For the first time in almost a year, all of the U.S. retail stores of Apple Inc.
The milestone, along with the news over the weekend that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway BRK.B,
is still strong on its 5.4% stake in the technology giant, Apple shares sent AAPL,
with more than 5% on Monday, their biggest gain in more than four months.
Apple closed all its stores outside China on March 13, 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world. The stores in China were closed in February.
But as of Monday, all 270 Apple stores in the United States were open to some extent, though some still have restrictions, such as making appointments only. Shops in Texas reopened for the last time on Monday, following additional delays caused by the crippling winter storm in February.
9to5 Mac was the first to report the openings. It is also said that the only Apple stores closed worldwide are about a dozen in France and Brazil.
A number of US stores reopened from May last year, but many were forced to close again as the pandemic worsened and local restrictions tightened. The reopening of stores is seen as a chime on local business conditions, and is an encouraging sign of an economic recovery as COVID-19 vaccines become more widespread and cases fall nationwide.
Apple shares rose more than 5% on Monday, the best performance since a 6.4% rise on October 12. Apple shares have fallen 3.7% so far, but have risen 71% over the past twelve months, compared to Dow Jones’ industry average DJIA,
profits of 3% this year and 18% last year.