Trade talks progress

Apple’s stock set a new all-time high Friday as investors
expressed optimism that the U.S. and China will reach an agreement
in their protracted trade war. 

Earlier Friday Trump said “good things” are happening in terms
of trade talks^[1]
and that he planned to meet with China’s Vice Premier Liu
He later in the day. 

Good things are happening at China Trade
Talk Meeting. Warmer feelings than in recent past, more like the
Old Days. I will be meeting with the Vice Premier today. All would
like to see something significant happen!

RELATED: APPLE’S IPHONE 11 IS ALL
ABOUT THE CAMERA ^[3]

Trade talks progress

Following the meeting, Reuters^[4]
reported Trump told White House reporters China and the U.S. are
close to ending the 15-month long trade war but that it could take
as long as five weeks for a deal to be drafted up. 

That was enough to send Apple’s^[5]
stock skyrocketing, ending the trading session up 6%^[6]
to $236.21. It surpassed its all-time high of $233.47 set in
October of 2018. Apple ended the trading session Friday with a
market capitalization of  $1.06 trillion.

Ending the trade war would be good news for Apple and its
legions of investors. It means the company won’t have to increase
prices or eat the tariffs on $250 billion in goods that Trump vowed
to increase from 25% to 30% if an agreement isn’t
reached.  

Apple’s 11 doing well out of the gate

In addition to easing trade tensions with China, Apple’s stock
is benefiting from the launch of its iPhone 11 devices in
September. The latest iPhones have resonated with consumers, in
large part because of the $699 price point. Reports have surfaced
that Apple has told suppliers to increase production by 10% for its
latest device. There’s also talk it could roll out a lower-priced
iPhone SE2 in early 2020 that could appeal to consumers looking to
upgrade from the iPhone 6. 

On top of all that, Apple is launching Apple Arcade and Apple TV
Plus, its new subscription services that are priced low enough to
undercut rivals.