is that they're still going to be supply constrained.
    23 Jan, 08:00 PM Reply Like
  • Margins do matter. Apple's 1Q13 revenues were 17.7% greater than revenues in 1Q12. Earnings/revenues for 1Q13 were 23.7%, down sharply from 28% in 1Q12. Consensus revenues for 2Q13 are 16% greater than for 2Q12. Using the consensus 16% revenue increase for 2Q13, 3Q13, and 4Q13, and using earnings/revenues of 23.7% for these 3 quarters, earnings for 2013 will be the same (within pennies) as for 2012. If they can improve margins, there will be a single digit increase in earnings YoY. Either way, there now is enough evidence of a total slowdown in earnings growth. If earnings grow by 5% YoY, the PEG will be around 2, and the stock cannot be considered cheap.
    23 Jan, 05:29 PM Reply Like
  • Its getting crushed now in aftermarket. Tomorrow will suck even more. As I said, "drop your socks ..." Apple is just subject to too much overanalysis, gibberish, and manipulation. Not a stock for little people (like me). Too much crap going on that just doesn't compute.
    23 Jan, 05:31 PM Reply Like
  • aapl=rimm. Spread the word. Love to buy some in the 300's! Maybe tomorrow! wooohoooo!
    23 Jan, 05:38 PM Reply Like
  • If apple went to $300 a share, we wouldn't be able to check on stock price because they would go private.
    Think before posting.
    23 Jan, 05:45 PM Reply Like
  • I don't think they would go private at $300 per share. It would not shock me to see it in the low $400s for the next several months, and with additional bad rumors (which are coming in droves), $300-something would not be a surprise. Welcome to the irrational world of the Internet as the world's top market mover.
    23 Jan, 06:22 PM Reply Like
  • The RIMM comment might be a little out of line, maybe, particularly if you have no sense of humor. But AAPL trading with a 3 handle doesn't seem so outrageous given the fall from 705 to 460. imho
    24 Jan, 08:25 AM Reply Like
  • If Apple was at 300 a share, with their cash holding, that would make the stock technically about 150 a share.
    For a company that made 50+ billion a quarter, it would go private or someone would buy the company.
    25 Jan, 05:48 PM Reply Like
  • This is the buying opportunity of a lifetime!

    Screw the analysts. Buy and hold. AAPL will rule the world.
    23 Jan, 05:38 PM Reply Like
  • As of this moment 10% drop AH or about $50B vaporized in an hour. Lots of Margin Calls tonight though.

    Roll the Dice, eh? ROFL! Real loud
    23 Jan, 05:40 PM Reply Like
  • How is it "vaporized" if it is in constant fluctuation? When it climbs again does that mean it is "rehydrated"? Don't talk like a day trader. It's embarrassing.
    23 Jan, 06:18 PM Reply Like
  • There is a thing called valuation. If indeed by tomorrow when it opens and closes by the end of the business day down 10%, then in accounting speaks, $50B were indeed 'vaporized'.

    It sounds like paper money; but it is de facto real money so to speak. An appraiser uses a formula based on the equity you hold on this stock to calculate the amount of loans/mortgage you may qualify.
    23 Jan, 06:29 PM Reply Like
  • Depends if traders are nimble enough to remove stops that will become market orders in the AM. Doubt anyone predicted a 10% drop. So it all depends where it opens and where all the stops are.
    23 Jan, 08:28 PM Reply Like
  • Stock down 10% around $460 in after hours. I do not understand the Apple Management. The must have known that the stock would crash if the numbers disappoint. I wonder then why they did not announce a big dividend increase..this would have certainly stabilised the price.
    23 Jan, 05:41 PM Reply Like
  • I believe AAPL management does not care about short-term fluctuations... they almost seem to run the biz like a private company. Splitting the stock would only increase speculation, and I interpret their reluctance to bump up dividends as disavowing the idea that they're not some slow-growth value company... we will see whether they can prove this.

