Apple's market share in China dips below Oppo, Huawei and Vivo

Apple Inc.'s share of the Chinese smartphone market declined in the fourth quarter amid competition from local manufacturers, pushing its share further below that of Huawei, and below Oppo and Vivo for the first time, according to a new report by trends-tracker IDC. In the calendar-year fourth quarter, Apple sold 14.9 million phones in China, a year-over-year decline of roughly 13%. Its share of the Chinese market declined to 11% from 15% in the year-earlier period, while the top three Chinese manufacturers all gained share over the same period. Oppo's share increased to 18.1% from 10.2% in the year-earlier period, while Huawei's share increased to 16.9% from 15.7% a year ago, and Vivo's rose to 16% from 9.7% last year. Last week, Apple reported a 12% revenue decline across all of its products in Greater China, representing its only geographic decline. However, the company beat top- and bottom-line expectations on stronger-than-expected iPhone sales globally, and its stock has been on a rip ever since. Shares of Apple gained 0.9% to $130.18 in afternoon trade. They've increased nearly 20% in the past three months, outperforming the Dow Jones Industrial Average , up 12%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.