Apple Is No Longer The Biggest Stock: Why You Should Worry This Time
Loading the player… Apple ( AAPL ) has again lost its crown as the most valuable company, as it plunges to its lowest level in nearly two years. Google owner Alphabet ( GOOGL ) is dropping in the stock market today as well, but it is now the biggest company. The switch comes shortly after Apple posted its first-ever decline in iPhone sales, and as analysts continued to voice concerns over a longer upgrade cycle. The last time Alphabet was able to overtake Apple was a little over two months ago, though it only lasted a few days. But as Apple’s stock becomes more and more technically damaged, it’ll be interesting to see if it can last this time. Apple shares are crumbling 2.6% in huge volume, dropping below the 90 price level intraday to a fresh 23-month low. The stock is now 32% below its all-time high, reached in April 2015. IBD’s Take: How healthy is Apple’s stock and how does it stand up vs. rivals? Find out at IBD Stock Checkup Alphabet is sliding 0.4% in slightly above-average volume. Shares were able to retake the 200-day line last week and are now looking for support near that level. The stock is 10% below its early-February high and 7% below a cup-with-handle buy point of 777.41 that it failed to break out of after issuing disappointing earnings results. Amazon Worth $3 Trillion? And don’t forget to keep an eye on the other big “A” tech stock: Amazon ( AMZN ). The e-commerce giant has a market cap of about $338 billion, compared with Apple’s $493 billion valuation and Alphabet’s nearly $500 billion market cap, but its stock is performing very well. Amazon hit another new all-time high in intraday trade Thursday, with the stock up fractionally at midday. Amazon is extended about 18% past a cup-with-handle buy point it initially cleared shortly before the company’s latest quarterly report. Venture capital firm Social Capital recently gave Amazon a $3 trillion, 10-year valuation. Analysts say Amazon is set to overtake Macy’s ( M ) as the No. 1 U.S. apparel retailer next year. It may also be poised to grab bigger positions in the consumables and food and beverage markets in the next few years. Meanwhile, Facebook ( FB ) has a $342 billion market cap. The social networking giant is very near its recent all-time high as it continues to trade within buy range from a cup-with-handle base that it broke out of on its earnings results. Facebook shares were essentially flat in early afternoon trade.