Apple Record Earnings, Traders Weigh Big Tech, Fed Chair Pick Countdown

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Apple Inc. delivered record quarterly sales and a better-than-anticipated forecast for the current period, even as the company warned that rising component costs are threatening to squeeze margins. Revenue will rise 13% to 16% in the second quarter, exceeding the 10% projected by Wall Street, driven by strong demand for the new iPhone 17, growth in services and a rebound in China.

President Donald Trump said he would be announcing his pick for a nominee to chair the Federal Reserve on Friday morning, signaling an end to a months-long process that has spurred speculation over the future of the world's most powerful central bank. Trump, asked at an event Thursday evening in Washington when he would make his decision known, responded: "Tomorrow morning." Dollar Industries declined today. But there was a lot of volatility in the foreign exchange. For a closer look, we spoke to David Finnerty, Bloomberg's Rates/FX Strategist.

Asia technology shares are performing better then their US Counterparts. Apple's results drove the positive sentiment across the APAC along with a flurry of earnings out of South Korea this past week. For more perspective on the AI trade, we heard from Herald van der Linde, Head of Asia Pacific Equity Strategy at HSBC. He spoke to Bloomberg's Annabelle Droulers and David Ingles.

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