Apple’s stock ticker woes jeopardize its status as the world’s most valuable company

We all know that Apple’s (AAPL) share price has been in a downward spiral lately, and the company could soon lose its status as the world’s most valuable company if things don’t turn around. As John Paczkowski at AllThingsD points out, Apple’s current market cap of around $456 billion is just over $50 billion greater than Exxon Mobil, which is the world’s second most valuable company with a market cap of $407 billion. While Apple still has a way to go before it falls back into the #2 position, Paczkowski thinks that significantly weaker-than-expected iPhone 5 sales may be enough to do the trick. One way or another, we’ll find out with Apple’s earnings next week whether the current Wall Street panic over Apple is legitimate or if it’s all been a bunch of noise.