    I bought some at an avg price of $570; selling off now is out of the question; I'm confident we will see $600 again sometime this year, might be weeks, might be months... the tough decision is whether to gamble and buy more in the low-mid 400s though.... If they announce something promising at macworld etc it could pay off quick
    23 Jan, 07:02 PM Reply Like
  • Apple's management sounded noticeably shaken on the earnings call. No doubt they saw the share price tanking as they were answering questions.
    23 Jan, 07:08 PM Reply Like
  • If this was Alcoa at $10 and down to $9 in after hours, no one would say anything. :)
    23 Jan, 08:29 PM Reply Like
  • don't think they were shaken, on the contrary, Tim made very clear statements, (e.g. about rumours of supply chain, about the goal of the company etc.) in my opinion...
    24 Jan, 03:51 AM Reply Like
  • How many years of gains did this wipe out?
    23 Jan, 05:49 PM Reply Like
  • None, unless you are stupid enough to sell into this short term stock manipulation.

    Buy and hold AAPL. It's the only way the little guy can beat the market manipulators. AH numbers are screaming BUY!
    23 Jan, 05:55 PM Reply Like
  • Apple right now is not screaming anything, other than "We'd better come up with a new idea soon."
    23 Jan, 06:23 PM Reply Like
  • What company has better ideas than AAPL? What company has better fundamentals than AAPL? And the fundamentals just got hugely better with the AH cratering, really to Ben Graham levels of value stock. A screaming BUY!
    23 Jan, 07:14 PM Reply Like
  • Depends on when you bought it macro. 52 week low is 419.
    23 Jan, 05:52 PM Reply Like
  • Well, I'll admit I'm getting smoked on AAPL (my largest holding). Today's AH price action has been discouraging. I'm gonna plan on picking up shares tomorrow probably and in the coming weeks to average down. Hopefully we'll see a turnaround sometime this year. The fundamentals should eventually kick in.
    23 Jan, 05:57 PM Reply Like
  • I would bet we see a nice spike in price tomorrow, the idiots are selling in AH, NOT the major holders. You'll see the major funds purchasing tomorrow.

    At $460 a share, Apple is paying a nice 2.3% dividend rate. My bank account pays 0.10%.
    23 Jan, 05:59 PM Reply Like
  • Ryche if the dividend is the thing to go by you would be buying MSFT. Stock yields 3.3% (with yearly dividend increase) and trades in a very comfortable range $25-$35. So not so much volatility as in AAPL
    23 Jan, 06:08 PM Reply Like
  • Nobody cares about dividend so low. The transition from growth to value is painful. Anyway at these prices we are neat to an inflection point provided that management DOES SOMETHING!
    23 Jan, 06:09 PM Reply Like
  • What should management do? Buy backs?
    23 Jan, 06:15 PM Reply Like
  • I hold a ton of Apple in my accounts; however, I think it's going to drop in to the low $400s before it goes higher. This stock is toast for the time being (much to my chagrin).
    23 Jan, 06:16 PM Reply Like
  • Well, they are definitely not into AAPL for the dividend. If the dividend was what they ar e looking for they would have bought Kraft Foods with 4.3 % dividend and very solid if unspectacular prospects for long term growth.
    23 Jan, 06:20 PM Reply Like
  • Instead of raising the dividend with all that excess cash, they did the exact opposite. They just LOWERED the dividend to $2.50 per share from $2.65. Thanks a lot Apple. Way to support your share-holders.

    If I ever get back out of some these huge losses in AAPL I am selling out of it for good. I don't want to own a stock from a company that has so little regard for the interests of their share holders.
    23 Jan, 06:24 PM Reply Like
  • In reply to Mohamed's comment at 6:08-- Mohamed, you have allowed the nominal share price of Aapl to fool you. Multiply your MSFT range by 20, and you have ...... $500 - $700-- almost EXACTLY Aapl's range for the last 11 months, until AH today. Practically to the dollar!!!
    23 Jan, 06:42 PM Reply Like
  • There was an experiment done on mice. When they received what was expected, there was not an endorphin increase. The only time there was an endorphin increase is when they got more then expected.

