Apple Boosts Wall Street with a $100B Bombshell — Markets Rally Despite Mixed Earnings

Wall Street got a shot of adrenaline Wednesday — all thanks to Apple.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.7% by midday, the Nasdaq jumped 0.9%, and the Dow inched up 0.2%. And guess what? Nearly half of that S&P gain came from just one stock: Apple.

The tech giant surged more than 5% after news broke that it plans to drop another $100 billion into US manufacturing over the next four years — bringing its total domestic investment to a jaw-dropping $600 billion. The official announcement is expected to come later at the White House with CEO Tim Cook and President Donald Trump.

Apple wasn’t the only story on Wall Street. Earnings season is in full swing, and investors are picking winners and losers.

• McDonald’s rose 2.8% after beating expectations, partly thanks to a hit “Minecraft” meal promo.
• Shopify went absolutely vertical — up 20.2% — after crushing revenue forecasts and serving up upbeat guidance.
• Arista Networks joined the party, jumping 17% after strong quarterly numbers.

On the flip side:

• Super Micro Computer got slammed, sinking 21.1% after missing both earnings and revenue estimates. It’s a big drop for a stock that had already gained 88% this year.
• AMD slid 7.2% despite solid revenue. Its data center segment disappointed, and traders weren’t thrilled about flat earnings.
• Disney dipped 3% even after beating profit expectations. Its revenue came in light, and analysts felt the media giant could’ve raised its outlook more.

Investors are still watching President Trump’s tariff game closely. On Wednesday, the White House hit India with a new 25% tariff on imports — doubling the current rate to 50% — due to its ongoing purchases of Russian oil. That adds to the uncertainty hanging over the market.

Meanwhile, hopes are rising for a Fed interest rate cut in September. After last week’s underwhelming jobs report, traders are now betting there’s a 93% chance the Fed will lower rates next month, up from 47% just a week ago.

Still, some are worried that inflation — possibly stoked by tariffs — could put those cuts in jeopardy. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said the central bank might need to pause if inflation spikes.

Wall Street is cautiously optimistic. Strong earnings from companies like Arista, Shopify, and McDonald’s are helping steady the market. But analysts say investors are becoming pickier — especially when it comes to AI stocks and mega-cap names.

Ross Mayfield at Baird summed it up:

“Earnings in aggregate have been good enough to keep a floor under the market… but expectations are high, and companies need to keep delivering.”

For now, Apple’s $100 billion mic drop is giving investors something to cheer about. But with more earnings on the way — including Airbnb, Lyft, and DoorDash — and Trump’s tariff decisions still looming, the road ahead isn’t exactly smooth.

Reuters, the Associated Press, and CNBC contributed to this report.