Apple Inc. and the National Fiscal and Monetary Policy

Apple Inc. is part of the electronic equipment industry that designs, manufactures, and markets mobile communications. Apple also creates and sells media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players worldwide. This company was founded in 1977 and serves various customers. Apple’s top three competitors are Blackberry Limited, Google Inc., and Hewlett-Packard Company (Yahoo Finance, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the financial health of Apple by using horizontal analysis, vertical analysis, ratio analysis, and Altman’s z-score for the year 2011, 2012, 2013.

This paper introduces six economic indicators that affect Apple Inc. and how they form part of the firm strategic plans and goals for the future of the firm. A definition this paper provides a definition of each economic indicator along with an explanation of how they affect the company’s domestic operations. In addition, the paper offers suggestions as of what the strategic response for each indicator should be.

Apple is in the private sector and is also a public limited company meaning stocks can be bought on the stock market and they are not owned by the government.

The first tool the Federal Reserve has for influencing the economy is through the federal funds rate. This allows a change in interest rates which means that banks may have to pay a higher or lower interest rate to the Federal Reserve for borrowing money. If the rate is increased it slows down the economy because the cost for money and credit is increased as well, but if the rate is decreased the economy is more likely to grow because money then becomes more available for investment and growth. The second tool used to influence the economy is through the purchasing or selling of federal debt. Selling federal debt tends to slow down the economy because people are less likely to invest. Buying federal debt tends to help the economy grow by allowing

The primary objective of the Federal Reserve is to stabilize the monetary environment. The Federal Reserve has focused on achieving price stability and maximum employment while avoiding a recession. Within the goals of the dual mandate, the Fed encourages a target inflation rate of 2 percent and the unemployment rate between 4.5 percent and 5.0 percent to maintain a healthy economy. As of today, the inflation rate is 2.3 percent and the unemployment rate is 4.2 percent.

Apple is one of the technology companies in America that have accumulated a large amount of cash reserves, having a $34.7 billion in the bank on June, 2015. This could generate calls for higher corporate tax in the United States, where income inequality has become a major political issue. Apple is heavily dependent on lower cost manufacturing in China. Social and political

The 2008 Great Recession helped in restoring economic growth and lowered unemployment. Both fiscal and monetary policies are related ways use to increase the aggregate demand and aggregate supply. So, a shift in the aggregate demand curve to the right is expansionary fiscal policy meaning government spending has to exceed (2012). The G- component aggregate demand help to spend, allowing the C- component of aggregate demand to increase. On the other hand, the monetary policy promotes spending, investments, and lending increasing aggregate demand. During the downturn, the systems concentrate on growing demand total while the supply strategy looked for long-term growth in productivity and efficiency (Pettinger, 2012).

All the people in the United States are effected by the fiscal policies. Team C will address the how and why the U.S. budget deficits, budget surpluses and debt effect different individuals and institutions. There are a wide array of individuals effected by fiscal policy, which include tax payers, future Social Security and Medicaid users will be effected. The unemployed individuals and University of Phoenix students will be effected by fiscal policy. The U.S. financial reputation , an exporter, and importer, and effects of the GDP will also be covered about the effects of the U.S fiscal policy.

The Fed, or The Federal Reserve is the Central banking system of the United States of America. This politically isolated central banking system of the United States Is to the rest of the world’s central banking systems, what the influence of the writings of John Locke, and the Magna Carta are to creation of the United States and its Declaration of Independence. Apart from a few minor/major economic crisis since its conception, The Federal Reserve system and its use of various monetary policies has stood as an example for the Central banking systems across the globe. The following will cover the various instruments that The Federal Reserve uses to shape its monetary policy. On top of that,

Apple new chief executive ‘Tim Cook’ does not seem concerned about the recorded short fall of the company since the passing of Co-founder Steve Jobs. Recorded losses in revenue for Apple fourth quarter could be significantly the result of many factors (Sky News, 2011). The main contributing factor, being the

We chose to research Apple Incorporated, one of the most innovative companies of our generation. It is safe to say that nearly every one in the US and many foreign countries have used or at least heard of Apple products. We will be looking at the macroeconomic variables that impact Apple’s business as well as how the current developments in the industry have impacted Apple’s financials and we will also look at how Apple competes with other firms in the same industry.

Apple, Inc. (formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc.) was incorporated in the State of California in 1977. Apple currently designs, manufactures, and markets a variety of computer and personal electronic products, including Macintosh computers, and the iPod digital music player. AppleÕs key markets are consumers, creative professionals, educational institutions, and business users.

Apple had nearly $137 billion of cash at the end of Dec 2012. Over the past few years, the Company had been highly successful with the launch of the iPhone 3G in 2008, and which was followed by the launch of iPad in 2010. The Company enjoyed high profitability, and was able to keep its costs at a minimum. The gross margin on the iPhone was between 49% and 58% from October 2010 to March 2012, and the gross margin on the iPad was between 23% and 32% in the same time period. Apple’s capital structure included no debt; hence, there was no outflow of cash for making interest payments.

The company started off as “Apple Computer,” best known for its Macintosh personal computers (PCs) in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Despite a strong brand, rapid growth, and high profits in the late 1980s, Apple almost went bankrupt in 1996 (Kim & Yoffie, 2010, p.1). This can be explained that Apple has become larger and more significant than other competitors put together in 1980. Because Apple failed to innovate in 1996, the company almost went bankruptcy but eventually Steve Jobs took Apple from bad situation to the company that can make billions of dollars through promoted itself as a hip alternative to other computer brands. Apple highlighted its computers as the world’s “greenest lineup of notebooks” that were energy efficient and used recyclable materials. The goal was to differentiate the Macintosh amid intense competition in the PC industry (Kim & Yoffie, p.4).

Apple Incorporated, formerly known as Apple Computers Incorporated, and more commonly known just as Apple, has lead the way in technology and innovation for consumer electronics with their slender storage capacities, vibrant displays, and incredible touch screen products. When they first started, their focus was more on personal computers for customers, but as the company has aged, so has their focus expanded towards this idea of consumer electronics as a whole. Seeing as they now offer popular devices including, but not limited to, computers (Mac Book), home theater (Apple TV), phones (iPhone), tablets (iPad), and media (iPod), it can clearly be