Apple achieved total revenues of $119.6 billion in the last quarter (French)

The giant American technology company, Apple, succeeded in overcoming a year-long decline in sales, announcing net profits of about $34 billion in the fourth quarter of last year.

According to Reuters, this positive result is largely due to strong sales of the iPhone, which increased by 6% to reach $69.7 billion in that period.

Apple's total revenues rose 2% to $119.6 billion, which represents the first increase after 4 consecutive quarters of decline.

Tim Cook confirmed revenue growth during the previous quarter (French)

Apple's resilience amid challenges

However, the company's sales in China regions, which include Apple's businesses in Taiwan and Hong Kong, saw revenues decline by about 13%. Although iPhone sales exceeded analysts' expectations, the company fell short in the services and Mac devices in addition to the iPad divisions, according to observers, which led to a 1.6% decline in the stock price during after-hours trading. The company's total profits increased by 13%, reaching $33.9 billion.

Apple's CEO confirmed that revenue growth had been achieved during the previous quarter, attributing the reason for this to iPhone sales.

Cook highlighted record revenues in the services sector, but concerns remain about Apple's ability to regain momentum, especially after Microsoft recently surpassed it as the most valuable publicly traded American company.

Despite the overall positive results, Apple faces challenges in its services division, which is under legal scrutiny. Experts point out that the company's revenues could be affected by repeated antitrust lawsuits, including the call related to the search engine deal with Google, which prompted the company to review its commission system in the App Store.

Meta achieved profits of about $14 billion in the last quarter of 2023 (Shutterstock)

Meta exceeds expectations

Meanwhile, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, reported profits of $14 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023, exceeding analysts' expectations. With its revenue reaching $40.1 billion, driven by about 3.1 billion monthly users on its social network, the company's shares rose by more than 12% in trading on the financial markets.

This positive financial performance coincides with the 20th anniversary of Facebook's founding, and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, expressed his optimism about the future. However, the company faces online safety challenges according to Bloomberg, which were highlighted during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the “online child sexual exploitation crisis.” Zuckerberg apologized at the time for the experiences of the victims' families and emphasized the evolving nature of online safety measures.

Amazon announced a 14% increase in revenue year over year, reaching $170 billion. (Getty)

Strong results for Amazon in 2023

Online shopping giant Amazon also showed strong financial performance in the last fiscal quarter, including the Christmas period. The e-commerce giant announced a 14% increase in revenue year-on-year, reaching $170 billion. Its profits for the period amounted to approximately $10.62 billion, driven by strong performance in retail and cloud performance.

Amazon's cloud services division saw a 13% increase in sales, reaching $24.2 billion.

The company's CEO, Andy Jassy, ​​highlighted a record holiday shopping season and strong closing for 2023, offering an optimistic forecast for the first quarter of 2024, with expected sales between $138 billion and $143.5 billion.

These financial reports reflect the flexibility of major American companies and their ability to adapt in a dynamic and competitive market environment.

Source: American press