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Key Takeaways
- Shares of a smartphone giant and AI server maker were among the S&P 500’s top performers Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, while a large enterprise software firm continued to lose ground.
- Apple stock pushed higher following a report showing promising sales trends for the recently launched iPhone 17.
- Oracle shares continued to lose ground amid some concerns about the company’s capital expenditure plans, and reliance on revenue from OpenAI.
A tech industry titan got a boost on Monday as the latest edition of its flagship product showed promising sales momentum. Meanwhile, a software giant’s stock continued a slide that began last week amid questions about the company’s ability to reach lofty growth targets.
Major U.S. equities indexes moved higher as the markets kicked off a new week of trading that will bring a wave of earnings reports as well as key inflation data. The S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq all added over 1%. See here for more reporting from Investopedia on the day’s market moves.
Apple (AAPL) shares climbed nearly 4% to a closing record after a report revealed strong demand in the U.S. and China for the tech giant’s new iPhone 17 series. According to Counterpoint Research, sales of the latest smartphone in the company’s two key markets over the first 10 days of availability significantly outpaced those of the previous model.
Shares of server maker Super Micro Computer (SMCI) popped 5.5% as a technical analyst suggested that the stock could be forming a bullish cup and handle pattern. While Supermicro has drawn attention for massive opportunities related to AI infrastructure, the stock slumped in August after the company missed sales and profit forecasts in its latest earnings report.
Natural gas prices pushed higher as forecasts for colder weather over the coming weeks bolstered expectations for heating-related demand. Shares of Expand Energy (EXE), the largest natural gas producing company in the U.S., surged 6% to log the top performance in the S&P 500 Monday. Shares of natural gas peer EQT Corp. (EQT) gained close to 5%.
Reporting over the weekend highlighted intensifying regulatory scrutiny on adtech company AppLovin (APP) following reports earlier this month that the Securities and Exchange Commission has been investigating the tech firm’s data-collection practices. AppLovin stock dropped 5.6% Monday to lead decliners in the benchmark index.
Oracle (ORCL) shares sank close to 5% Monday, extending losses last week after the enterprise software giant shared lofty targets at its Oracle AI World conference in Las Vegas. While the company is targeting robust AI-driven growth, several Wall Street analysts raised concerns about the company’s capital expenditure plans, and reliance on revenue from OpenAI.
Shares of hard disk drive manufacturers Seagate Technology Holdings (STX) and Western Digital (WDC) fell 4.9% and 3.7%, respectively. Analysts at UBS recently lifted their price targets but maintained “neutral” ratings on the stocks of both data storage companies. The UBS team suggested that strong demand trends driven by the buildout of AI infrastructure into 2026 could give way to a potential cyclical downturn in 2027.

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