Robert Paul Leitao on This week's Apple trading strategies (1/19-1/23/26) - 'I very much enjoyed this podcast episode in its entirety and highly recommend it for listening. I believe the Apple segment lasted about 10 minutes and consumed the first 10 minuted of the podcast. I planned to send out the link to the episode through the Apple 3.0 Slack group’s Apple Share Price Performance channel and I may do so when I’m back at home in a few hours.'
on This week's Apple trading strategies (1/19-1/23/26) - 'Below are the one-year share price performances of the Terrific Ten equities ranked by percentage gains over this time and the percentage gains in the major stock indexes over the same period. As the performance numbers indicate, six of the ten equities, including Apple, underperformed all four major indexes over the past year. Alphabet was the top performing equity measured by percentage gains in market cap over the past twelve months, followed by Taiwan Semiconductor and Broadcom. Alphabet (GOOG) up 67.22% Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) up 61.89% Broadcom (AVGO) up 48.13% NVIDIA (NVDA) up 35.23% NASDAQ Composite – up 19.02% Russell 2000 – up 15.52% S&P 500 – up 14.73% DJIA – up 13.50% Apple (AAPL) up 11.11% Microsoft (MSFT) up 7.19% Amazon (AMZN) up 5.83% Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) up 5.41% Tesla (TSLA) up 2.58% Meta Platforms (META) up 1.22% Since the first of the year the Russell 2000 index has gained 7.08%. Much the index’s gains over the past year have occurred this month. As a comparison, year-to-date the rise in the S&P 500 has been 1.38%.'
on This week's Apple trading strategies (1/19-1/23/26) - 'Entering this week’s trading, below is the market cap scoreboard of the Terrific Ten. These are the 10 largest enterprises ranked by this metric. Last week Broadcom returned to the #6 spot on the list. During the week Alphabet moved above and then fell back below the $4 trillion market cap marker. NVIDIA (NVDA) $4.53 trillion Alphabet (GOOG) $3.98 trillion Apple (AAPL) $3.76 trillion Microsoft (MSFT) $3.42 trillion Amazon (AMZN) $2.56 trillion Broadcom (AVGO) $ 1.67 trillion Meta Platforms (META) $1.56 trillion Tesla (TSLA) $1.46 trillion Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) $1.43 trillion Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) $1.06 trillion'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - '“If you need to ask, you probably can’t afford it.” Different problem than the Apple laptop or desktop, but I wonder if recent surveys have been done on the retail output per square foot of the Apple Stores. Some (long) time ago, it was determined that Apple sales per square foot were outselling everyone, and I think Tiffany’s was actually held up as an example for comparison. I am also sure that this has changed, given the delivery vs in-store purchasing dynamic. We aren’t seeing coverage of the huge lines to pick up the latest Apple Product these days. This makes me reminiscently sad.'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'Gregg, you’ve added three zeroes that don’t belong. Sorry, I’m an Engineer. These things matter to me.'
on This week's Apple trading strategies (1/19-1/23/26) - 'PED could have stopped right here 🙂 here are CNBC’s Fast Money traders Friday trying to make sense'
on Premarket: Apple is red - 'Apple ended Friday trading down $2.68 at $255.53. The company’s current all-time high of $288.62 was set on December 3rd. The Russell 2000 index reached an all-time high on Friday of 2,692.23 before closing at 2,677.74 for the day. Since New Year’s Day the index is up 7.08%. The S&P 500, which set an all-time high of 6,986.33 on Monday, finished the week at 6,940.01. We’ll see if the index can break through 7,000 next week.'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'I don’t see the problem with a state enforcing “The price on the item must be displayed, and it must be correct.” (“displayed” could either be a tag directly on the item, or on the shelf clearly in front of the item.) And I’d like to see that enforced for car dealers, too… (I remember once being asked, “What would you like for trade-in?” When I told him, he then jacked up the price of the new car. I lost it, swore at him, and walked out, never to return to that dealership. GM never appreciated how much of Saturn’s appeal was based on ‘no haggling’ buying experience!!)'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'I guess people visiting Finland should be glad the traffic tickets aren’t based on Worldwide Income 🙂 🙁'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'That is a good example of my point about Europe. Thanks.'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'Seems to me Multi Trillion dollar companies can have minor violations and major ones. This violation does seem like government over regulation of the retail business. Apple product prices are very well publicized and pretty consistent from different sources. But of course Apple has to follow the rules of every jurisdiction it sells in. While I am all for consumer protection somehow this doesn’t feel like they are protecting very much from real harm.'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'Well, at least some tickets in Finland are based on income/ability to pay: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/03/finland-home-of-the-103000-speeding-ticket/387484/'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'I can see the kids reading this and saying “OK boomer.” Is the price only for the display model or should it be a chart including all memory and storage options? Including AppleCare? NJ sales tax?'
on The Verge: Apple can stop investing in its reputation as a frontier model company - '“However you look at the AI gold rush, Apple is still selling the shovels.” You mean like Nvidia? When you look back at many of the gold rush towns, most of the establishments that lasted the longest were the ones selling the shovels.'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - '“NJ ‘hits’ Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that joke?” This headline seems to assume that a penalty should be based on the guilty party’s finances, not the crime. I don’t think our legal system was ever based on such an assumption. It’s true that Europe has been trying to work that angle, but for a very specific reason- to raise funds. Could you imagine being stopped for speeding, and the officer hands you a ticket and reminds you to bring your last banking statements with you when you show up in court? Or the IRS charges you a penalty for underpayment of quarterly taxes, and the penalty is not based on the amount of the underpayment, but based on your total assets? Apple’s fine should be based on the harm caused by the offense, not it’s market capitalization or yearly revenue.'
