Apple surpasses $600B market cap

(MoneyWatch) Apple (AAPL) stock is flirting with a market capitalization of $600 billion. If the stock can hold $643.53 by today's close, it will get there and it will be the second company EVER to reach $600 billion. The first was Microsoft, which reached $604 billion at the end of 1999.

It seems like just yesterday Apple crossed the $500 billion market cap. It wasn't yesterday, but it was less than six weeks ago, on February 28, 2012. At that time, everyone marveled that it only took 40 days to jump from $400 billion to $500 billion.

Before you ask, Eric Savitz of Forbes has crunched the numbers: To get to a trillion dollars, Apple's shares would have to hit $1,073. Given that the company narrows the time horizon between each $100 billion in market cap, we might be talking $1 trillion sooner than you might expect!

• Q2 2007: $100B
• Q2 2010: $200B
• Q1 2011: $300B
• Q4 2011: $400B
• Q1 2011: $500B
• Q2 2012: $600B

Apple shares are up 57% year-to-date, and 90% in the past year.

Jill Schlesinger

Jill Schlesinger, CFP® is the Emmy-nominated business analyst for CBS News. She covers the economy, markets, investing and anything else with a dollar sign on TV, radio (including her nationally syndicated radio show), the web and her blog, "Jill on Money." Prior to her second career at CBS, Jill spent 14 years as the co-owner and chief investment officer for an independent investment advisory firm. She began her career as a self-employed options trader on the Commodities Exchange of New York, following her graduation from Brown University.

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