Apple briefly crossed a historic milestone on Tuesday, becoming the first publicly traded company to reach a market capitalisation of more than $5 trillion during intraday trading before ending the session just below the landmark valuation.
Apple’s shares rose as much as 0.72% to an intraday high of $342.89, lifting its market value to approximately $5.036 trillion. The stock later traded at $339.33, giving the company a market capitalisation of around $4.98 trillion by the latest trading session.
Apple Retains Position as World’s Most Valuable Company
The milestone comes after Apple reclaimed its position as the world’s most valuable listed company earlier this month, overtaking Nvidia, which had led global market valuations since June 2025.
Nvidia’s market capitalisation stood at approximately $4.78 trillion during Tuesday’s trading session.
Growth Driven by Consumer Demand
Apple’s strong share price performance has been supported by continued demand for its products and a business strategy that has largely avoided the heavy artificial intelligence infrastructure spending undertaken by several major technology companies.
Instead of making massive investments in AI data centres, Apple has integrated external AI capabilities, including Google’s technology, into products such as its enhanced Siri platform while maintaining a capital-light approach.
The company’s shares have gained around 25% so far this year, outperforming several other major technology companies.
Leasing Programme Aims to Boost Sales
Apple also introduced a new device leasing programme in the United States through payments platform Klarna, allowing customers to pay monthly instalments for Apple devices.
Under the programme:
- iPhone plans start at $17.99 per month
- Apple Watch and iPad plans begin at $11.99 per month
- Mac devices start at $24.99 per month
Industry analysts believe the initiative could make Apple’s premium devices more accessible by reducing the upfront cost for consumers.
Focus on Customer Experience
According to analysts, Apple’s strategy has focused on enhancing customer experience rather than competing directly in the industry’s AI infrastructure spending race.
By leveraging partnerships and maintaining disciplined capital expenditure, the company has continued to generate strong investor confidence while preserving profitability.
Quarterly Results in Focus
Investor attention is now turning to Apple’s upcoming third-quarter earnings announcement, scheduled after market close on Thursday.
Analysts expect the company to report more than 15% year-on-year growth in quarterly revenue, reflecting resilient consumer demand and continued strength across its product ecosystem.
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