Apple’s May rally followed a strong earnings report, but the number that changed Wall Street’s view was the company’s sales forecast. The iPhone 17, a recovery in China and record margins did most of the work. AI added hope, and a more demanding valuation.Why did Apple gain almost $600 billion?Apple’s market value rose by about $598 billion in May 2026 after the company reported 17% revenue growth, record March-quarter iPhone sales and a sharp rebound in China. Management then forecast 14% to 17% growth for the June quarter, well above Wall Street’s estimate of roughly 9.5%. The stock gained 15% during the month. Investors also had a new $100 billion buyback and Apple’s coming AI announcements to consider, but neither explains the move as well as the earnings forecast does.About The AuthorAt heart, I am a storyteller drawn to the watershed moments that bend the technology landscape. I braid narrative with data, humanise statistics, and trace the arc from first spark to world-changing impact. My reportage, features and reviews are witty, sardonic, visual and vivid, using anecdote to illuminate rather than eviscerate.
As a technology journalist with over sixteen years of experience, I have travelled the world and the seven seas, covered every major tech conference worth its lanyard, chronicled the defining breakthroughs of the last decade and a half, and played a pivotal role in launching some of India’s most important technology publishing platforms across web, print and TV.
