Positive surprises among tech giants: Apple, Amazon, and Intel impress

On Thursday, tech giants Apple, Amazon, and Intel presented pleasing results that surpassed analysts' expectations. Apple, famous for its iconic iPhones, benefited from the launch of new AI-equipped devices. Total revenue amounted to just under $95 billion in the fourth quarter, slightly above forecasts. However, the tech giant faced a decline in sales in China, and the rather cautious forecast for the coming months led to disappointment among analysts. This caused Apple shares to drop by 1.4% in after-hours trading. Amazon also performed strongly with results exceeding expectations. The e-commerce giant predicted a successful holiday season thanks to faster delivery times and a shift to more affordable products. According to analysts, retailers might welcome this outlook, especially as they had anticipated a less robust holiday season. Revenue from Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud division, increased by 19%, which disappointed some investors who had expected more. Nonetheless, the overall positive results led to Amazon shares rising by nearly 6% in after-hours trading. Intel also impressed with strong figures. The chip maker's shares rose by over 7% after the market closed, as the company is optimistic about its PC and server business. Although Intel exceeded revenue forecasts, the company still recorded a significant loss due to high restructuring costs. Despite previous shortcomings in high-quality AI chips and lagging behind competitors like Nvidia and AMD, Intel is now benefiting as one of the largest PC processor manufacturers from the AI-driven demand for new computers.