Apple Shares Drop To The Lowest Point Since 2024, Due To A Reply Tariff From China

JAKARTA Apple's stock experienced a sharp decline after China imposed a return rate on the import rate policy announced by US President Donald Trump. This decline is the worst since June 2024, amplifying investors' concerns about rising iPhone prices and potential decline in sales in the future.

The trade tension between the United States and China is heating up again after Trump unilaterally set an import rate of 54% for goods from China. This move was then rewarded by Beijing by setting a rate of 34% for imported goods from the United States, including technology products that have been the backbone of US exports.

As a result of this mutual return policy, Apple's share price dropped drastically. If previously, on April 2, 2025, Apple's shares were still trading at 225.19 US dollars per share, then during the day New York time, April 4, the value had fallen to 195.63 US dollars. This is the first time Apple's shares have fallen below 200 US dollars since June 11, 2024.

In a statement on the Truth Social platform, Trump responded to China's reaction by calling Beijing's move "criminal." "China played in the wrong way, they panicked. That's one thing they couldn't do!" Trump, who was playing golf at the time, told reporters before his departure.

"It's like a big operation in a patient. We've never seen anything like this. The market will explode, the stock will soar, and the country will thrive," he added.

However, the views from outside the White House circle are very different. Economists even stated that Trump's tariff calculation formula was very wrong, had no clear basis, and ignored basic principles of international trade. Quoted from CNN, the 54% tariff imposed by the US is calculated by dividing the country's trade deficit against its exports to the US, then divided into two, and added the basic tariff by 10%.

According to Morgan Stanley's internal research records quoted by Apple Insider, the US tech industry will bear a tariff burden of 51 billion US dollars in the short term, with Apple taking about 33 billion US dollars out of that amount. This value does not include the potential additional cost of domestic manufacturing needs that may have to be increased in response to the tariff.

This condition raises new concerns that Apple, which has so far managed to stabilize iPhone prices, especially in the US and Chinese markets, now no longer has room to absorb such a large cost burden. If previously the company was able to keep retail prices the same even though production costs are increasing, now analysts estimate that the iPhone 17 will experience a significant price increase.

Not only that, Apple's supply chain which is very dependent on various countries also makes it very vulnerable to this policy. Even TSMC's chip factory in Arizona was affected, because it had to import rare metals to produce chips, which are now also subject to high tariffs.

Unlike previous crisis moments, such as when iPhone sales weakened in China in mid-2024 or during the COVID-19 pandemic, analysts have not suggested buying or selling Apple's shares. The highly volatile and complex situation has made big investors choose to wait for further policy directions from Washington and Beijing.

During his first term of office, Trump had given Apple a number of tariff exceptions after CEO Tim Cook took an intensive lobby. But so far, similar efforts have not paid off.

This condition is a major blow to Apple, which for the past two decades has been known as the most crisis-resistant company among tech giants. Now, even Apple seems unable to withstand a trade policy storm determined by international political and diplomatic factors.