Iran Conflict Triggers Market Turmoil
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 02 2026
0mins
Should l Buy AAPL?
Source: Newsfilter
- Iran Conflict Escalation: The U.S.-Israeli operation named 'Operation Epic Fury' resulted in the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei, with hundreds of Iranian civilian casualties, likely leading to significant retaliatory actions and increased American military casualties, which could destabilize global markets.
- Market Response: Concerns over the conflict caused stock futures to plummet sharply in premarket trading, while gold futures rose as investors sought safe havens, and Wall Street's fear gauge surged to its highest level since 2026, indicating heightened market anxiety about future developments.
- Berkshire Hathaway Earnings: In Warren Buffett's last quarter as CEO, operating earnings fell nearly 30%, primarily due to a 54% drop in profits from the insurance underwriting business; however, new CEO Greg Abel's shareholder letter received positive feedback from analysts, reflecting a commitment to the company's value-focused philosophy.
- AI Technology Intervention: Trump mandated U.S. agencies to cease using Anthropic's technology, while OpenAI secured a deal with the Department of Defense, despite both companies having similar restrictions; notably, Anthropic's Claude AI app surged to the top of Apple's free apps list, suggesting a favorable public perception following its pushback against the Pentagon.
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Analyst Views on AAPL
Wall Street analysts forecast AAPL stock price to rise
27 Analyst Rating
17 Buy
9 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 248.800
Low
239.00
Averages
306.89
High
350.00
Current: 248.800
Low
239.00
Averages
306.89
High
350.00
About AAPL
Apple Inc. designs, manufactures and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related services. Its product categories include iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Wearables, Home and Accessories. Its software platforms include iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS. Its services include advertising, AppleCare, cloud services, digital content and payment services. The Company operates various platforms, including the App Store, that allow customers to discover and download applications and digital content, such as books, music, video, games and podcasts. It also offers digital content through subscription-based services, including Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, Apple News+, and Apple TV+. Its products include iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16, iPhone 15, iPhone 14, iPhone SE, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, Mac Pro, iPad Pro, iPad Air, AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Intrinsic Value Assessment: According to GuruFocus's Discounted Earnings model, Apple's intrinsic value is estimated at $179.13, while its current trading price is $248.8, indicating a modest overvaluation with a margin of safety of -38.89%.
- Discount Rate Setting: The model employs an 11% discount rate, derived from a 4.4% 10-year Treasury yield plus a 6% risk premium, ensuring the assessment reflects market risks and is grounded in realistic expectations.
- Growth Stage Assumptions: In the growth stage, Apple's earnings per share (EPS) is projected to grow at an annual rate of 15.20% for 10 years, based on historical EPS growth data from the past decade, highlighting the company's future growth potential.
- Terminal Stage Forecast: In the terminal stage, EPS is expected to grow at a rate of 4% over 10 years, ensuring this growth rate remains below the discount rate to facilitate convergence in calculations, indicating the company's long-term stability.
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- New Product Launches: Apple recently announced the iPhone 17e, a refreshed iPad Air, new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, along with new Studio Displays and AirPods Max 2, marking one of the most lucrative product launches since the big screen iPhones in 2014.
- Stock Performance: While Apple shares saw a modest increase in premarket trading, they have declined approximately 8% year-to-date; however, over the past 12 months, the stock has gained 12%, indicating market recognition of its long-term growth potential.
- Market Dynamics: As Apple approaches its 50th anniversary, it has garnered investor interest, particularly in light of its new product launches and strategic adjustments, which could positively impact its stock price.
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- Global Sync Updates: Artists connecting their Apple Music profiles through Bandsintown for Artists will see their event information synced globally within 24-48 hours, ensuring fans receive timely updates on the latest concert schedules, thereby enhancing artist visibility and ticket sales potential.
