Will AAPL Stock Rally Again in 2026 to Help Apple Regain the Throne as the Biggest Company?

Group 1 - Apple has a year-to-date (YTD) loss of nearly 5%, underperforming the average S&P 500 Index, similar to last year's gain of only 8% [1] - Alphabet has surpassed Apple to become the world's second-biggest company after Nvidia, indicating a shift in market valuation [2] - Apple was the world's most valuable company until 2024, when it was surpassed by Nvidia and Microsoft, reflecting changes in market dynamics [3] Group 2 - The change in market leadership is attributed to the valuation of artificial intelligence (AI) plays, with Nvidia being the most valuable due to its foundational role in AI infrastructure [4] - Alphabet has improved its AI capabilities with the introduction of Gemini and increased demand for its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) from third parties, including a significant deal with Anthropic [5]