    A company hitting estimates dead on, or missing, is a loss. All things being equal, this may continue the already existing trend to culminate at a price / book settling.
    23 Jan, 06:05 PM Reply Like
  • So the mice are selling. Good thinking JW.
    23 Jan, 06:07 PM Reply Like
  • It can be dangerous to bet against mice. A stock hitting estimates and then declining is a very common story. It could be a death sentence for the stock's price, not the company, which is a common misconception people like to believe about the stock market.

    Some mutual funds will be forced to sell AAPL because they are no longer showing YoY growth metrics. This will make AAPL less of a growth candidate.

    Historically its P/B is at pretty decent low, which might now make it a value candidate. iPhone accounts for over 50% of their revenue. If you believe AAPL can continue to see growth in sales of the iPhone, it is a definite value purchase.
    23 Jan, 06:35 PM Reply Like
  • AAPL beat estimates. Who cares what mutual funds do. Mutual funds are for the mice. Right now AAPL is getting near Grahams definition of a value stock, and that is dirt cheap.

    If Cramer ever gave out good advice (to the mice), then he'd be yelling BUY! BUY! BUY!
    23 Jan, 06:49 PM Reply Like
  • Actually STDvooh you should care what mutual funds do. If you want to make any off buying AAPL you need to be sure everyone else is going to buy as well, especially institutional investors, but it seems many are selling...not very good for the price.
    23 Jan, 07:30 PM Reply Like
  • Mutual funds don't operate like regular retail investors. They will often use press or media events to close out large positions by doing the exact opposite of what everyone else is doing.

    The mutual funds aren't looking at the next 2-5 years, they are looking at the next 10 years. What they see is a company that hasn't released a single new good innovation since Jobs passed (the closest was the iPad mini, but other companies did the smaller tablet first), a company where 50% of their revenue comes from a single product that is starting to look dated (iPhone) and in addition is losing market share. They are also firing senior management that were critical in Apple's previous success.

    Jobs left a manager in charge not an innovator. Management is a very important consideration when dumping billions into anything.
    23 Jan, 08:18 PM Reply Like
  • Yeah, reliance on one product makes this tough. Appears competitors are willing to go FREE and scalp a few bucks from activation. Once razor/razor blade, lookout
    23 Jan, 08:32 PM Reply Like
  • AAPL's numbers were excellent for any company, but not AAPL? Yeah, Right. This down move is manipulated, and short term. What mutual funds do is cater to mediocrity, so money will be made off of their, often contractual, bad moves.

    Those who have balls will profit mightily from this ridiculous down turn.
    23 Jan, 08:44 PM Reply Like
  • In the present casino-like atmosphere and gambling fervor with the stock market, I sincerely hope that this is not the first crack of a giant sucking sound of the bursting of a bubble; the grandstands of the inauguration had barely been taken down; and prayers offered to the two chiefs at the National Cathedral barely heard.
    23 Jan, 06:09 PM Reply Like
  • That can't be right, Teutonic, because, haven't you heard: we're in a new secular bull market, new volatility regime, end of crisis, etc. etc.? ; )
    23 Jan, 07:06 PM Reply Like
  • Black swan.
    23 Jan, 08:57 PM Reply Like
  • "Present casino-like atmosphere" ? You must be new here.

    Sorry to burst your bubble but it's déjà vu for some of us.
    23 Jan, 10:32 PM Reply Like
  • After the fat finger now the APP finger. Damn.
    23 Jan, 06:10 PM Reply Like
  • Every penny drop in AAPL share price makes the fundamentals look amazingly better. This won't last long. Buy while you have the chance. EPS is up, and the price craters, WTF? Market manipulation, big time. Don't be panicked into selling now. Buy and hold is how you win.
    23 Jan, 06:14 PM Reply Like
  • buy and hold the bag, more like. sorry, couldn't resist.
    23 Jan, 07:08 PM Reply Like
  • Nice troll. Go away.
    23 Jan, 07:17 PM Reply Like
  • The AH market at this moment is like when all of a sudden spectators in a football stadium all rushing to the exit; the casualty from the stampede is indeed enormous and tragic.

    Very tragic
    23 Jan, 06:20 PM Reply Like
  • Lemmings running over the cliff into the ocean. Stay dry, don't sell into the artificial vacuum, and buy more AAPL shares at these ridiculously low prices
    23 Jan, 06:28 PM Reply Like
  • Apple is not in the game in China. Seriously, all your US guys who keep posting about how Apple is going to clean up in China really need to get out more.

