On a Thursday when Apple's shares slid four percent, the company learned it had lost its long-held place as China's top smartphone seller, a reminder that even the most dominant brands depend on the particular tastes and rules of the markets they serve. Research firm Canalys found shipments there fell seventeen percent in 2024, with domestic rivals Vivo and Huawei gaining ground, partly because the newest iPhones sold in China lack Apple's artificial intelligence features under regulatory constraints. Chart analysts, reading the same moment through patterns of buying and selling, see a stock t
Apple Slides Below Key Trendline After Biggest One-Day Drop Since August; Analysts Flag $218 and $207 Support
The largest one-day drop since early August
Mark
Why did one report move a company this size by 4%?
Mimi
China was a market where Apple was number one. Canalys says 2024 shipments fell 17%, the worst since 2016, and Vivo and Huawei gained share.
Mark
And the AI piece?
Mimi
The latest iPhones sold in China don't have Apple's new AI features because of regulatory hurdles. The article says that's weighing on sales.
Luke
Worth noting that's the article's explanation. It's presented as a factor, not measured. We don't know how much of the 17% it accounts for.
Mark
What about the chart talk? Support at $218, $207?
Mimi
The stock broke below the lower trendline of an ascending triangle, on the heaviest volume since December's triple witching. $218 is where a trendline, the 200-day average and a projected target meet.
Luke
Those are interpretations of a chart. Different analysts draw different lines. Nothing here says the stock will stop at $218 or fall to $207.
Mark
So what's actually established?
Luke
The 4% drop, the 17% shipment decline per Canalys, the 9% year-to-date loss. The levels are one author's read.
Mimi
And Friday's 1.2% bounce to $231 was only the opening minutes, so it tells us little yet.
Der Puls
- Apple dropped four percent, its steepest single-day fall since early August, after losing China's top smartphone spot.
- Canalys data shows 2024 shipments in China plunged seventeen percent, the worst slide there since 2016.
- Vivo and Huawei are capturing share as China's newest iPhones arrive without Apple's AI features, stalled by regulators.
- Shares broke below an ascending triangle's lower trendline on heavy volume, raising fears of a breakdown toward $218 and possibly $207.
- Friday's modest 1.2% bounce to $231 has traders watching whether support holds or resistance near $235 and $250 comes into play.
On a Thursday when Apple's shares slid four percent, the company learned it had lost its long-held place as China's top smartphone seller, a reminder that even the most dominant brands depend on the particular tastes and rules of the markets they serve. Research firm Canalys found shipments there fell seventeen percent in 2024, with domestic rivals Vivo and Huawei gaining ground, partly because the newest iPhones sold in China lack Apple's artificial intelligence features under regulatory constraints. Chart analysts, reading the same moment through patterns of buying and selling, see a stock testing its supports and watching whether the next few days will confirm a deeper retreat or a pause before recovery.
Apple's stock opened Friday up 1.2% at $231, a small recovery after the previous day's four percent drop, the biggest single-day fall the shares had seen since early August. The sell-off followed news that Apple had slipped from its position as China's largest smartphone seller in 2024.
Research firm Canalys reported that Apple's shipments in China fell seventeen percent last year, the steepest decline there since 2016. Domestic competitors Vivo and Huawei took more of the market. Part of the problem, according to the source, is regulatory: the latest iPhones sold in China do not carry Apple's newly launched AI features, and customers have been turning to rival devices instead.
The shares are now down nine percent in 2025, erasing much of a strong 2024 that saw a thirty percent gain. The stock peaked last month, and a technical pattern on the chart signaled a reversal. On Thursday, the price broke below the lower trendline of an ascending triangle on the highest volume since December, which analysts read as large investors joining the sell-off.
Chart watchers point to $218 as the first support, where several indicators converge, including a long-running trendline and the 200-day moving average. If that level gives way, $207 is the next floor, near a June 2024 low. On the upside, a recovery could test $235 and possibly $250. These are one analyst's technical readings rather than predictions, and the coming days will show whether Friday's bounce can hold.
Apple shares opened Friday up 1.2% at $231, a modest bounce after the previous day's 4% fall, which was the stock's largest one-day drop since early August. The trigger was a report that the company lost its position as China's largest smartphone seller last year.
The figures come from the technology research firm Canalys. Its data show Apple's 2024 shipments in China fell 17%, the steepest decline there since 2016. Domestic rivals Vivo and Huawei both took additional market share over the year.
The source ties part of the slump to a regulatory problem. The latest iPhones sold in China do not carry Apple's recently launched artificial intelligence features because of regulatory hurdles. That has weighed on sales, as customers turn to competitors' devices for alternatives.
The drop leaves Apple down 9% so far in 2025, after a 30% gain in 2024. The all-time high came last month, marked by an evening star pattern on the chart, and the shares have trended sharply lower since.
The analysis, from Investopedia and republished by Yahoo Finance, focuses on the chart. On Thursday the price fell decisively below the lower trendline of an ascending triangle, which raises the possibility of a significant breakdown. Volume was the highest since December's triple witching session, which the analysis reads as a sign that larger market players took part in the selling.
The first support to watch sits near $218. Several things converge there: a trendline linking highs and lows from June to September, the upward-sloping 200-day moving average, and a projected downside target. That target comes from overlaying the stock's July-to-August correction last year onto last month's record high. If buyers cannot defend $218, the analysis says the shares could revisit $207. That level is near the June 2024 pullback low and close to several prices just above the August trough, and investors may look for buying opportunities there.
On the upside, a recovery could bring a retest of $235. Resistance may appear there near the triangle's lower trendline and prominent peaks from July and October last year. A move back above the triangle's top trendline could carry the stock to around $250. Investors who bought at lower prices may take profits in that region, near a brief pause in the strong uptrend during December.
The levels are one analyst's technical reading, not a forecast. The next test is whether Friday's bounce holds or whether $218 comes into play.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Apple's latest iPhones sold in China lack its new AI features because of regulatory hurdles, weighing on sales.— Investopedia analysis, via Yahoo Finance
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei Yahoo Finance ↗
Technology