on The Verge: Apple can stop investing in its reputation as a frontier model company - 'Frankly, I’m not interested in either Siri…'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'I don’t think it’s deliberate. I think it’s just sloppy retailing. Apple’s attention to detail in its retail stores must be slipping.'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'Next time I walk into a Tiffany’s or an even higher threshold diamond jewelry establishment I better see those rings, bracelets, and necklaces affixed with a price tag dangling from a string. Does this NJ fining system also include restaurants when they have lobster listed on the menu as: “Market Price?”'
on The Verge: Apple can stop investing in its reputation as a frontier model company - ' However you look at the AI gold rush, Apple is still selling the GOLD shovels.'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - '$150,000,000 doesn’t even pay the State’s coffee bill. Pure political posturing.'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'You’re right, David. Tim Cook should be ASHAMED of himself for pulling such a cheap trick! Oh, wait….'
on The Verge: Apple can stop investing in its reputation as a frontier model company - '(Sigh) I realize that creating a truly smart and safe Siri “for the rest of us” will be incredibly difficult, but if that isn’t Apple’s intention, then they should at least say so. I’ll wait for it in the one case and do without any AI at all in the other. But no more claiming you’re doing one thing and actually doing another.'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'The law probably limits the fines for a single citation. But Apple should be ashamed of this, it’s just sloppy.'
on The Verge: Apple can stop investing in its reputation as a frontier model company - '“Apple will likely prompt a user for their permission before sharing anything directly with Google…” Which for me is a deal-breaker. Apple, PLEASE tell me there won’t be two Siris – a dumb Siri that can be trusted and a “smart” Siri that cannot…. That would be the weaselyest of weasleys….'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'My guess: That’s down to the store manager, who will be lucky to keep their job. But talk about a slow news day article…. Also, the need of certain “investors” to dredge up something – ANYthing – to diss Apple with and keep the stock drifting down while Apple is on the sidelines (during its present quarterly open market buyback blackout) just hit the heights of ridiculousness….'
on 'For an AI loser, Apple did an awful lot of winning last year' - 'I agree with this wholeheartedly, and it doesn’t hurt to say so. I’m also frustrated with CarPlay. It should be so, so, so much better. On those occasions where I’ve had a loaner car that does support CarPlay (my old beaters don’t), I would often rather still use my iPhone, because the interface is just so much better. I think CarPlay is a big deal. From a very First World perspective: You own a house, and the world looks at that. You own a car, and the world looks at that. You own a phone, and the world looks at that. You own a watch, and the world looks at that. You own/wear clothes and accessories, and I guess the world probably does look at that. You own your own body, and the world looks at that. I don’t totally know how to rank and rate these items (and I do not actually tend to be particularly materialistic, myself, but I am carving out an argument), but I think a car and a phone are things that people definitely notice and they think about them when it comes time to spend money. I would never buy a car that does not support CarPlay, and yet … why am I so disappointed with it???'
on Horace Dediu's answers to Laura Martin's Apple bull-vs.-bear Qs - 'What’s the request? After the statement that you have a request, I see only statements of fact or opinion, but no actual request. Not judging, but curious to know.'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'I dunno. As a manufacturing guy, I occasionally get involved in Audits (we do our own internal audits – occasionally just to actually get better, but mostly to be sure that we are ready when an external Auditor comes in to certify our ISO status). External Audits are important: they show the world that you are rigorous in your process. Our Quality Policy is “Right the first time in all aspects of our business”. We do pretty well at that. But, naturally, we do have failings. And when we find one, we are supposed to fix it: “how can we make sure that this never happens again?” If we are successful and there are no repeats, we have made ourselves better. But if a one-time finding repeats, it is a two-time finding. That’s bad. If we have a finding on an ISO Audit and we fail it on the next ISO Audit, that is really bad. We could lose our ISO certification. When working with Automotive and now, increasingly, Medical Customers, that may mean that we simply can’t do business with them. They will reject us. While $150,000 may not matter to Apple as a company – or even to me because of my AAPL holdings – a failure is a failure, and a failure to correct a failure is an even worse failure. On to the details of the “case” … From the perspective of the window-shopper – even inside the Apple Store – it is right to have a clearly stated price next to the object that they wish to ogle, sometimes to say “I might be able to choose between this one and that one” or sometimes to say “this is an aspirational product, and I know that, if I do my day-job today right and well so that I may one day be able to buy it, I might one day explore the horizons of my dream creativity”. The customer has a reasonable right to have that data right in front of them, so that they can know which of the two above questions they might be answering.'
on NJ 'hits' Apple — a $3.8 trillion company — with a $150,000 penalty. Is that a joke? - 'If anything, it’s a record-low.'
on Saturday Apple video: Steve Jobs' last Time Magazine cover shoot (2010) - 'I was at the IL (Infinite Loop) Caffé Macs on a visit from Elk Grove, Cali that same year and saw Mr. Jobs from a distance and saw him sideways. Yes, it was sad to see him that way, like a stick, but his posture was straight, true, and confident. As he was. Magnificent.'