    Go get a passport, buy a ticket to China and have a look around at what is going on out there. Yes, Apple will sell in China but it ain't IMPO going to be anything as dominant as it once was in the US.

    Some other guy posted on here that he has not seen people buying Galaxy 3s in the US. I say to him - come to Europe, where the smartphone market is bigger than the US, and have a look at what people are using as their smartphones.

    No offence intended - but so many of you Apple diehard fans have such a narrow US-centric view of the World that it is, frankly, hilarious.
    23 Jan, 06:27 PM Reply Like
  • do you live in China? or in Europe? And if so, where in Europe? You see, Apple isn't looking for market share, but for profit share... that's the difference between a company that sells at avg price of 640 $ or 100 $...
    23 Jan, 06:30 PM Reply Like
  • Isn't that because the hyperinflation in Europe causes people to buy anything that is readily available, as in lying around the cell phone store, such as in Samsung products, whereas AAPL products are sold out?
    23 Jan, 06:36 PM Reply Like
  • I actually hold the opposite view... I have cousins in Honduras and the Middle East, and over there Apple products are still the coolest thing on the block, while they've become passe over here (hence the narrow-minded skepticism).

    A couple years ago, my cousins were clamoring for Blackberries, and I gave them a funny look since the iPhone was already the next big thing in America.

    Don't underestimate the potential of conspicuous consumption in the highly income-stratified "developing" world. See also: http://bit.ly/XASMy1
    23 Jan, 07:15 PM Reply Like
  • What? AAPL is gold in China. In the US, customers line-up, in China they fight to get in line.
    23 Jan, 08:34 PM Reply Like
  • You really need to get out and see more of the world if that is what you think.
    23 Jan, 09:00 PM Reply Like
  • Yes, I live in Europe and travel extensively.

    Didn't you see the results tonight - margin profit is down.
    23 Jan, 09:02 PM Reply Like
  • Agree. I live in Baltics and have a lot of work on Scandinavia and Germany.
    6 months ago out of 15 people in my department, 10 had iPhone4s. Only 1(!) upgraded to 5th, 6 bought Nokia, and others are still happy with 4s...
    24 Jan, 02:40 AM Reply Like
  • Tim Cook said "we do what is in the interest of our share-holders"
    What a joke. They have record billions of dollars more on hand now. Surely they will increase the dividend or do a bigger share buy-back. Nope. Dividend.. lowered to $2.50 per share from $2.65.
    Thanks a lot selfish jerks.

