Apple, Alphabet, and Amazon hurt as economic slump crimps demand

Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc., technology bellwethers with a combined market value approaching $5 trillion, posted results Thursday that show an economic slowdown is throttling demand for electronics, e-commerce, cloud computing and digital advertising — mainstays of the global tech economy.

Apple’s sales fell more than analysts predicted during the holiday quarter, slammed by slack purchases of iPhones and Macs. Amazon’s revenue was trimmed by soft consumer demand for products sold online and slowing growth in a once-booming business that provides remote computing power to companies. Alphabet’s results missed Wall Street estimates after customers curtailed orders for ads that appear alongside online search results.