Apple sell-off attributed to numerous factors by analyst

Shares of Apple (AAPL) are sinking today primarily because of a "misinterpreted" news report and a "technical breakdown" in the stock, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote in a note to investors this afternoon. Munster doesn't believe the reasons behind the decline hold much water and he recommends buying the stock amid the pull back. One of the primary factors behind the stock's decline is a report by Taiwanese website DigiTimes that Apple's demands for iPhone 5 parts and components may drop 20% in the first quarter of 2013, the analyst wrote. Such a decline, however, is to be expected, since the device was just launched during the current quarter, according to Munster. Also a major contributor to the stock's decline is the fact that the shares' 50 day moving average is nearing its 200 day moving average. At worst, this bearish technical development could cause the stock to decline another 10% from current levels, Munster believes. A third, less important factor behind the stock's sell-off is a decision by COR Clearing to increase its margin requirement on purchases of Apple's stock to 60% from 30%. This decision doesn't affect Apple's fundamentals as a company, the analyst believes. Finally, the announcement by Nokia (NOK) that its Lumia phones will be offered by China Mobile (CHL) by the end of the year could also be hurting Apple's stock, as some investors have speculated that China Mobile will offer the Lumia instead of the iPhone. Munster, however, still expects China Mobile to sell the iPhone in the second half of 2013. In mid-afternoon trading, Apple dropped $27.07, or 4.70%, to $548.78.