Microsoft gains $450B in market value after strong quarterly results
Microsoft added nearly $450 billion in market value on Thursday, the largest single‑day gain ever recorded by any company, after reporting stronger‑than‑expected quarterly results and forecasting 45% constant‑currency growth for Azure in its fiscal first quarter of 2027. The surge lifted Microsoft’s market capitalisation to $3.35 trillion, surpassing Nvidia’s previous record one‑day gain of $441 billion set in April 2025. The results eased investor concerns that the company’s massive AI infrastructure investments would fail to generate returns, with at least nine brokerages raising their price targets to a mean of $560.90. Microsoft said capital expenditure plans remain unchanged, projecting $50 billion for the fiscal first quarter of 2027 and $175 billion for the full 2026 calendar year. The firm also announced it is cutting about 2.1% of its global workforce while simultaneously expanding AI ambitions through the new Microsoft Frontier Company, backed by $2.5 billion to help large enterprises deploy AI tools from multiple providers, starting with clients like Unilever and Novo Nordisk. For Nigerian investors and tech watchers, the rally signals that AI‑driven cloud demand is accelerating rather than plateauing, reinforcing the potential returns on large‑scale AI spending. Will you reassess your tech‑sector exposure or consider how Azure’s growth might influence local cloud adoption strategies?