Apple briefly surpassed a $5 trillion market valuation on Tuesday, becoming only the second publicly traded company in history to reach the milestone alongside Nvidia, as major technology shares rebounded following a recent sell-off linked to artificial intelligence spending concerns and rising competition from China.
The iPhone maker’s shares climbed during trading, lifting its market capitalization above the $5 trillion mark for a short period. By the closing bell, Apple shares had gained $3.17, or 0.9 percent, to finish at $340.08, giving the company a market value of about $4.99 trillion.
Although Apple did not maintain the $5 trillion valuation through the close, the achievement underscored the company’s strong market performance this year. Nvidia remains the only company to have ended a trading session with a valuation above the $5 trillion threshold.
Nvidia also recovered from Monday’s sharp decline, rising $0.82, or 0.4 percent, to close at $197.33 per share. The chipmaker ended the session with a market capitalization of approximately $4.77 trillion.
The previous day’s decline in Nvidia shares had unsettled investors across global markets, particularly in Asia. South Korea’s Kospi index dropped more than 10 percent to its lowest level in three months, with semiconductor manufacturers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics among the hardest-hit stocks.
The steep fall activated a market circuit breaker and placed the Kospi on course for its largest monthly decline on record, exceeding losses experienced during the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
Morningstar equity analyst Jing Jie Yu said investors appeared concerned by advances in China’s semiconductor manufacturing equipment industry, fearing that the country’s progress could challenge the competitive position of established global chipmakers and equipment suppliers.
However, Yu described the market reaction as excessive, saying the long-term dominance of leading semiconductor companies is unlikely to face a significant threat in the near future.
Wall Street saw a mixed trading session as several large technology companies recovered from early losses. Microsoft, which is scheduled to release quarterly earnings on Wednesday, gained $5.16, or 1.3 percent, to close at $394.26.
SpaceX also advanced, with its shares rising $2.91, or 2.6 percent, to $116.41. Despite the gain, the stock remained below its initial public offering price of $135.
Not all technology companies shared in the recovery. Chipmaker Sandisk fell 12.5 percent, while Micron Technology lost 8.9 percent, highlighting the uneven performance among companies linked to artificial intelligence and semiconductor markets.
The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite ended the day down 0.2 percent at 24,876.91, marking its fifth straight daily decline. In contrast, the broader S&P 500 index gained 0.2 percent to finish at 7,428.78.
The differing performances of the two indexes reflect continued investor debate over the concentration of market gains among a handful of major technology companies. While enthusiasm for artificial intelligence continues to support valuations for industry leaders, concerns about rising investment costs and increasing international competition remain key factors influencing market sentiment.
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