Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) launched its latest iPhone 17 lineup and new AirPods at its closely watched “Awe Dropping” product event on Tuesday, September 9^th.

With the launch of new devices, the multinational tried to refresh its hardware appeal amid growing concerns that it’s falling behind in artificial intelligence (AI).

However, the market’s lukewarm response reflects doubts about AAPL’s ability to drive significant revenue growth from these updates. Its all-new iPhone 17 Air does introduce a sleeker form factor – but experts believe it lacks the disruptive impact needed to lift the stock.

Amid a misplaced focus on flagship smartphone, though, investors may be discounting an exciting AI feature in the new AirPods, which could prove the real catalyst for Apple stock moving forward.

Why iPhone 17 won’t help Apple stock

In a post-event interview with CNBC, industry expert Patrick Moorhead expressed disappointment in the launch of iPhone 17 – going so far as to call it a “crapshoot”.

While some are lauding Apple for a more stylish “Air” variant, Moorhead believes it’s more likely to “cannibalize” Pro Max sales than expand the firm’s market share in the smartphone segment.  

“Nothing AAPL brought out here was definitive on anything that can move revenue, decrease cost, or take share,” he argued on Closing Bell: Overtime.

Moorhead outlined six potential growth levers: increase in average selling price (ASP), share shift, replacement cycles, new categories, service attachments, and cost reductions – but concluded the iPhone Air doesn’t check any of those boxes.

“This is not a new category,” he added, casting doubt on its ability to excite investors. AAPL stock is currently down over 5.0% versus its year-to-date high.

Why AirPods Pro 3 might boost AAPL shares

While Apple may have disappointed on iPhone, a senior tech analyst Gil Luria sees more promise in the new AirPods.

According to the Nasdaq-listed behemoth, its latest earbuds offer live translation of conversations in foreign languages in real time – which Luria dubbed “an AI breakthrough if it actually works.”

Such a feature on the AirPods will particularly prove game-changing for Apple shares given peers, including Meta Platforms and Google have so far struggled to deliver reliable live translation via wearable tech.

AirPods Pro 3 offer a sleek design and drop-resistant build as well – but it’s the real-time language translation feature “that would actually get people to upgrade,” Luria noted.

If the product delivers as Apple claims, it could mark a meaningful step forward in consumer AI – and a reason for investors to take notice.

Is it time to load up on Apple shares?

Apple’s product refresh shows the company still knows how to design sleek hardware – however, investors are looking for more than aesthetics.

The iPhone 17 Air may appeal to a niche segment, but without a clear path to revenue growth, it’s unlikely to move Apple stock.

In contrast, the AirPods’ artificial intelligence capabilities hint at a more transformative future. If Apple can turn that promise into performance, it might just find its next growth engine – not in the palm of your hand, but in your ears.

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A powerful and resilient wave of optimism is sweeping across most of Asia on Wednesday, with markets shrugging off a fresh dose of worrying economic data from China and instead taking their cue from another record-setting performance on Wall Street.

This bullish sentiment is being further fueled by a rally in the region’s technology giants, who are riding the coattails of Apple’s latest product launch.

Overnight, all three major US benchmarks closed at all-time highs as investors confidently bet on an imminent Federal Reserve rate cut.

That positive energy has crossed the Pacific, igniting strong gains across the region. South Korea’s Kospi is the day’s standout performer, surging 1.42 percent to its highest level since the end of 2021.

Singapore’s Straits Times Index has also jumped 1 percent to a new record high, a clear sign of broad-based conviction.

A deflationary chill, a tech titan’s rally

This powerful rally is taking place despite a fresh reminder of the economic headwinds blowing from China.

The mainland’s consumer prices fell 0.4 percent year-over-year in August, a deeper drop than economists had expected, signaling that deflationary pressures continue to haunt the world’s second-largest economy.

But for now, the market is choosing to focus on a different story. Shares of Asian tech companies in Apple’s vast supply chain are trading higher after the Cupertino-based giant unveiled its new lineup of iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods on Tuesday.

