{"id":59044,"date":"2026-02-24T12:38:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T16:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/apple-shareholders-reject-china-probe-uk-warns-on-lose-lose-tariffs-as-oil-spikes\/59044\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T12:38:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T16:38:31","slug":"apple-shareholders-reject-china-probe-uk-warns-on-lose-lose-tariffs-as-oil-spikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/apple-shareholders-reject-china-probe-uk-warns-on-lose-lose-tariffs-as-oil-spikes\/59044\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple Shareholders Reject China Probe; UK Warns on &#8220;Lose-Lose&#8221; Tariffs as Oil Spikes"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Apple (<a href=\"\/stock\/AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>) shareholders rejected a proposal<\/strong> for a &quot;China Entanglement Audit,&quot; choosing instead to back management and approve executive pay packages.<\/li>\n<li><strong>UK Trade Minister Peter Kyle warned that tariffs are &quot;lose-lose,&quot;<\/strong> stating that seeking a comprehensive deal now could &quot;hold us back&quot; while insisting the existing UK-US agreement stands.<\/li>\n<li><strong>President <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> extended the <em>de minimis<\/em> suspension<\/strong> via executive order, ensuring that low-value imports remain subject to a new <strong>10-15% global import surcharge<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Brent crude oil surged to $72.50 per barrel<\/strong>, hitting a seven-month high following reports of explosions in Iran and heightened Middle East tensions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Apple Shareholders Back Management at Annual Meeting<\/h2>\n<p>At the <strong>Apple (<a href=\"\/stock\/AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>)<\/strong> Annual General Meeting held on February 24, 2026, shareholders overwhelmingly rejected a proposal from the <strong>National Center for Public Policy Research<\/strong> requesting a report on the company&#39;s &quot;China entanglements.&quot; The failed resolution sought an audit of the risks associated with <strong>Apple\u2019s<\/strong> heavy reliance on Chinese manufacturing and the potential for supply chain disruptions.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the rejection of the China probe, investors approved all company-sponsored proposals, including the &quot;Say on Pay&quot; vote for executive compensation. This confirms support for CEO <strong>Tim Cook\u2019s<\/strong> 2025 target compensation of approximately <strong>$74 million<\/strong>, the majority of which is comprised of stock options. <em>Market analysts suggest the vote reflects investor confidence in Apple&#39;s ongoing efforts to diversify its supply chain into India and Vietnam.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>UK Trade Minister Warns Against &quot;Lose-Lose&quot; Tariffs<\/h2>\n<p>UK Trade Minister <strong>Peter Kyle<\/strong> addressed a parliamentary committee today, branding the latest round of global tariffs as a <strong>&quot;lose-lose&quot;<\/strong> scenario for both the British and American economies. Kyle emphasized that while the UK still &quot;aspires to a comprehensive trade deal&quot; with the U.S., rushing into such negotiations at this moment could <strong>&quot;hold us back&quot;<\/strong> rather than provide immediate relief.<\/p>\n<p>Kyle noted that a successful trade agreement requires <strong>&quot;two partners who want it&quot;<\/strong> and asserted that the deal previously negotiated with the U.S. still stands. The UK government is currently lobbying the White House to maintain a <strong>10% tariff rate<\/strong> agreed upon last year, rather than the <strong>15% global surcharge<\/strong> recently proposed by the <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> administration.<\/p>\n<h2>U.S. Extends De Minimis Suspension to Protect New Tariffs<\/h2>\n<p>The White House has posted a notice of a new executive order from <strong>President Trump<\/strong> extending the suspension of <strong>de minimis<\/strong> treatment for all countries. This move ensures that shipments valued under <strong>$800<\/strong>, which previously entered the U.S. duty-free, will remain subject to the new <strong>Section 122<\/strong> temporary import surcharge.<\/p>\n<p>The order follows a <strong>Supreme Court<\/strong> ruling that struck down previous tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). By utilizing <strong>Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974<\/strong>, the administration aims to address &quot;fundamental international payments problems&quot; through a <strong>10% to 15% ad valorem duty<\/strong> on nearly all imports, effective immediately.<\/p>\n<h2>Oil Markets Spooked by Reports of Explosions in Iran<\/h2>\n<p>Global energy markets reacted sharply to reports of explosions in <strong>Iran<\/strong>, with <strong>Brent crude<\/strong> futures touching a seven-month high of <strong>$72.50 per barrel<\/strong>. <strong>WTI crude<\/strong> also saw significant gains, rising to <strong>$67.28<\/strong> as traders priced in a heightened risk premium for Middle Eastern supply.<\/p>\n<p>The price spike occurred roughly <strong>90 minutes<\/strong> after initial reports surfaced, reflecting a volatile environment ahead of scheduled nuclear talks in Geneva this Thursday. <em>While prices pared some gains later in the session, analysts warn that any signs of military escalation could push Brent toward the $90 mark by late 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Apple (AAPL) shareholders rejected a proposal for a &quot;China Entanglement Audit,&quot; choosing instead to back management and approve [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"rank_math_schema_Article":[],"rank_math_focus_keyword":[],"rank_math_description":[],"financial_data_references":[],"stock_symbols_mentioned":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5012],"tags":[1947,4083,4179,4180,4664,4687,5024,5102,6468],"class_list":["post-59044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","tag-oil","tag-uk","tag-tariffs","tag-trump","tag-iran","tag-ieepa","tag-trade","tag-us","tag-aapl-stock-aapl-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59044\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}