Market downplaying risk for Google, Apple in US antitrust case, brokerage says
** Market is systematically underestimating the risk of adverse outcomes for Apple AAPL.O and Alphabet GOOGL.O in the antitrust case in which a U.S. judge ruled that the search giant was operating an illegal monopoly, says MoffettNathanson
** Judge Amit Mehta expressly singled out Google's more than $20 bln annual payments to AAPL for default search status to be illegal - brokerage
** About 50% of Google's U.S. search volume originates from iOS devices, with 60% of that iOS traffic driven by the default search arrangement - brokerage
** Any remedy proposal will include changes to Google's agreements, and it will have global implications - brokerage
** GOOGL and AAPL are both likely to feel constrained in their ability to make acquisitions during this period of heightened antitrust scrutiny - brokerage
** Shares of Apple down 1.2% at $224.14 and Alphabet dip 0.6% at $166.04 in premarket trading as rising bond yields push Big Tech stocks lower
** Still, brokerage raises GOOGL PT by $5 to $210, which represents ~26% upside to the stock's Friday close
** Up to last close, GOOGL up ~20% and AAPL up ~18% this year
Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru
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