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A walkthrough of the Apple Stocks app

Monitor stocks, follow trends and more on your phone.

The Stocks app by Apple gives you the latest news and information on the stock market. You can add as many stocks as you want on your watchlist and read news, get notifications and watch real-time price updates.
This can often give you a better overview of your stocks than you could get with many popular stock brokers and trading platforms.

News at a glance

The first tab you’ll notice on the landing screen if you’re using an iPad is Business News From Yahoo. If you’re using an iPhone, it’ll appear on the bottom.
Tap it to access business stories on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 index and any stock or index you have on your watchlist. Drag the list down to close this tab.

How to read the Stocks app

The app allows you to track a variety of data like stock prices, fluctuation and market capitalization in a centrally located interface. Access this info by tapping the small rectangle — which is either green or red — to the right of a stock’s name and symbol. This will change the numbers you see.

What do the numbers mean?

Clicking through the numbers next to the stock name gives you a range of figures measuring losses, gains and its market capitalization.

Stock price

When you open the app, the number to the right of the stock name is the current stock price. This is how much it costs to buy a single share of those stocks. For example, in the picture below, the value for a share of Apple (AAPL) stock is $309.51.
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Stock price change

The stock price change is the colored box next to the stock price. This number tells you how much the stock price has changed since the market opened that day. Red means the price has gone down; green means it’s gone up.
Toggle between the stock price change, its market capitalization and price percentage change by tapping on the colored box. If the number in the colored box isn’t the stock price change, tap it until you see the correct info.
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Market capitalization

Find the market capitalization by tapping the colored box next to the stock price. It’s the total value of all the stock the company has ever issued and is used to measure the size of a company. For example, here it is $249.7 billion for Disney (DIS).
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Percentage change

Find the percentage change by clicking the colored box next to the stock name. It shows you the percentage the stock price has changed over the course of the day. Here, for example, the percentage change is -2.09% for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, an index of 30 leading US companies.
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Understanding the graph

By clicking a specific stock, you can view a graph with a breakdown, including its price over time. Select the time frame option to determine how far back you want the graph to show.
The options are: one day (1D), one week (1W), one month (1M), three months (3M), six months (6M), one year (1Y), two years (2Y) and five years (5Y).
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Slide your finger along the graph for an even more detailed view of a stock price. This lets you see prices at precise moments in time.
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Slide along the graph using two fingers to calculate the difference in stock price between the two points in time.
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Checking performance

To check the performance of a stock, the app gives you a snapshot of the numbers you need to know.
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Here’s what the figures mean:

  • Open: The price of the stock when it opened for trading that day.
  • Mkt Cap: Market capitalization is the total value of all the stock the company has ever issued.
  • High: The highest price the stock has reached since opening that day.
  • 52W High: The highest price the stock has reached in the last 52 weeks.
  • Low: The lowest price the stock has reached since opening that day.
  • 52W Low: The lowest price the stock has reached in the last 52 weeks.
  • Vol: The number of shares of the stock that have traded so far that day.
  • Avg Vol: The average number of shares traded daily.
  • P/E: The price-to-earnings ratio, which is its share price and earnings per share
  • Yield: The amount of money an investor is expected to get back from their investment in dividends, regardless of how the stock price changes (Yield = annual dividend/price of stock)

Not only does the Stocks app give you detailed statistics and information on specific stocks and markets, it helps you stay current on developments in the financial world. By showing news stories from various media outlets — including Yahoo Finance, Zacks, Investing.com and more — through Apple News, it keeps you updated on world business news. To access these stories, swipe up when you’re in the app.

The Stocks app lacks detailed analysis of stocks

While the Stocks app offers news articles and financial information, it lacks the more detailed analyses of competitors. If you’re looking for more comprehensive help researching stocks and planning investments, you may want to consider other apps or sites like Finny, TradingView or Finviz.

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How to manage stocks

The Stocks app is easy to tailor to your own interests. You can add and delete stocks from the homepage and change the order in which they appear.
To manage your stocks, tap Edit in the top right corner of the screen to enter the manage stocks screen.

