Apple Inc. ($AAPL) experienced a strong rally in early August 2025, marking its best weekly performance since July 2020. The stock surged approximately 13% over the week, with gains reaching up to 14% in some reports, representing one of its top two-day and three-day relative returns since 2008 and 2009, respectively. This outperformance included a 10% lead over the Nasdaq index, the largest such gap in five years. The rally added more than $400 billion to Apple's market capitalization. Analysts noted this as Apple’s strongest week in four years and one of its best weeks since 2006. The surge coincided with a period of elevated stock buyback activity in the U.S., with companies projected to repurchase over $1.1 trillion in shares in 2025, an all-time high. Apple is reported to be the largest single purchaser, with buybacks totaling around $100 billion this year. Over the past decade, Apple has repurchased about 35% of its outstanding shares, equating to roughly $750 billion, contributing to a 782% increase in its stock price, or a compound annual growth rate of 24.3%. The stock price was noted around $230 during this period. The broader market saw all S&P 500 sector ETFs rise, with the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) also showing notable gains.