    I am so sick of this lack of stock-holder support by Apple.
    It's nice to make the nicest toys around but they also have an obligation to share-holders and they are totally ignoring that responsibility IMHO.
    23 Jan, 06:32 PM Reply Like
  • the dividend is still $ 2.65/share
    23 Jan, 06:35 PM Reply Like
  • Are you sure? I heard the guy clearly say $2.50. Don't trust the info that hasn't been updated yet.
    23 Jan, 06:39 PM Reply Like
  • Post a link to where Tim Cook said he is lowering dividends. Still at $2.65.
    23 Jan, 06:41 PM Reply Like
  • I heard it on the live conference call.. not in writing, but the Apple Investor page shows it as $2.65 still. I guess I heard wrongly.
    23 Jan, 06:44 PM Reply Like
  • I am afraid Mr Cook stuttered...if not for sure he will when checking the screen. If they don't announce a mega buyback in the next few days I'm done with them.
    23 Jan, 06:49 PM Reply Like
  • OK, I see it on Apple's share-holder site. Still very disappointing that they didn't raise it at all. They knew share-holders would be devastated by today's earnings report and yet they didn't do one single thing to prevent losses.
    23 Jan, 06:42 PM Reply Like
  • why raise the dividend already now? just because Wallshi... is asking for it?
    23 Jan, 06:50 PM Reply Like
  • the revenue miss for next quarter is 8.8%...and that's exactly what the stock is losing rite now. Nobody cares about what they did. They could have sold iphones to people from Mars but if that was already in the estimates it's done.
    23 Jan, 06:52 PM Reply Like
  • Buy backs, dividend increases, and stock splits are things that you do ONLY when your company's stock hits a new high. Not when it hits an artificially created low (as in the current stock downward manipulation.) To do any of those things at a recent low price, smacks of a desperation move, which is exactly what the establishment stock manipulators want. AAPL's numbers were excellent for any company on Earth, except for AAPL, according to the stock manipulators? Buy and hold long term that what works for the individual small investor, or even Warren Buffet.
    23 Jan, 06:59 PM Reply Like
  • You got two of three. Buybacks are best when share price is artificially (or even genuinely) depressed and management expects future improvement.
    23 Jan, 08:18 PM Reply Like
  • Not in terms of PR. You never want to deal from a position that appears to be weakness.
    23 Jan, 09:29 PM Reply Like
  • Appears? The wolves are circling.
    23 Jan, 09:32 PM Reply Like
  • The wolves ate the suckers lunch. The long term AAPL investors will be fine. Including the ones who decide to become long term investors based on this ridiculous downturn.
    23 Jan, 10:05 PM Reply Like
  • I bought at 527 2 weeks ago, thinking that was a low. I know the confident thing to do would be to buy more tomorrow morning. But it's damn hard to think about putting even more money at risk now.
    23 Jan, 07:08 PM Reply Like
  • It's called buying to purpose, against the suckers. Go with the numbers, then you can't lose over the long term. Best buying opportunity that you will get for AAPL.
    23 Jan, 07:20 PM Reply Like
  • You should not rush in maxtcobb. More brokers could cut price targets in the coming weeks and this will put more pressure on the stock. Besides that, you could also see some stop losses being hit if the stock opens up 10% tomorrow which could also put pressure on AAPL.
    23 Jan, 07:39 PM Reply Like
  • Wow, if this isn't a wake up call I don't know what is. The company has an extraordinary quarter and continues to pad its balance sheet. It sells 90 million devices, including 48 M iPhones and 22 M iPads. It's selling off in the AH as if they'd just declared bankruptcy.

