The high-flying valuation comes just over two years after Apple became the first company to be valued at US$1 trillion, with all of the gains coming in the past 21 weeks. Apple’s share price hit US$462.83 by market close. (The New York Times)

Talking point: Apple joins Saudi Aramco in having reached the mark, which sets it ahead of its nearest tech competitors: Amazon and Microsoft each have market capitalizations of about US$1.5 trillion, while Google’s is just over US$1 trillion. “Apple’s US$2-trillion valuation represents about 10 per cent of GDP for the U.S. and about seven per cent of the S&P 500,” David Kass, finance professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, told NBC News. Lawmakers around the world—as well as other companies—have scrutinized Apple’s dominance. Last week, its power over its App Store came into question, when it booted Fortnite after its creator, Epic Games, tried to bypass store fees; Epic is suing Apple as well as Google for allegedly violating antitrust laws.