Apple became the first publicly traded company to reach a US$1 trillion valuation during an intraday trading session on August 2, 2018.
Apple’s share price rose enough for the value of its outstanding shares to touch the trillion-dollar threshold. The company later confirmed the milestone on a closing basis, making it the first to finish a trading day above US$1 trillion as well.
The distinction between intraday and closing market capitalization matters. An intraday record can last only briefly before the share price moves below the threshold, while a closing record uses the official end-of-day price. News reports sometimes use the two descriptions interchangeably, but they are separate measurements.
Apple’s milestone followed years of growth in the iPhone, Mac, iPad, and services businesses. It also reflected share-count changes from stock repurchases, which can affect market capitalization calculations alongside the share price.