    Maybe there's something to the law of large numbers but not in the technical sense of reverting to a mean. Once a company achieves a certain value it has to continually hit home runs just to tread water. While its performance has been outstanding, the bar has been set so high that it's impossible to reach it w/ any regularity.
    23 Jan, 07:09 PM Reply Like
  • The guidance was not the guidance street expected. That will take it down.
    23 Jan, 07:09 PM Reply Like
  • Because they can buy more of their own shares with a further price drop...Why stabilize? They're the ones sitting on the cash hoard.
    23 Jan, 07:09 PM Reply Like
  • And, so are shareholders! It's great that AAPL management doesn't give a crap about short term stock moves. It's good to see a management team that is thinking long term. Screw the short term stock manipulators. This is the time to buy.
    23 Jan, 07:23 PM Reply Like
  • It is all about "the number". Read the book The Number by Alex Berenson and read blog maverick by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban about the Stock Market and The Number
    ["The Stock Market
    Jan 10th 2013 8:49PM
    Haven’t blogged in a while. So I decided to look back and pull out one of my first blog posts, from 2004. An oldie, but goodie !....."]
    That explains the type of jerking around even decent stocks get in the stock market when stocks miss The Number estimated by analysts--as if they knew anything!
    On the other hand the Apple Chart rolled over into Stage 4 (See Stan Weinstein's book) after it reached its top around 705 which reminded me of the top reached by Qualcom in 2000 around 200+ and then in a stage 4 swoon went down to 40+. Charts are good for some decisions.
    23 Jan, 07:17 PM Reply Like
  • I'm a holder of AAPL, and I ignored the technicals that have been screaming sell. Shame on me. I believe there is discontent with the management, combined with the technicals that are driving shares lower.
    At this point, I'm riding it out and wait for the momentum pendulum to swing the other way. Won't buy more until the stock price chart says to do so.
    23 Jan, 07:18 PM Reply Like
  • EPS beats expectations by 2.7%, but Revenue misses by 0.4%.
    And shares drop 4%??? makes no sense to me.
    23 Jan, 07:19 PM Reply Like
  • I think market is over reacting. I will buy at 470 level.
    23 Jan, 07:19 PM Reply Like
  • PE is low. Well look at MAC, iPOD's, iPAD and iPhone may see the plateau here. Maybe APPLE will be good advised to lower their prices, to restablish mom and pop retailers who enthusiastically sold AAPL products for decades now. In short APPL needs to give up on their overconfidence. They are part of the more average world now. They will have their place. But consumers start to change from a "must have mood" to a "might buy instead of.... mood"
    23 Jan, 07:19 PM Reply Like
  • ... Reality is.. That apple is a cash machine and offers the best products (have you recently tried surface+w8 or a samsung device? you cant compare...) but is clearly loosing its coolness like other brands as polo, a&f, etc..nevertheless ... If you have an ipad you will never go galaxy ... So be patient nd confident in the next big surprise from apple genius ...sent from my lovely ipad mini!
    23 Jan, 07:20 PM Reply Like
  • This was a very good quarter for $AAPL and there is no reason for this stock to be down. NFLX up 30%? On what basis. The last time I checked, $AAPL PE is reasonable. NFLX, can't even put a number to
    23 Jan, 07:20 PM Reply Like
  • NFLX posted .13 in earnings, up $25.00. AAPL posted 13.81 and drops $55.00, and its all perception of growing business. AAPL was supposed to grow -3.1% this quarter, it grew 24% revs. but no talk of that number. Slowing growth, but not as slow as predicted. Lower margins but not as low as AAPL or the street had. I guess they had better just grow sales like AMZN the street loves sales there, even with heavy debt.
    23 Jan, 08:33 PM Reply Like
  • So what happens with Apple now?
    23 Jan, 07:21 PM Reply Like
  • as aapl drops below its 500 day sma tomorrow... all I have are giant question marks in my head.
    23 Jan, 07:21 PM Reply Like
  • Today's Short Term Technical Update: http://seekingalpha.co...



    -Bill L.
    23 Jan, 07:24 PM Reply Like
  • And the Moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars. Cut it out with the Technical BS. If I want charts, then I'll go to astrologers who have higher rates of accuracy than the technical analysts.
    23 Jan, 07:33 PM Reply Like
  • Couldn't happen to a nicer, shareholder-unfriendly company...
    23 Jan, 07:42 PM Reply Like
  • AAPL is share HOLDER friendly. Long term investors have nothing to worry about with AAPL. The fast buck "artists" are pissed? Fine with me. Great buying opportunity here for those who think long term.
    23 Jan, 07:47 PM Reply Like
  • Most people are applying fundamentals to Apple stock, when in reality its price is manipulated by hedge fund algorithms. If you watched the tape after hours, it moved down quickly as if scripted. In fact, most of the movement in the stock over the last year, especially after its high, has defied logic. With a market cap that competes with the GDP of many nations, Apple is a market manipulator's dream. The amount of money being made on Apple options alone is staggering. While the 10% price drop seems a total "overreaction," my bet is that the big guys will play on this expectation and bring it down below $450 tomorrow. While it doesn't seem logical, my bet is that we'll see $400 before we see $600 again. My worry is that the manipulators may bring on market panic, as Apple is so broadly owned and so heavily weighted in indices.
    23 Jan, 07:45 PM Reply Like
  • Fer sure.... Whenever any of the stocks in my portfolio goes down it's because of.... wait for it... hedge fund manipulation. It must be true, because I only invest in rock-solid companies which are beyond reproach or second-guessing, and I am always right.

    Maybe iPhone 28 will be the REAL money-maker.
    23 Jan, 08:00 PM Reply Like
  • I don't think I was implying that Apple's stock has been manipulated only down--up as well. I don't have proof that it is hedge funds that are in fact moving the prices, like many important stocks. So call me a conspiracy theorist, but I'm guessing that it's not retail traders or just the random chaos of the market who have enough capital to create deep walls of 500 x 100 share lots on both the bid and ask of the Level 2 tape which seem to move in tandem as Apple's stock price goes up and down.
    23 Jan, 10:20 PM Reply Like
  • Usually I just come to terms with the fact that my company (whichever that may be) did not issue guidance that the market was hoping for. Unfortunately for Apple, that is the case here.