The Taiwanese iPhone maker Foxconn jumped 1.67 percent and the South Korean titan Samsung Electronics increased 1.82 percent. The enthusiasm was not shared by Apple investors themselves, who sent the company’s shares lower, but for its Asian partners, the launch has provided a welcome and powerful catalyst.

This tech-led optimism is being amplified by the continued, stunning rally in shares of Alibaba Group.

The Chinese e-commerce giant’s Hong Kong-listed stock is up another 2.89 percent, hitting a near-four-year high as it continues to ride a wave of positive sentiment from its recent investment in a humanoid robotics startup.

A tentative rebound, a bullish start

A sense of stability also appears to be returning to Indonesia, where the Jakarta Composite Index is up 0.58 percent, recovering from a three-day losing streak that was triggered by the president’s unexpected dismissal of his highly-regarded finance minister.

This broadly positive mood is set to extend to Dalal Street. The Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty are poised for a higher open, tracking the upbeat global cues.

The trends on the Gift Nifty indicate a solid start, with the index trading around the 25,000 level.

This comes after a strong session on Tuesday, where the market ended higher, with the Sensex gaining 0.39 percent to close at 81,101.32 and the Nifty 50 settling just shy of the 24,900 mark, setting the stage for another day of gains.

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A day of high drama is unfolding across the globe, as a US judge deals a stunning blow to President Trump in his war on the Federal Reserve, France’s new prime minister prepares to take office in the face of mass protests, and a multi-billion dollar mega-deal in the auto sector takes shape.

Here’s your one-stop stand to catch up on all the headlines you may have missed.

Judge blocks Trump from firing Fed Governor Lisa Cook for now

In a significant legal victory for the US central bank, a federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.

The ruling is an early win for the embattled economist, allowing her to remain on the job as she challenges the president’s efforts to oust her over allegations of mortgage fraud.

Crucially, the decision means Cook can likely attend the highly anticipated Fed policy meeting on September 16-17 to vote on whether to lower interest rates.

In her ruling, US District Judge Jia Cobb concluded that the alleged misconduct likely did not amount to “cause” to fire her and that the way she was dismissed likely violated her due process rights.

Tata Motors markets a massive 4.5 billion dollar loan for Iveco acquisition

Indian auto giant Tata Motors Ltd. is in the market with a colossal 3.875 billion euro (4.5 billion dollar) bridge loan to fund its proposed acquisition of Iveco Group’s commercial vehicle business.

The deal, which would be one of the largest of its kind in Asia this year, is a major strategic move for Tata, giving it a powerful foothold in the European market nearly two decades after its landmark purchase of Jaguar Land Rover.

The 12-month loan, which is being underwritten by Morgan Stanley and Mitsubishi UFJ, comes as M&A-related lending in the Asia-Pacific region has surged 70 percent to 31.3 billion dollars so far in 2025.

France’s new prime minister to face protests on his first day in office

Sebastien Lecornu will become the new prime minister of France on Wednesday, and he will walk directly into a storm of mass protests. The former defense minister will be the country’s fifth prime minister in just two years, a stunning level of political churn that underscores the nation’s deep political fractures.

He faces the daunting task of pushing through unpopular budget reforms, the very issue that toppled his two predecessors.

A grassroots movement called “Let’s Block Everything” is holding protests today that will affect schools, trains, and airlines, while labor unions are planning mass strikes for September 18 to fight what they call “austerity measures.”

Major banks face hundreds of millions in losses tied to a subprime auto lender

JPMorgan Chase & Co., Fifth Third Bancorp, and Barclays Plc are among a group of major banks bracing for potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in combined losses from loans tied to the subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings.

Fifth Third said in a regulatory filing that it faced an impairment charge of up to 200 million dollars after discovering “alleged fraudulent activity” at an unnamed commercial borrower.

According to people with knowledge of the matter, the lenders are now looking into whether collateral for their loans was double-pledged. Tricolor focuses on lending to borrowers with poor or no credit scores, funding its loans in part by packaging them into asset-backed securities.