To add a stock to your list:

  1. Open the manage stocks screen by clicking Edit in the top right corner.
  2. Tap the + button in the bottom right corner.
  3. Search for the stock you want and select the one you would like to add. Tap Add or Add to Watchlist.

To delete a stock:

  1. Go to the manage stocks screen.
  2. Press the red — button to the left of the stock you want to delete.
  3. Tap Remove on the right of the screen.

To rearrange stocks

To change the order of how the stocks appear on your screen, go to the manage stocks screen. Then press and hold the three dashes to the right of the stock you want to move and drag it to the position you want it to appear in.
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Can I buy shares on the Stocks app?

No, you can’t buy stock directly using the Apple Stocks app. It’s intended to provide updated information on the stock market, including stock prices and business news. To invest in a stock you see on the Stocks app, open an account with a broker, stock trading platform or app.

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How to control stock notifications

To stay up to date on the latest developments without opening the app, add the Stocks widget to your notification center. To do this:

  1. Swipe to the left of your iPhone’s home screen to the notifications center.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and tap Edit.
  3. Find the Stocks app and add it to your notification center.
  4. Tap Done to save.

Compare trading platforms

If you want to purchase stocks, you’ll need a brokerage account. Use the table to compare your options and find the right fit.

1 - 6 of 6
Name Product Ratings Available asset types Minimum deposit Stock trade fee Signup bonus
SoFi Invest®
Finder Rating: 4.6 / 5: ★★★★★
SoFi Invest®
★★★★★
Stocks, Options, ETFs, Cryptocurrency
$0
$0
Get up to $1,000 in stock
when you fund a new account within 30 days
tastytrade
Finder Rating: 4.8 / 5: ★★★★★
tastytrade
★★★★★
Stocks, Options, ETFs, Cryptocurrency, Futures
$0
$0
Get $100-$5,000
when you open and fund an account with $5,000 to $1,000,000+
Highly commended for Best Derivatives Trading Platform award.
eToro
Finder Rating: 4.2 / 5: ★★★★★
EXCLUSIVE
eToro
★★★★★
Stocks, Options, ETFs, Cryptocurrency
$0
$0
FINDER EXCLUSIVE: Get a guaranteed $25 bonus
when you sign up and deposit $100
Not available in NY, NV, MN, TN, and HI.
Public.com
Finder Rating: 4 / 5: ★★★★★
Public.com
★★★★★
Stocks, ETFs, Cryptocurrency, Art, Treasury Bills, Collectibles
$0
$0
2.5% fee applies to all alternative asset transactions.
Robinhood
Finder Rating: 4.2 / 5: ★★★★★
Robinhood
★★★★★
Stocks, Options, ETFs, Cryptocurrency
$0
$0
Get a free stock
when you successfully sign up and link your bank account.
Make unlimited commission-free trades, plus earn 5% interest on uninvested cash in your account with Robinhood Gold. Subscription fees apply.
Wealthfront
Finder Rating: 4 / 5: ★★★★★
Wealthfront
★★★★★
Stocks, ETFs
$500
$0
Get a $50 bonus
when you fund your first taxable Automated Investing Account.
Automated stock and bond ETF investing with the ability to trade individual stocks for as little as $1 apiece.
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Bottom line

The Stocks app from Apple is a convenient way to track how the stock market is performing, track its history and determine when might be a good time to make a move. But you have to use a trading platform to make any trades or buy stocks.
If you’re looking for a new platform to buy stocks, compare your options to find one that’s the right fit for you.

Paid non-client promotion. Finder does not invest money with providers on this page. If a brand is a referral partner, we're paid when you click or tap through to, open an account with or provide your contact information to the provider. Partnerships are not a recommendation for you to invest with any one company. Learn more about how we make money.

Finder is not an adviser or brokerage service. Information on this page is for educational purposes only and not a recommendation to invest with any one company, trade specific stocks or fund specific investments. All editorial opinions are our own.

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