US trade regulators approve tariff exemption for Apple Watches

The iPhone maker had requested for an exclusion in October, seeking relief from US tariffs of 15% that took effect on September 1.

A customer checks Apple's new Apple Watch Series 4 after it went on sale at the Apple Store in Tokyo's Omotesando shopping district, Japan, September 21, 2018. REUTERS/Issei Kato (REUTERS)

US trade regulators have approved Apple's request to waive tariffs on China-made Apple Watches, the Office of the United States Trade Representative said in a letter dated Friday.

The iPhone maker had requested for an exclusion in October, seeking relief from US tariffs of 15% that took effect on September 1.

Apple's wearables and accessories business, which includes Apple Watch, AirPods and HomePod, raked in revenue of $24.5 billion in its fiscal year ended Sept. 2019, accounting for about 9.4% of its total sales.

Shares of the company were last down 2.3% at $223.89. The stock pared some losses after a Nikkei report said iPhone assembler Foxconn had secured enough workers to meet "seasonal demand" at all major Chinese plants.