Apple's 0.71% Decline Amid $16.87B Volume Surge to Sixth Spot Underlines High-Traffic Trading Strategy's 166.71% Return

On July 31, 2025, Apple (AAPL) closed with a 0.71% decline, despite a 76.87% surge in trading volume to $16.87 billion, ranking sixth in the market. The stock’s performance followed mixed signals from its fiscal Q3 earnings report, which highlighted strong revenue growth but underscored ongoing strategic and regulatory challenges.

The tech giant reported third-quarter earnings of $1.57 per share on $94 billion in revenue, surpassing Wall Street’s estimates of $1.43 per share and $89.22 billion in sales. iPhone sales reached $44 billion, exceeding expectations by $4.2 billion, while Services revenue hit $27.4 billion. However, the company faces headwinds, including potential 25% tariffs on iPhones if production remains offshore and a federal antitrust ruling on Google’s $20 billion annual search deal. Additionally, analysts have criticized Apple’s delayed AI integration, with some suggesting acquisitions like Perplexity AI could address innovation gaps.

CEO Tim Cook attributed $1 billion of the quarter’s revenue to tariff-related pre-orders, as China sales grew 4% to $15.3 billion. Mac revenue rose 15% to $8.05 billion, driven by updated MacBook Air models, while wearables and iPad sales declined. The company anticipates mid-to-high single-digit revenue growth for the September quarter, with gross margins projected between 46% and 47% despite rising tariff costs.

The strategy of purchasing the top 500 stocks by daily trading volume and holding them for one day generated a 166.71% return from 2022 to July 30, 2025, outperforming the benchmark’s 29.18% return. This highlights the potential of liquidity-focused, momentum-driven approaches in capturing short-term market gains, particularly in high-volume equities like Apple during periods of significant trading activity.