Apple's (AAPL) stock has pulled back sharply in recent weeks, falling ~10% from a high of $645 to $570.

This is in part due to the spectacular moonshot the stock enjoyed during the fall and winter, when it blasted from $400 to nearly $650. Apple's stock has often sold off after moves like this, and the current pullback may be just more of that behavior.

But, still, a change in trend like Apple's may indicate a fundamental concern. And these fundamental problems often start small and grow in importance over time, dragging the stock down with them.

So it's worth thinking about what investors might be worried about.

There are still a couple of catalysts that could drive Apple's stock higher this year, namely the launch of the iPhone 5 and the expected debut of the full-fledged Apple TV in the fall. But analysts have begun backing away from the expected launch date of the TV in recent weeks, which may be having some impact.

And there's the broader and more profound concern that, by 2013,

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The revival of the U.S. auto industry is a huge economic story and a major issue for the Presidential campaign, especially in the Midwest.

On Monday, presumptive Republican candidate Mitt Romney was in the ultimate swing state, Ohio, and spoke directly to the issue of the auto industry's revival.

"I pushed the idea of a managed bankruptcy, and finally when that was done, and help was given, the companies got back on their feet," Romney said during an interview with WEWS-TV in Cleveland, following a campaign stop at an auto parts maker. "So, I'll take a lot of credit for the fact that this industry has come back."

Come again?

Romney did advocate for managed bankruptcy in late 2008, but he also vehemently opposed the government bailouts that most experts agree made it possible. Opposing bailouts on principle is one thing and there is much to gripe about how the government handled the auto industry, most notably its treatment of Chrysler's debt

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The U.S. economy is better off than it was in 2008, although you wouldn't know it from what you hear on television. It's a misperception that Dan Gross, co-host of The Daily Ticker and economics editor at Yahoo! Finance, aims to correct in his seventh book, "Better, Stronger, Faster."

Gross argues that the nation has bounced back from a near-death experience. However, many aspects of the economy continue to drag — most notably housing and jobs. While the housing sector may have hit bottom, "the U.S. has a very long way to go to make up for the lost ground in the economy," says Gross.

In an interview with The Daily Ticker's Aaron Task, Gross describes how the U.S. has transformed itself into one of the world's largest export-driven economies. Since hitting bottom in 2009, U.S. exports have grown 45 percent on a monthly basis, Gross says. The hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs that were shipped overseas severely blunted the manufacturing sector, yet a turnaround for the industry and American workers looks promising. The Institute for Supply Management reported that its index of U.S. manufacturing activity rose to 54.8 in April, the highest level since June 2011, as new orders, production and employment increased. Readings above 50 indicate expansion.

Gross traveled across the country, meeting with small business owners and executives in various industries and sectors to get a firsthand look at how businesses and individuals have adapted since the 2008 crisis.