Apple is currently hosting a major event. The company is unveiling new products, including the AirPod 3, just in time for the Christmas season.
Meanwhile, Apple shares are experiencing a slight decline. The stock is trading down by $0.78, translating to a drop of -0.34%, at $237.
We are seeing the classic “sell the news” reaction, with the stock down slightly even as new products are announced. This short-term dip is often driven by traders who bought in anticipation of the event and are now taking profits. For us, this creates a potential window to establish positions for the next quarter.
From our perspective in 2025, we’ve seen this pattern before; looking back at the Q4 period in 2024, the stock climbed over 12% between the September product launch and the subsequent earnings report in January. The new product cycle, including the anticipated high demand for the AirPod 3, provides a catalyst for a potential repeat performance. We should view the current price action as a temporary consolidation before the next leg up.
The immediate move is to look at call options with expirations set for after the holiday sales figures are reported, likely in late January or February 2026. This allows us to capture the full momentum of the holiday shopping season. Wall Street consensus is already projecting a record-setting $130 billion in revenue for the upcoming quarter, and a bullish options strategy is the most direct way to trade this expectation.
Implied volatility is elevated right now because of the event, making it more expensive to buy options. An alternative strategy is to sell out-of-the-money puts, such as those with a $225 strike price, expiring in October or November 2025. This allows us to collect the high premium, and if the stock were to dip to that level, we would acquire shares at a price we find attractive for a long-term hold.
This bullish outlook is supported by the broader economic picture, as the most recent data from the Commerce Department showed consumer spending rose a healthy 0.5% in August 2025. This indicates a strong consumer appetite heading into the crucial holiday season. The combination of new products and a willing consumer base reinforces the case for positioning for upside in the coming weeks.
