Apple (AAPL) vs Microsoft (MSFT)
Live side-by-side comparison with current values, changes, and key statistics.
Why This Comparison Matters
Apple versus Microsoft is the cleanest consumer-versus-enterprise tech rotation signal. AAPL leading MSFT suggests consumer hardware, services, and device cycles are strong. MSFT leading AAPL reflects AI capex, cloud (Azure), and enterprise software spending, the themes that have dominated since 2023.
Cross-Asset Analysis
Apple (AAPL) captures apple Inc., the world's most valuable company by market cap, whereas Microsoft (MSFT) reflects microsoft Corp., enterprise software and cloud computing leader, and the difference between how they move is what the peer pair relationship is really about. Corporate action events, including buybacks or spin-offs affecting constituents of Apple (AAPL) or Microsoft (MSFT), can distort the spread relative to its intended factor tilt. Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) occupy the same asset class, and the relative performance between them isolates the specific factor that distinguishes one from the other.
Factor exposures embedded inside Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) drive their relative performance, with growth-value, large-small, and domestic-international all surfacing in the spread. Pairs like Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) trade tighter than either leg does individually, because the common component is high and the remaining idiosyncratic share is what the pair expresses. Late-cycle environments force Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) to express their respective defensive and cyclical tilts more sharply, making the spread a useful regime tell.
Overlay strategies trade the Apple (AAPL)-Microsoft (MSFT) spread through options or swaps when the underlying pair is directly tradable, sizing against realized spread volatility. Performance attribution leans on Apple (AAPL)-Microsoft (MSFT) spreads to separate security selection from style allocation inside multi-manager mandates.
90-Day Statistics
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the relationship between Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT)?+
Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) are connected through shared asset class exposure with different factor tilts. When the underlying asset class shifts, both respond, though with different sensitivities and at different speeds. The spread between Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) captures the specific macro signal that flows through this relationship.
When does Apple (AAPL) typically lead Microsoft (MSFT)?+
Apple (AAPL) tends to lead Microsoft (MSFT) during rotation episodes between the two factor exposures. In those periods, moves in Apple (AAPL) precede corresponding moves in Microsoft (MSFT) by days to weeks, depending on the transmission channel and the depth of each market.
How are Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) historically correlated?+
Long-run correlation between Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) varies by regime. Peers in the same asset class are highly correlated in direction, with the spread reflecting factor tilts and rotation dynamics. The correlation is not stable: it shifts with macro conditions, and the periods when it breaks down are often the most informative moments in the Apple (AAPL)-Microsoft (MSFT) relationship.
What macro conditions drive divergence between Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT)?+
Divergence between Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) typically arises from index reconstitution, mega-cap earnings surprises, or liquidity differences between the peers. When one asset's idiosyncratic drivers dominate, the spread moves in ways that the common macro story does not predict, which is usually a signal to look more carefully at the specific drivers at work in Apple (AAPL) or Microsoft (MSFT).
Is Apple (AAPL) a hedge for Microsoft (MSFT)?+
Peers like Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) do not hedge each other; both rise or fall with the shared asset class, and using the pair as a spread trade is different from using it as a hedge. Effective hedging requires matching the hedge to the specific risk being protected, and the Apple (AAPL)-Microsoft (MSFT) pair is best stress-tested under scenarios the investor most worries about before being sized into a real portfolio.
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Data sourced from FRED, CoinGecko, CBOE, and other providers. This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.