    For me as a non-holder, I must admit it's kinda fun to watch. Reminds me a lot of the crash in the price of gold.
    23 Jan, 10:36 PM Reply Like
  • I will have to "martingale" my naked puts sold...i don't care...shifting ahead time and lowering strike price till the end of time. Playing like this is not allowed at casinos, but no problem at Goldman's table.
    I thought $390 strike was a safe play....I will lower to $330.
    23 Jan, 08:05 PM Reply Like
  • Should any of Apple's recent travails be a surprise?

    -- Samsung running circles around Apple in smartphone development and introduction cycles.

    -- Google now introducing Chromebook (#1 selling notebook on Amazon) at 1/4 cost of MacAir.

    -- Jobs' leadership and buzz gone, forever

    -- Apple internal bickering, firings, reorganization

    -- Lawsuits instead of discernible product strategy, development and timely introduction

    Apple is showing all the classic signs of "horse designed by a committee" results that one associates with typical group-think corporate behavior.
    23 Jan, 08:12 PM Reply Like
  • But they have an infinite amount of numbers to add to the end of their iGadgets... Can't fail. If they DO fail, it will be the fault of market manipulations.... Definitely NOT because all they do is re-badge stuff with minor upgrades, and throw it to a rabid fan-base that's hungrily pacing around inside of their walled garden.

    Commodore (C=64, Amiga, etc.) tried this approach. It was THE "platform" at the time for video editing. They went the proprietary route, and walled their garden in so much that they went out of business.
    23 Jan, 08:39 PM Reply Like
  • Looking for any fundamental reason for the stock to tank in the after hours is probably a waste of time. An earnings beat, a small miss on revenues, iPhone sales about where expected, iPad sales about where expected. Cash continuing to grow. There's no way that information was absorbed in the 30 seconds it took for the price to head due south with the conclusion that it was a bad report

    Some group of investors has probably been driving down this thing down for 3 months and continued in the after hours. If I'd seen the numbers and wasn't looking at what the share price was doing, I'd assume that AAPL would stay kind of flat.

    This pullback is being orchestrated and if you don't think so, buyer beware.
    23 Jan, 09:44 PM Reply Like
  • i dont disagree but

    uncertainty on where apple margin will be in 2 years
    uncertainty of where the smartphone business will be in 2 years in terms of price range(200 usd or 500 usd?)
    uncertainty of Apple being able to cope with big selling numbers
    uncertainty about Apple innovation capacity

    thats a lot for a company that has stocks in any portfolio in the world....

    so yes i agree this is not new and yesterday earnings have not given big answers in that regard and yes some punters were ready to push for a big dive (and guess what? they succeeded even if stock seems to recover a little(474 now) from the low)

    but to think that Apple has no issue at all behind their incredible succes is ,i think, a mistake.
    Aplle will need to communicate more on their strategy as the buzz who used to be positive is now negative.
    example: when there was shortage issue in the past it was seen as positive and it is now seen as a sign of weakness.

    tim has to change communication if he wants to please shareholders and diminish volatility......

    or maybe he doesnt care and maybe i dont blame him.....
    24 Jan, 05:31 AM Reply Like
  • Apple tanked on two things. Growth is slowing. Guidance was well below expectations (around 9.75/share vs 11.75 expected) and Cook made a specific point that the guidance was 'realistic', rather than the low-ball nonsense the company has been serving up for years.

