iOS 12 Stocks: New Charts and Business News

With the release of iOS 12, Apple completely redesigned the native Stocks app to offer users a modernized financial tracking experience. The update introduced fully interactive performance charts, extended market data including after-hours trading, and deep integration with Apple News. These enhancements transformed the app from a basic price-checking utility into a comprehensive, editorialized hub for market tracking across iPhone and, for the first time, iPad.

Interactive Financial Charts and Metrics

The core visual update in iOS 12 Stocks is the introduction of interactive, color-coded charts. Instead of static snapshots, users can touch and hold a finger on any chart to view specific prices, dates, and times across multiple timeframes, including one day, one week, one month, three months, six months, one year, two years, or the entire history of the asset.

Key charting and data additions include:

  • Watchlist Sparklines: Miniature trendlines appear alongside each ticker in the main watchlist, allowing users to see daily price trajectories at a glance without tapping into individual stocks.
  • After-Hours Pricing: Charts incorporate after-hours and pre-market trading data, providing a more accurate reflection of price movements outside standard market hours.
  • Comprehensive Key Stats: Located directly beneath each company’s chart, users can view essential fundamental data, including market capitalization, price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, dividend yield, 52-week high and low, beta, and average trading volume.

Curated Apple News Integration

iOS 12 replaced the previous Yahoo-driven news feed with direct integration from Apple News. This implementation operates on two distinct levels:

  • Top Stories Feed: Beneath the main watchlist, the app features a curated feed of major business headlines selected by Apple News editors. This provides macroeconomic context and major market-moving developments without requiring a separate news app.
  • Ticker-Specific News: Tapping on an individual stock surfaces articles specifically related to that company. Each entry includes the publication's name, article headline, publication timestamp, and a thumbnail preview.

iPad Optimization and Interface Overhaul

Alongside the new data features, the app received an interface overhaul adhering to modern iOS design standards, featuring bold headers and cleaner typography. For the first time, Apple also ported the Stocks app to iPad in iOS 12. On iPad, the app takes advantage of the larger display with a multi-column layout, displaying the watchlist on the left alongside expanded interactive charts and relevant business news articles side by side.