Apple Inc. (AAPL) rallied again following an interview from CEO Tim Cook that touched on a services-centric future and two key notes following the interview that touted just that focus.
The stock rose 1.7% to $153.31 a share, marking an over $10 gain from the company's pre-forecast last week.
Cook in an interview with Jim Cramer on "Mad Money" in which he took on "naysayers" headlong certainly helped the stock shake off concerns on production cuts that were largely anticipated Cook's cloudy forecast earlier this month to sustain the gains.
"I'm never surprised by the market, to be honest with you," he told Cramer. "Because I think the market is quite emotional in the short term. And we sort of look through all of that. We think about the long term. And so when I look at the long-term health of the company, it has never been better."
The sentiment after the interview was aided by optimistic statements by Cook on the trade war, helped the stock shake off reports of production cuts that were largely anticipated by the
To be sure, China remains a concern as it currently represents 20% of Apple's total revenue and has been overwhelmingly blamed for the stock's poor performance into year-end 2018.
Some analysts continue to voice concerns as trade talks continue to yield nothing, trimming price targets significantly as scant evidence exists as to a coming resolution to the Sino-American trade spat.