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The recent decision of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies to boost production further in October likely increases the downside risks for global oil prices, according to Commerzbank AG. 

In a move that signals a strategic shift towards regaining market share, the OPEC+ alliance announced on Sunday a further increase in oil production by 137,000 barrels per day (bpd) for October. 

This decision marks the commencement of the second phase of reversing voluntary production cuts, initially slated to remain until the end of 2026. 

The cumulative impact of these adjustments could introduce an additional 1.65 million bpd into the global market in the coming months, a figure experts believe is unlikely to be the final adjustment. 

The next virtual meeting, scheduled for October 5, is anticipated to bring further production increases.

Shifting market dynamics and explanations

The official rationale provided by OPEC+ for the production hike mirrored previous statements, citing a “steady economic outlook, healthy fundamentals, and low oil inventories.” 

While this assessment may hold true for current oil stocks in OECD countries, particularly in the US and Europe, it offers a retrospective view. 

“This is a look in the rearview mirror,” noted Carsten Fritsch, commodity analyst at Commerzbank AG. 

He adds that OECD oil reserves present only a partial picture. 

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported in its August monthly report that global oil stocks have been on an upward trend for five consecutive months, reaching a 46-month high of 7,836 million barrels in June. 

This volume is sufficient to cover daily consumption of 21.5 million barrels for an entire year, roughly equivalent to the daily oil consumption of the US.

The current oil market already grapples with a significant oversupply, estimated at more than 2 million bpd in the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first half of 2026. 

The continued expansion of OPEC+ production is poised to exacerbate this imbalance, leading to a further accumulation of inventories. 

“The already considerable oversupply in the oil market could become even larger due to the continued expansion of OPEC+ production,” explains Fritsch, emphasising the potential for a further build-up of stocks.

Puzzling price reactions and underlying factors

The immediate market reaction to the OPEC+ announcement was somewhat counterintuitive, with oil prices rising by over 2% on Monday. 

This increase, however, is largely attributed to prior rumors of the production hike, which had already led to a significant decline in oil prices since the previous Wednesday, Fritsch said. 

Chinese crude oil import data, released on Monday night and showing a noticeable increase in August, also provided some tailwind. Nevertheless, the price rally merely offset Friday’s losses, which were triggered by weak US labor market data.

Increased downside risks and a strategic pivot

The OPEC+ decision unequivocally amplifies the downside risks for oil prices, according to Fritsch. 

Concerns about looming oversupply had been raised previously, and this latest move by OPEC+ confirms a fundamental shift in the strategy of the expanded production cartel. 

The primary focus is no longer solely on stabilizing the oil market and maintaining elevated oil prices but rather on reclaiming market share. 

Fritsch added:

To achieve this, OPEC+ appears to be willing to accept temporarily lower oil prices. 

The critical question remains: where does the “pain threshold” lie for OPEC+, and at what point will oil prices fall low enough to prompt the group to intervene and restrict supply once again? 

Notably, OPEC+ has explicitly kept this option open in its press release.

“Riyadh and its allies signaled a decisive pivot: defending market share now outweighs defending prices,” Rystad Energy’s Chief Economist Claudio Galimberti said in an emailed commentary.

The headline volume may look marginal, but the messaging is not. By allowing supply back into a market moving toward surplus, OPEC+ is playing offense, not defense.

Geopolitical tensions and supply risk offsets

The fact that oil prices have not experienced a more significant decline so far is largely due to the recent increase in geopolitical supply risks. 

Ongoing Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure pose a credible threat of disruptions to Russian oil supplies. 

Additionally, the US may intensify sanctions against Russia and its oil buyers if the conflict in Ukraine persists and Russian drone attacks on civilian targets continue. 

US President Donald Trump recently issued explicit threats to this effect, aiming to pressure the Kremlin. 

US Treasury Secretary Bessent has also raised the possibility of secondary tariffs being imposed by the US and EU on buyers of Russian oil, similar to existing measures against India. 

