Source: Zhitong Finance "Since 1950, the S&P 500 index has risen more than 10% 21 times as of the end of May. In about 90% of these cases, the S&P 500 index rose for the rest of the year. There were only two instances of declines for the rest of the year, in 1987 (-13%) and 1986 (-0.1%)." With the rebound of the stock market, the old adage "Sell in May and Go Away" seems to have been a bad advice once again. Last month, the S&P 500 index rose 4.8%, the best May performance since 2009. The NASDAQ 100 index rose nearly 6.2%, and the NASDAQ Composite Index rose 6.9%. Goldman Sachs FICC & Equities Trading Division said: "History doesn't really support this saying. Don't sell, leave the market (go on vacation), and enjoy the good times." The rising trend is still to be continued? If history is any guide, it may indicate that the rise of the stock market is not over yet. Looking ahead to the rest of 2024, Scott Rubner, Managing Director of the Goldman Sachs Global Markets Division and tactical expert, pointed out the following historical background for investors. Rubner stated that the S&P 500 index has risen 10.7% year-to-date, and since 1950, the S&P 500 index has risen more than 10% 21 times as of the end of May. In about 90% of these cases, the S&P 500 index rose for the rest of the year. There were only two instances of declines for the rest of the year, in 1987 (-13%) and 1986 (-0.1%). "Since 1950, the median return of the last 7 months of each year (June 1 to December 31) is 5.4%. In the aforementioned 21 cases, the average performance of the last 7 months increased to 8.1%." Rubner added. Rubner also pointed out that the NASDAQ index has risen for 16 consecutive Julys, with an average return of about 4.64%.

$Apple (AAPL.US)$On Friday, it was announced that Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, has been approved to run its game market application on iPhones and iPads in Europe. Previously, Epic Games accused Apple of hindering its efforts to establish a game store on iPhones and iPads, escalating their dispute.

Apple Inc. stated that the recent dispute involved Epic Sweden AB's market and had nothing to do with the video game maker's 'Fortnite' application, which has been approved. App developers and anti-monopoly regulatory agencies have criticized Apple for its strict control over the iOS app ecosystem.

Prior to Apple's announcement, Epic had stated that Apple had twice rejected files submitted by the video game publisher to launch the Epic Games Store, citing similarities in the design of certain buttons and labels used by Apple's App Store.

In a series of posts on X, Epic stated: 'We use the same naming conventions for 'installing' and 'in-app purchasing' as popular app stores on multiple platforms, and follow the standard conventions for buttons in iOS apps.' 'Apple's rejection is arbitrary and obstructive, violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and we have expressed our concerns to the European Commission.'

Last month, the European Commission launched an investigation into Apple's checks and reviews to verify applications and alternative app stores for side-loading (installing applications through other means without using the device's official app store), but declined to comment.

Since 2020, Epic and Apple have been in a legal battle, with the gaming company alleging that Apple's in-app payment fee of up to 30% for its iPhone operating system (iOS) devices violated US antitrust laws.

Earlier this year, Apple proposed changes to its app store policies to comply with certain instructions of DMA, which came into effect in March this year. The company allowed the opening of other app stores on the iPhone and allowed users to choose not to use the in-app payment system, but set a 'core technology fee', which some developers still consider exploitative.

Editor/Lambor