- Enhanced User Experience: The new feature enables users to browse shows by location, genre, and date while providing venue details, set lists, and direct ticket links, which enhances fan engagement and purchasing intent, further driving consumption of live music.
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New Trends in AI Innovation and Collaboration Among Chinese Companies
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- Alibaba Platform Upgrade: Alibaba launched the AI-integrated Accio Work platform, capable of autonomously processing customs paperwork and calculating profit margins, with expectations to increase monthly active users from millions to tens of millions, enhancing its competitiveness in the global market.
- Intellectual Property Trading Trend: China is promoting patent trading at a high level, as showcased at the Zhongguancun Forum, reflecting the importance of intellectual property and market potential for businesses.
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- Strong Financial Performance: In Q4, TSMC reported revenue of $33.7 billion, a 26% year-over-year increase, with earnings per share rising 35% to $3.14, and gross margin improving to 62.3%, showcasing the company's exceptional ability to scale production and leverage its assets effectively.
- Future Growth Outlook: Management anticipates Q1 revenue of $35.2 billion, up 38%, and operating income of $19.36 billion, up 56%, indicating that the company is set to maintain robust growth momentum in the coming quarters.
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- Market Leadership: TSMC currently has a market capitalization of $1.6 trillion and commands a 71% share of the global chip market, positioning itself to benefit significantly from the rapid growth in artificial intelligence and data centers, thereby solidifying its leadership in the semiconductor industry.
- Strong Financial Performance: In the fourth quarter, TSMC reported revenue of $33.7 billion, a 26% year-over-year increase, with earnings per American Depository share rising 35% to $3.14, and gross margin improving to 62.3%, indicating sustained profitability as the company scales its production.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: Management forecasts first-quarter revenue of $35.2 billion, up 38%, and operating income of $19.36 billion, up 56%, suggesting that the company will continue to maintain robust growth momentum in the coming quarters.
- Broad Industry Prospects: The semiconductor market is projected to reach nearly $1.6 trillion by 2030, and with TSMC's advanced process technology and strong customer base, it is expected to capture a significant share of this growth, further driving its market capitalization towards the $3 trillion target.
See More
Apple Inc's Intrinsic Value Analysis Using DCF
- Intrinsic Value Assessment: According to GuruFocus's Discounted Earnings model, Apple's intrinsic value is estimated at $179.13, while its current trading price is $248.8, indicating a modest overvaluation with a margin of safety of -38.89%.
- Discount Rate Setting: The model employs an 11% discount rate, derived from a 4.4% 10-year Treasury yield plus a 6% risk premium, ensuring the assessment reflects market risks and is grounded in realistic expectations.
- Growth Stage Assumptions: In the growth stage, Apple's earnings per share (EPS) is projected to grow at an annual rate of 15.20% for 10 years, based on historical EPS growth data from the past decade, highlighting the company's future growth potential.
- Terminal Stage Forecast: In the terminal stage, EPS is expected to grow at a rate of 4% over 10 years, ensuring this growth rate remains below the discount rate to facilitate convergence in calculations, indicating the company's long-term stability.
See More
Apple's Product Rollout Sparks Investor Interest
- Investment Rating Reaffirmed: Melius Research reiterated its Buy rating on Apple, highlighting the company's free cash flow and the upcoming product rollout, suggesting a potential recovery in stock price, which reflects market confidence in Apple's future performance.
- New Product Launches: Apple recently announced the iPhone 17e, a refreshed iPad Air, new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, along with new Studio Displays and AirPods Max 2, marking one of the most lucrative product launches since the big screen iPhones in 2014.
- Stock Performance: While Apple shares saw a modest increase in premarket trading, they have declined approximately 8% year-to-date; however, over the past 12 months, the stock has gained 12%, indicating market recognition of its long-term growth potential.
- Market Dynamics: As Apple approaches its 50th anniversary, it has garnered investor interest, particularly in light of its new product launches and strategic adjustments, which could positively impact its stock price.