More recently, the US has increased pressure on Iran by adding a network of shipping companies and vessels to its sanctions list for alleged Iranian oil smuggling. 

Venezuela has also re-entered the spotlight of the US government, with the Maduro regime linked to drug trafficking. Against this backdrop, the future of the US government’s recent approval for crude oil production and export from Venezuela remains uncertain.

Revised oil price forecasts

In light of the increased downside risks, Commerzbank AG has revised its Brent crude oil price forecast for the coming year downwards to $65 per barrel, a decrease from the previous forecast of $70. 

Fritsch added:

Due to the increased downside risks, we are revising our oil price forecast for Brent for the coming year downwards to $65 per barrel.

However, the forecast for the end of 2025 remains at $65 per barrel, factoring in the aforementioned supply risks. 

Significant deviations from this forecast are possible in either direction, depending on evolving market news. 

The WTI oil price is projected to trade at $62 per barrel, a $3 discount to Brent. 

The previous forecast for 2026 was $67. 

The diesel price is expected to remain unchanged at $660 per ton at the end of 2025. 

The price forecast for the end of 2026 for diesel has been reduced to $630 (from $660) due to the lower Brent forecast, as a lower crack spread is no longer offset by a higher oil price. 

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A fragile sense of optimism is gracing European markets at the open on Wednesday, with stocks poised to climb despite a dramatic new trade war gambit from the White House and a worrying deflationary signal from China.

This resilient mood is a testament to the market’s singular focus on one thing: the prospect of an imminent interest rate cut from the US Federal Reserve, a hope that will face its ultimate test in the next 48 hours.

Early indications point to a positive start across the continent. IG data suggests Germany’s DAX will open 0.46 percent higher, with France’s CAC 40 and Italy’s FTSE MIB also tracking gains of around 0.3 percent.

A new front in the global trade war

This bullish open comes in the face of a startling new geopolitical development.

Overnight reports have emerged that US President Donald Trump has asked the European Union to join his economic pressure campaign by hitting China and India with tariffs of up to 100 percent over their continued purchases of Russian oil.

The move, designed to turn up the heat on Moscow, risks further destabilizing global trade relations and opening a new, unpredictable front in the ongoing conflict.

The inflation gauntlet: a verdict awaits

While the trade news is a significant wildcard, the market’s immediate attention is fixed on the United States, where a crucial two-day volley of inflation data is about to begin.

The producer price index is due later today, a key prelude to Thursday’s more closely watched consumer price index reading.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expect the reports to show a steady, if stubborn, level of inflation. If those numbers land in line with estimates, it will clear the final hurdle for the Federal Reserve to deliver another rate cut at its high-stakes meeting next week, a prospect that has been the primary engine of the recent market rally.

A mixed picture from the east

This tense anticipation follows a mixed session in the Asia-Pacific region, where investors were busy digesting the latest inflation data out of China.

Consumer prices in the mainland fell 0.4 percent year-over-year in August, a deeper drop than economists had expected and a clear sign that deflationary pressures continue to haunt the world’s second-largest economy.

Despite this worrying signal, most Asian markets managed to rise, taking their cue from a resilient session on Wall Street.

As Europe prepares for its own session, with earnings from giants like Inditex and Associated British Foods on the docket, the market is caught in a delicate balance, weighing the hope of a dovish Fed against a world of simmering risks.

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The seemingly unstoppable juggernaut of fast fashion has hit a wall.

Inditex, the Spanish retail titan and owner of Zara, reported weaker-than-expected sales in its second quarter on Wednesday, a clear and worrying sign that even the industry’s most dominant player is not immune to the chill of a cautious global consumer.

The slowdown, which has sent the company’s shares tumbling 14 percent this year, marks a stark end to a four-year streak of double-digit growth and raises profound questions about the company’s ability to navigate a perfect storm of currency headwinds and tariff uncertainty.

The numbers tell a sobering story

The company’s net sales for the second quarter came in at 10.08 billion euros, a significant miss of the 10.26 billion euros analysts had been expecting, according to an LSEG estimate.

