Apple’s Stock Price Rally’s Early as Trump’s Tariff Exemption on Tech Seen as Boost

The recent announcement from President Donald Trump regarding the exemption of smartphones including Apple's iPhones and certain tech products from tariffs has created waves again the markets. This temporary measure, highlighted by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, has spurred optimism, albeit with a large dose of caution on latest comments of more specific details for semiconductors to come today.

The exemption on all tariffs (currently) extends to products from various major tech companies, including Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), offering them respite from the looming duties. Apple was seen to be one of the worst impacted, due to the level of production maintained in China, with it's stock price having pulled back sharply since the start of the year.

A 4% rally in Apple's stock price on Friday has provided some a little breathing space, with AAPL remaining 18.74% down year-to-date. This morning's pre-market has again provided a further boost, with the stock up more than 5.9% through to kick start the session.

It should be noted however that this reprieve is not without its conditions. Secretary Lutnick clarified that these exemptions are temporary, and the implementation of sector-specific tariffs on electronics and semiconductors is anticipated within a month. President Trump over the weekend indicated news on Monday (today).

This development also has implications for international markets, notably Chinese stocks and the Hong Kong Hang Seng index, which have seen positive movements due to this tariff reprieve. The HSI ended the day up 2.37%, with the SSE composite up 0.76%.