'Buy the Rumour, Sell the News': How Apple shares have fared on mega announcement day

Have you heard of the market adage 'buy the rumour, sell the rise'? There are a few examples out there that keep such market sayings alive. 

Did you know that Apple shares have generally staged mixed moves on the American technology giant's annual mega event in September?

The iPhone maker generally keeps its major launches, announcements and technological advancement showdowns for this day. 

For instance, in 2024, Apple launched the iPhone 16 series, introduced the Apple Watch Series 10, and announced a major iOS 18 software update. 

All in all, Apple's September launch events generally tend to witness slight intraday declines or muted performances, followed by gradual price recovery and outperformance over subsequent months as new products drive sales.

Here's how Apple shares have performed on the annual Apple September event that typically brings in major announcements, launches and pricing. 

Apple shares have shown a mixed but generally subdued reaction on the days of its annual September launch events, often referred to as "sell-the-news" events. In the past five years, this event has seen Apple shares see-sawing within a $2.5-5 range in intraday trade before closing within one per cent of their previous day's levels. 

In 2024, 2023 and 2022, the stock ended up to 1.0 per cent higher, dropped one per cent in 2021, and edged up 0.2 per cent in 2020, data shows. 

Apple Shares | What has changed in 2025 vs 2024?

Since the September 2024 event, Apple has slipped to the second-biggest American company by market value from the top. 

In September 2025, NVIDIA has taken the Numero Uno spot. 

Typically, Apple tends to underperform Wall Street benchmark S&P 500 on this day. It declined on 12 out of 17 such occasions between 2013 and 2023, averaging a modest intraday loss, according to foreign media.

However, the Apple stock usually outperforms the market modestly over the three months following the September event.