This performance underscores a broader deceleration that has been a growing concern for investors.

While the company offered a glimmer of hope, noting that the pace of sales growth has picked up to 9 percent in the first part of its autumn quarter, this is still a slowdown from the 11 percent growth it posted in the same period last year.

In a statement, Inditex CEO Oscar Garcia Maceiras acknowledged the challenges, calling the first-half performance “solid” and stating the company had achieved “satisfactory sales in a complex market environment.”

The currency crosswinds and the tariff question

Compounding the consumer slowdown are powerful and painful currency crosswinds.

Inditex warned that currency movements would now trim its sales by 4 percent this year, a more significant hit than the 3 percent it had previously projected.

The revision comes as both the US dollar and the Mexican peso have weakened significantly against the euro, eroding the value of the company’s international earnings.

This currency pressure directly collides with one of the biggest strategic questions facing the company: to what extent can it raise prices in the crucial US market to mitigate the impact of higher import tariffs and the weaker dollar?

The answer remains deeply uncertain.

A silver lining of discipline

Yet, even in this tougher environment, the report reveals a silver lining of remarkable discipline.

The company’s first-half operating profit of 3.57 billion euros was in line with estimates, a sign of effective cost management.

More impressively, its gross margin stood at a healthy 58.3 percent, ahead of forecasts.

This suggests that even as sales soften and consumers become more cautious, Inditex is successfully resisting the temptation of heavy discounting, a strategic choice that is protecting its profitability in a challenging market.

The king of fast fashion may be facing its toughest battle in years, but it is not surrendering its margins without a fight.

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Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical giant behind the obesity drug Wegovy, said on Wednesday it will cut about 9,000 jobs globally in a major restructuring effort, aiming to save 8 billion Danish crowns ($1.26 billion) annually.

The move underscores the growing pressure the company faces from its US rival Eli Lilly as the weight-loss drug market becomes increasingly crowded and competitive.

The company, which currently employs 78,400 people worldwide, said approximately 5,000 of the planned job reductions will be in Denmark.

“Our markets are evolving, particularly in obesity, as it has become more competitive and consumer-driven. Our company must evolve as well,” newly appointed CEO Mike Doustdar said in the statement.

“This means instilling an increased performance-based culture, deploying our resources ever more effectively, and prioritising investment where it will have the most impact – behind our leading therapy areas,” he added.

Costs and financial impact

Novo said restructuring costs of about 9 billion Danish crowns will be incurred in the third quarter of 2025. However, it also expects 1 billion crowns of savings in the fourth quarter, it said.

It also warned that the overhaul would carry a one-off negative impact of around six percentage points on its full-year operating profit growth at constant exchange rates next year.

Novo said its operating profit growth this year is now expected at between 4% and 10%, down from between 10% and 16% seen last month, changing solely due to the restructuring costs.

It also projected depreciation, amortisation, and impairment losses of 21 billion crowns, higher than its earlier estimate of 17 billion crowns.

Growth slowdown weighs on shares

Novo Nordisk, once Europe’s most valuable listed company with a market value of $650 billion in 2023, has seen its growth slow significantly.

Last month, the company warned that revenues would fall well short of earlier forecasts, citing competition from Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound, as well as the rise of cheaper copycat versions of its drugs.

The company’s Copenhagen-listed shares are down nearly 47% so far this year, reflecting investor concerns over the competitive landscape and Novo’s ability to maintain its dominance in the GLP-1 drug segment.

Doustdar’s leadership began on August 7, 2025, following the exit of Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen.

However, the timing of his appointment coincided with a sharp cut to Novo’s sales forecast which has also sent investor confidence tumbling.

Adding to the pressure, Denmark’s government recently lowered its 2025 economic growth forecast to 1.4% from 3%, citing weaker prospects for Novo Nordisk and new US tariffs on Danish exports.

For a company that once outpaced the size of Denmark’s economy, Novo’s latest restructuring marks a critical juncture in its bid to defend market share and restore growth momentum.

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