Is Apple Running out of Juice?

Is Apple Running out of Juice?

LONDON, April 24, 2012/PRNewswire/ --

                               CMC Markets provides an analysis

    Apple's explosive rally from near $350.00/share last November to well over
$600.00/share earlier this month has left many traders talking about whether the stock is
now in a bubble.

    (Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120424/527146 )

    Colin Cieszynski, Senior Market Analyst at CMC Markets (
http://www.cmcmarkets.co.uk) Canada said: Fundamental and technical indicators have
been sending conflicting signals about whether Apple is in a bubble From November 25th
through April 9th, Apple shares gained 74.9%. Over the same time frame, the Dow
Industrials went up 15.1%. The company also has blasted through the high end of a channel
and the chart has gone parabolic or nearly vertical. Technically this suggests that Apple
is probably in a bubble and vulnerable. In contrast,fundamental indicators suggest that
the stock could still have room to run for a while."

    These indicators include:

   
    - Apple's weighting in the NASDAQ 100 has jumped from 15% to 19% in recent
      months, but remains below the 20% level it was at in late 2010. Alarm bells could be
      triggered were this to rise into the 25-30% range in the coming months.
    - Apple's current Price to Earnings (P/E) Ratio has climbed up toward 18 but
      still remains low relative to most of the last decade.

   
    - Companies with a higher growth rate can support a higher P/E ratio. With 1
      being considered average for the PEG ratio and 2-3 sending out warning signals,
      Apple's current 0.3 ratio suggests considerable upside remains possible.

    With the explosive rally in the stock has also come a parabolic increase in
expectations for the company's products and financial results. Recent idle chatter around
the markets of a $1,000 share price or a trillion dollar market cap ($1,072 per share)
suggests that hopes have become extremely high for the company's continued success. Over
the last few weeks, however, technical signs have become more ominous, suggesting the
stock may be running out of steam. The real question of whether this is a speed bump or if
the bubble may be about to burst could be answered on April 24th, when Apple is due to
release its next earnings report.

    Colin Cieszynski continued: "While a positive result could send the shares
substantially higher over time, a miss could accelerate the correction that already
appears to be underway. A return to Apple's longer-term trend could take the shares back
toward the $400-500 range pretty easily. Based on current trading, whether Apple next move
either above $620 or below $580 could give a strong indication of whether the bulls or
bears prevail for the moment.."

   
    Table one
               Weight in
    Date       NDAQ 100     P/E
    12/31/01   0.90%
    12/31/02   0.90%       43.4
    12/31/03   90.00%     101.7
    12/31/04   0.90%      863.6
    12/31/05   6.00%       46.3
    12/31/06   6.70%       37.3
    12/31/07   6.70%       50.4
    12/31/08   9.80%       12.5
    12/31/09   15.40%      23.2
    12/31/10   20.00%      21.2
    12/31/11   15.00%      14.6
    04/05/2012 19.40%      18

    Source: Bloomberg, CMC Markets

    Table two

   
              EPS    Growth PEG
    09/30/05   1.56
    09/30/06   2.28  46.15% 0.52
    09/30/07   3.92  71.93% 0.69
    09/30/08   6.77  72.70% 0.37
    09/30/09   9.07  33.97% 0.35
    09/30/10  15.15  67.03% 0.26
    09/30/11  27.67  82.64% 0.25
    09/30/12F 44.03  59.13% 0.30
    09/30/13F 50.42  14.51%

    Source: Bloomberg, CMC Markets

    Notes to Editors

    CMC Markets (http://www.cmcmarkets.co.uk) is a leading global provider of
financial spreadbetting, CFD and foreign exchange (FX). Since Peter Cruddas founded CMC
Markets in 1989, the company now services more than 80,000 clients worldwide, who placed
approximately 30 million trades last year.

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Auckland, Oslo, Stockholm and Singapore, CMC Markets represents clients in over 70
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    For further information on CMC Markets please visit http://www.cmcmarkets.co.uk.

    The material (whether or not it states any opinions) is for general information
purposes only, and does not take into account your personal circumstances or objectives.
Nothing in this material is (or should be considered to be) financial, investment or other
advice on which reliance should be placed. No opinion given in the material constitutes a
recommendation by CMC Markets or the author that any particular investment, security,
transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person.

Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120424/527146

Source: CMC Markets

For more information please contact: Adam Smith or Kelly Hollidge at Teamspirit Public Relations on +44(0)207-360-7878 or cmcmarkets@teamspiritpr.com; Jane Bryant (Global PR Manager) at CMC Markets on +44(0)203-003-8911 or j.bryant@cmcmarkets.com