Breakfast News: Apple's Bold New Plans?

Breakfast News: Apple's Bold New Plans?

November 17, 2025

1. Apple's New iPhones... and CEO?

Apple (AAPL 1.36%) is planning a major iPhone overhaul, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Following the launch of the iPhone Air and revamped iPhone 17 Pro in September, the report suggests we'll see three completely new models over the next three years. The rumored schedule? A foldable iPhone in fall 2026, followed by curved glass and an under-display camera in 2027.

• Rethinking the annual fall focus: New plans include splitting annual product releases into two periods, Gurman says, easing the seasonal spike in pressure on the company. Spring hardware launches would echo Apple's evolving software rollout timings.
• Tim Cook succession: A Financial Times report claims Tim Cook could step down as CEO early next year. It could be timed to fit in between January's earnings update and June's Worldwide Developers Conference. Under Cook, Apple's market cap has soared from $350 billion to $4 trillion.

2. Markets Await News, BTC Down

S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures edged up this morning, as the AI-fueled tech stock rally remains stalled. The S&P 500 dipped 0.08% last week, with the Nasdaq down 0.45%. As the government shutdown raised questions on economic data and interest rates, some analysts suggest we're in a 'wait and see' phase.

• Bitcoin market value falls $600 billion: Bloomberg quantified crypto weakness, as Bitcoin (BTC 1.34%) fell 11.15% in the seven days ending Sunday. That's down 25% from its all-time high of over $126,000.
• "With the shutdown resolved, all eyes will now be on the incoming data dump": Shruti Mishra at Bank of America (BAC 0.44%) points to an expected information flood, with the delayed September jobs print now expected Thursday. It will follow the latest import price index due Tuesday, and a U.S. trade deficit update on Wednesday.

3. Key Tech Earnings to Watch This Week

Nvidia (NVDA 1.29%) is in the headlines with third-quarter earnings due Wednesday, as analysts expect revenue and earnings to grow 56% and 54% respectively. What to watch? TMF analyst Buck Hartzell notes: "It's usually the future guidance that will most impact the stock price on earnings day. There is a lot of implied future growth built into the price today."

• Superscore of 76 on our Hidden Gems Primary database: Wednesday brings Q1 earnings from cybersecurity specialist Palo Alto Networks (PANW +0.31%), following strong revenue and earnings beats in the final quarter of fiscal 2025. Palo Alto has beaten the S&P 500 by 1,342% since first being selected for Rule Breakers in 2014.
• Double-digit growth expected: Stock Advisor rec Veeva (VEEV 0.26%) reports Q3 Thursday, after the life sciences cloud software developer raised full-year guidance at Q2 time. Analysts predict 13% revenue growth year over year this time, with earnings up 11%.

4. Q3 Retail Earnings in View

The economic impact on consumers should become clearer with this week's earnings from retailers. Dividend Investor rec Home Depot (HD 0.07%) is due to report Tuesday, after just missing analyst expectations in Q2. Watch for updates on full-year sales growth guidance, previously at 2.8%. There's a 2.5% dividend forecast.

• Revenue up 7% in Q2: We'll see if TJX (TJX +0.36%) can follow on from top- and bottom-line beats last time, with the latest from the clothing and home goods discounter due Wednesday. Lowe's (LOW +0.18%) and Target (TGT 0.29%) report the same day.
• "Walmart has been 'eating' some of the costs so far": At Q2 time, Fool analyst Seth Jayson suggested tariff impacts can take time to work through, as Walmart (WMT 0.12%) posted a 5% revenue rise. We'll have a Q3 update Thursday, as President Trump rolls back import taxes on coffee, beef and dozens of other foods.

5. Your Take

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