    Does this mean that the company should now be selling for 6.5x forward earnings ex-cash? No. Of course not. Be patient. Buy in and make money. But it is easy to see why the stock tanked.
    24 Jan, 11:29 AM Reply Like
  • I just took a nap, and I had a vivid dream. In the dream I saw Apple's bottom at $389. Take if for what it's worth!! :)
    23 Jan, 10:35 PM Reply Like
  • when you see people put their entire IRA into AAPL this is what happens.. i wonder if this is a foreshadow of the market in general...
    24 Jan, 02:53 AM Reply Like
  • AAPL was trading 420 a year ago, 460 is not a buy of a lifetime.
    24 Jan, 05:55 AM Reply Like
  • honestly what is this? Apple can do much better at a conference call than what we got today.
    24 Jan, 05:57 AM Reply Like
  • !!! NICE....just what I was waiting for....Buying now.
    24 Jan, 07:46 AM Reply Like
  • You would think Apple is going out of business by most of the media coverage. $120 Billion in cash on hand, 70+ million iOS products sold last quarter, 2nd best earning report ever given and it is not good enough. If you hate Apple here, how do you feel about HP and Dell in comparison?
    24 Jan, 08:19 AM Reply Like
  • Or even any stock in general McRCN! Look at the numbers Amazon and NEtflix gave..........yet they skyrocket up. Makes sense!
    24 Jan, 09:47 AM Reply Like
  • M - don't ignore the trend. There is always a buying opportunity, but never forget to sell. Then buy again.

    Always keep some dry powder, and re-allocate. Earnings seasons can be treacherous as we have been reminded, even at par with expectations.
    26 Jan, 09:17 PM Reply Like
  • My arrogant APPL bulls, this time is different. You can buy whatever amount of cheap APPL shares you want. I suggest you borrow on margin against your house! If you are lucky enough to find an indian bank, you may be able to put a lien on your wife!
    24 Jan, 03:03 PM Reply Like
  • @michaelbank92

    you know what?

    forget it
    ... waste of time to discuss with an idiot like you!!!!!
    25 Jan, 05:53 AM Reply Like
  • Friday at close of market I got a Fed Margin Call on my AAPL holdings.They gave me until Monday at 1pm to wire funds (no personal checks allowed) to cover the margin. There must be tens of thousands of people in the same situation. I am worried that on Monday, there will be a huge numbers of stocks being sold to cover margins. What do you all think? Will that push AAPL down further or is the number of shares on Monday Margin Call too small to matter?
    26 Jan, 05:46 PM Reply Like
  • Don't have the answer to your question g, but I certainly appreciate your being outright. I think this is now a falling knife. Short interest on APPL is less than 2%, can't rely on a squeeze. There is too much upward momentum in other (crappy) stocks to support AAPL now. I will rely on the charts to find the bottom in this stock, which points to 375-400.
    Don't know for sure, but margin calls are generally related to increased volatility (up or down).

    Fundamentally, APPL is a buy, but not now!
    26 Jan, 07:11 PM Reply Like
  • Thanks mark. I confess to being very worried. I bought too much AAPL on margin, and now I've borrowed money to pay off the margin call rather than to liquidate shares. If AAPL falls further my losses are triple magnified by the margin so I will be forced out of a lot of my shares at a big loss. I hope the madness ends on Monday but I'm not feeling it. More gut wrenching days ahead I suspect.

    I'm so pissed off at Apple management for not supporting their shareholders that I used my proxy votes to vote against Tim Cook and Al Gore. I hope that others will do the same.
    27 Jan, 06:57 PM Reply Like
  • ..and I also voted against their executive compensation plan. Why should they be rewarded with hundreds of millions of dollars each after mismanaging things this badly (with regard to shareholders)?
    27 Jan, 07:03 PM Reply Like
  • http://on.barrons.com/...

    One comment suggests flash dump used to drive weekly options prices. Another possibility is that options were exercised? Would like to get a knowledgable opinion.
    27 Jan, 01:21 PM Reply Like
  • A Free Market (not that the stock market is a FM, plenty of government interference) is also free to be manipulated, by anyone, to go up or down. This is why short term irrational moves in a stock's price should be ignored by long term investors. Buy and hold and let the gamblers play the short term games. In the long term the facts and numbers will out score the day traders. Think Warren Buffet.
    27 Jan, 01:35 PM Reply Like
  • Thanks for the well-tempered reply. While you and I are probably closer in philosophy to investing than you think, my question was specific to options exercised vs. sold end of trading day Friday. I understand your frustration with traders, options, derivatives and gambling...
    27 Jan, 08:26 PM Reply Like
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