See More
Apple Music Integrates Bandsintown Events for Enhanced Live Music Discovery
- Event Integration Innovation: The integration of Apple Music with Bandsintown allows concert listings to automatically appear on artist pages, the Home tab, and a new Concerts tab, significantly enhancing user convenience in discovering live music and is expected to drive increased user participation in live events.
- Global Sync Updates: Artists connecting their Apple Music profiles through Bandsintown for Artists will see their event information synced globally within 24-48 hours, ensuring fans receive timely updates on the latest concert schedules, thereby enhancing artist visibility and ticket sales potential.
- Enhanced User Experience: The new feature enables users to browse shows by location, genre, and date while providing venue details, set lists, and direct ticket links, which enhances fan engagement and purchasing intent, further driving consumption of live music.
- Market Expansion Strategy: This integration not only solidifies Bandsintown's core position within Apple's ecosystem but also expands its global user base through collaboration with Apple Music, which is expected to deepen its partnerships with 700,000 artists and 65,000 venues.
See More
New Trends in AI Innovation and Collaboration Among Chinese Companies
- Industry-Specific AI Development: Chinese companies are shifting focus from large language models to industry-specific artificial intelligence to drive revenue growth, indicating a rising demand for customized solutions in the market.
- Alibaba Platform Upgrade: Alibaba launched the AI-integrated Accio Work platform, capable of autonomously processing customs paperwork and calculating profit margins, with expectations to increase monthly active users from millions to tens of millions, enhancing its competitiveness in the global market.
- Intellectual Property Trading Trend: China is promoting patent trading at a high level, as showcased at the Zhongguancun Forum, reflecting the importance of intellectual property and market potential for businesses.
- Robot Technology Innovation: Linkerbot focuses on humanoid robot development, aiming to map all basic human hand skills within three years, with a goal to reduce robot costs to below that of an iPhone, demonstrating a pursuit of practical technology applications.
See More
TSMC Poised to Join $3 Trillion Club
- Market Share Dominance: TSMC currently holds a 71% share of the global chip market and produces over 90% of advanced semiconductors, positioning itself to benefit significantly from the surging demand for AI chips, thereby reinforcing its market leadership.
- Strong Financial Performance: In Q4, TSMC reported revenue of $33.7 billion, a 26% year-over-year increase, with earnings per share rising 35% to $3.14, and gross margin improving to 62.3%, showcasing the company's exceptional ability to scale production and leverage its assets effectively.
- Future Growth Outlook: Management anticipates Q1 revenue of $35.2 billion, up 38%, and operating income of $19.36 billion, up 56%, indicating that the company is set to maintain robust growth momentum in the coming quarters.
- Expansive Market Potential: The semiconductor market is projected to reach nearly $1.6 trillion by 2030, and as an industry leader, TSMC is expected to continue benefiting from this long-term growth trend due to its cutting-edge process technology and strong customer base.
See More
TSMC: Potential to Join the $3 Trillion Club
- Market Leadership: TSMC currently has a market capitalization of $1.6 trillion and commands a 71% share of the global chip market, positioning itself to benefit significantly from the rapid growth in artificial intelligence and data centers, thereby solidifying its leadership in the semiconductor industry.
- Strong Financial Performance: In the fourth quarter, TSMC reported revenue of $33.7 billion, a 26% year-over-year increase, with earnings per American Depository share rising 35% to $3.14, and gross margin improving to 62.3%, indicating sustained profitability as the company scales its production.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: Management forecasts first-quarter revenue of $35.2 billion, up 38%, and operating income of $19.36 billion, up 56%, suggesting that the company will continue to maintain robust growth momentum in the coming quarters.
- Broad Industry Prospects: The semiconductor market is projected to reach nearly $1.6 trillion by 2030, and with TSMC's advanced process technology and strong customer base, it is expected to capture a significant share of this growth, further driving its market capitalization towards the $3 trillion target.
See More
