The United States temporarily exempts tariffs on electronic products, and Wall Street analysts say this is good news for Apple

According to the Zhitong Finance APP, after the Trump administration temporarily lifted tariffs on electronic products such as smartphones, Wall Street analysts have become more optimistic about Apple (AAPL.US). KeyBanc upgraded Apple's rating from "Underweight" to "Hold." KeyBanc analysts led by Brandon Nispel stated that the Trump administration's announcement last Friday to exempt smartphone tariffs could be the best scenario they could think of for Apple, eliminating significant risks the company faced. However, analysts believe Apple has not completely "escaped the predicament," citing reasons such as: the market's high growth expectations for fiscal year 2026, and the possibility of consumer spending still declining; Apple's failures in the artificial intelligence business so far remain an issue; and the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit against Google could still negatively impact Apple. Nispel's team stated, "Given that the worst-case scenario of an escalating 'tit-for-tat' trade war may no longer exist, and smartphones have also received tariff exemptions, we believe Apple's stock price is unlikely to decline further." Last Friday, the Trump administration temporarily exempted electronic products such as smartphones and computers from reciprocal tariffs. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick stated that this is only a temporary measure, and these exempted products will be subject to "semiconductor tariffs" in the future. Wedbush maintains an "Outperform" rating on Apple, with a target price of $250. Wedbush analysts led by Daniel Ives stated that Apple has one to two months to plan its supply chain, with India likely being a key area for expanding iPhone production; the company has gained some breathing room, so it does not have to start passing on significantly rising costs to U.S. consumers. Additionally, the White House has shown some flexibility regarding technology/semiconductor component tariffs, which Wedbush views as positive news. Ives' team stated, "Overall, we believe the tariff news over the weekend is good news for Apple and other tech companies, as it provides some flexibility and is expected to facilitate negotiations with China in the coming months, alleviating some tariff/trade war issues and preventing major tech companies from falling into difficulties. Apple is clearly facing an unprecedented and rapidly changing situation in its supply chain." Ives' team remains optimistic about the long-term opportunities of Apple's flagship ecosystem, focusing on the 1.5 billion iPhones and 2.4 billion iOS installations, as well as the large service business. Ives' team stated, "In our view, Apple investors need to look ahead to the next three months and assume that there will be positive developments in tariff negotiations with China." JP Morgan maintains an "Overweight" rating on Apple but lowers the target price from $270 to $245. JP Morgan analysts led by Samik Chatterjee stated that they expect the exemption measures announced last Friday to boost investor confidence, as the adverse impact on costs for hardware industries like Apple will be milder than previously anticipated However, Chatterjee expects that Apple's stock price is unlikely to return to recent peaks immediately, as tariff concerns linger. The upcoming semiconductor tariffs in the United States and the macroeconomic slowdown may still impact Apple. As of the time of writing, Apple is up 5% in early trading, priced at $208.2