// COMPARE

Apple added 0.53% to $312.51, a quiet grind on Best Buy's positive read-through (gadget demand + tax refunds) without major company-specific news.

AAPL is the defensive mega-cap in this tape — institutional buyers add it on dips when AI-trade volatility picks up. Lack of own catalyst makes it a beta + buyback story this week.

PCE Friday for rate sensitivity; any iPhone/services data point in the consumer channel. $315 resistance; support $308. WWDC overhang is still weeks out.

S&P 500 climbed to 7,563.6 (+0.58%), printing fresh record territory on US-Iran ceasefire optimism. Dell earnings and a Pentagon software deal added a bid; breadth supportive.

Record highs on geopolitical relief plus the AI capex story still funding bids in mega-caps. Microsoft +3.47% on Pentagon deal news shows the institutional buyer hasn't blinked despite bubble chatter.

PCE Friday is the only big macro print. Above 7,600 opens 7,700; failure of 7,500 turns it into a profit-taking session. Watch VIX 15.74 — sub-15 would confirm the all-clear.