Tariff-Ravaged Apple Stock Scores Biggest Jump In Nearly 3 Decades After Trump U-Turn, But Retail Stuck In Bearish Terrain

Apple, Inc. (AAPL) shares snapped their three-day losing streak on Wednesday, thanks to President Donald Trump’s decision to pause tariff implementation for most countries for 90 days.

Cupertino’s shares ended the session with a gain of 15.33%, their biggest single-day jump since Jan. 1998. The stock briefly broke above the $200 level late in the session before settling under the psychological barrier.

Wednesday’s gains helped to trim the 23% losses the stock incurred over the three sessions that followed the tariff announcement.

The extreme negativity triggered by Trump’s sweeping tariff announcement on April  2 was due to Apple’s exposure to China, a country that has been targeted particularly by the president.

The blanket levies announced for some of the Asian nations Apple is now relying on as part of its efforts to diversify its supply chain did not help matters any further.

Several Wall Street analysts cut their price targets for Apple’s stock, factoring in the negative impact of tariffs on the company’s top- and bottom-line.

Apple’s jump on Wednesday was part of the relief rally set in motion across the market by Trump relenting. 

It remains to be seen if the stock would find follow-through buying, especially as the president stepped up his crusade against China, slapping a 125% tariff on imports from China with immediate effect.

While welcoming the tariff pause, Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said China remained the biggest “X variable” related to Apple and the broader supply chain. 

The analyst said, “China remains the key obstacle to figure out and this greatly impacts the US tech industry and US consumers on a daily basis going forward.”

On Stocktwits, Apple was among both the top ten trending and most active tickers and very early on Thursday.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment toward Apple stock remained ‘extremely bearish’ (20/100), while the message volume stayed ‘extremely high.’

A bearish user said they expect the stock to fall below $185 again. While they acknowledged that Apple is a great company, they argued it’s currently facing one of the toughest environments.

Another user said their bearish stance stems from doubts that Apple’s challenges in China will improve anytime soon, along with the company’s lackluster sales even before the tariffs were introduced.

Despite Wednesday’s run, Apple stock is down over 20% so far this year. 

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