This year has started in stark contrast to its predecessor. After enduring its worst performance in over a decade, the stock market has bounced back. The major market indexes have each gained 20% or more from their respective bottoms, and by that measure suggest the start of the next bull market.

Yet while Wall Street has notched impressive gains so far this year, signaling that the recovery has begun, some segments of the consumer-facing economy still struggle. Such is the case with (NASDAQ: AAPL).

When the iPhone maker reported the results of its fiscal third quarter, ended July 1, revenue declined 1% year over year, marking the third successive quarter of falling sales. While that might not seem like a reason to celebrate, several underlying metrics suggest Apple is setting the stage for a robust recovery to come. 

Continue reading

Source Fool.com