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436 stories mentioning MicrosoftUpdated 2d ago

Rose with tech stocks in a broad rally; its Xbox studio Compulsion Games is reportedly planning to shut down.

Equities

S&P 500 Posts Weekly Gain Amid AI Monetization Optimism

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1.1% this week as hyperscalers showed the mega spend on the artificial intelligence buildout is being monetized.The market benchmark ended the week at 7,489.72. The index is now down 0.1% quarter-to-date but up 9.4% year-to-date.Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon.com (AMZN) rose this week as quarterly results from the tech giants showed revenue growth in areas related to AI products and services, helping calm worries surrounding hundreds of billions of dollars of investments earmarked for the AI buildout.Microsoft reported triple-digit AI annual recurring revenue growth and an accelerating Azure trajectory into the end of 2026, Dan Ives, global head of technology at Wedbush Securities, said in a note to clients. The software behemoth's quarterly results, which included Azure's full-year revenue surpassing $100 billion for the first time, reinforced the idea that "any knee-jerk reactions to the elevated capex framework represent strong buying opportunities," Ives said.Shares of Microsoft were up 22% this week.The consumer discretionary sector in the S&P 500 had the largest percentage gain of the week, up 8.3%, followed by a 5.4% advance in communication services and a 1.2% rise in consumer staples.Sales at Amazon's cloud computing unit delivered the fastest growth in 18 quarters, helping the e-commerce giant exceed market expectations for Q2 earnings and revenue. Shares jumped 17% this week even as the e-commerce behemoth expanded its capital expenditure by about $20 billion to $220 billion.A consortium of banks led by Morgan Stanley (MS) is in talks to lend $15 billion to a data-center developer to build a campus and power plant for Anthropic in Texas, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google would provide financial guarantees and chips for the project. Shares of Alphabet are up 12% this week.The three worst-performing S&P 500 sectors this week were utilities, real estate and materials, down 4.2%, 2.2%, and 1.7%, respectively.C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW) said a jury in Texas issued a $604 million advisory verdict against the firm and two other defendants in a lawsuit stemming from a trucking accident involving an independent motor carrier. Shares declined 21% this week.Edison International (EIX) said Thursday that Southern California Edison believes it is likely its equipment was associated with the ignition of the 2025 Eaton Fire, according to a Thursday quarterly filing. Southern California Edison recorded $1.6 billion in settlement-related losses and said it expects to incur additional material losses related to the fire, per the filing. Shares of Edison slumped 8% this week.Palantir Technologies (PLTR), Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Caterpillar (CAT), Walt Disney (DIS), SanDisk (SNDK), Uber Technologies (UBER) and Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO) are among the companies reporting their quarterly results next week.Economic data due next week includes non-farm payrolls, job openings and labor turnover survey, and ISM manufacturing and services purchasing managers' indexes.

S&P 500$AMD$AMZN$CAT$CHRW$DIS$EIX$GOOG$GOOGL$MS$MSFT$PLTR$SNDK$SPCX$TTWO$UBER
Asia Markets

US Equity Indexes Rise This Week as AI Monetization Evidence in Big-Tech Quarterly Results Energizes Bulls

US equity indexes rose this week as investors selectively rewarded big tech for delivering evidence that AI spend is being monetized, helping outweigh a surge in government bond yields.* The S&P 500 closed at 7,489.72 on Friday versus 7,411.98 a week ago. The Nasdaq Composite stood at about 25,373.85, compared with 24,975.82 a week earlier. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended at 52,485.03, versus 51,947.25 at the end of last week.* Amazon's (AMZN) cloud-computing unit reported overnight the fastest sales growth in 18 quarters. Shares soared even as the retailer expanded its full-year 2026 capital expenditure guidance by about $20 billion to $220 billion.* The Microsoft (MSFT) intelligent cloud segment's revenue increased 32% to $39.31 billion, buoyed by 43% growth in Azure and other cloud services, according to the company. Analysts expected a 40% year-over-year advance in Azure sales.* President Donald Trump said the US has an "understanding" with Israel to begin implementing an agreement in Gaza that would require Israeli forces to withdraw and Hamas to give up its weapons, a critical step in implementing a multi-phase peace plan to end the war, CNN reported.* The Fed held its policy rate steady in a divided decision, as three officials called for policy tightening. The central bank reiterated its pledge to "deliver price stability" as inflation has remained above its 2% target amid supply shocks. The CME FedWatch tool showed a 66% probability of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates by 25 basis points in September, up from 51% a month ago, with the likelihood of rate increases also climbing in October and December.* In economic news, the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, price index fell in June, as expected, cutting the year-over-year rate. Core PCE climbed less than forecast, helping to drive a decline in the annual rate.* The US 10-year yield traded at 4.74% late Friday, after earlier touching its highest level in 52 weeks.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$AMZN$MSFT
Stocks Rise Pre-Bell as Amazon Results Lift AI Trade Sentiment
US Markets

Stocks Rise Pre-Bell as Amazon Results Lift AI Trade Sentiment

The benchmark US stock measures were tracking in the green before the open Friday as Amazon's (AMZN) better-than-expected quarterly results improved sentiment around the artificial intelligence trade.The S&P 500 rose 0.4%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.5% and the Nasdaq gained 1.1% in premarket activity. The indexes finished the previous trading session up, with the Nasdaq snapping a six-day losing streak and recording its biggest single-day percentage gain since June 15.Shares of Amazon rose 13% pre-bell after the e-commerce giant reported second-quarter earnings above Wall Street's estimates amid a 37% jump in its Amazon Web Services cloud computing business."Amazon's (second-quarter) print was exactly what bulls wanted," RBC Capital Markets said in an emailed client note on Friday. "AWS's accelerating 37% growth beat the bogey, the backlog meaningfully accelerated and AWS's margin flow-through would suggest AI may not be the (return on investment) depressant it's been made out to be."Apple (AAPL) fell 7.1% early Friday as the company missed market estimates for iPad and services revenue in its fiscal third quarter. The tech giant recently increased prices for MacBooks and iPads amid surging memory and storage chip costs.Meta Platforms (META) rose 1.9% while Microsoft (MSFT) was down 0.5% following a 16% jump at the close of Thursday trading. Social media platform Reddit (RDDT) fell 9.3% following its latest quarterly results.Government data on Thursday showed that the US personal consumption expenditure price index decreased 0.1% month over month in June, marking the first decline since April 2020. A separate report showed that US economic growth slowed more than expected in the second quarter, though consumer spending seemed to shrug off intensifying price measures.Treasury yields were trending higher in premarket action, with the two-year rate increasing 2.7 basis points to 4.26% and the 10-year rate adding 0.6 basis points to 4.67%.Iran's army said Friday that it launched strikes on strategic US assets and military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, following Washington's attack against Iran earlier in the week, CNBC reported, citing state media.Saudi Arabia on Thursday reportedly proposed to form a naval alliance to protect key shipping routes in the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz, with Iran and its Houthi allies in Yemen continuing to attack vessels amid the ongoing conflict with the US. About 40 countries attended a meeting to discuss strengthening maritime cooperation, the Saudi Defense Ministry reportedly said.West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 0.4% at $83.93 a barrel before the opening bell, while Brent advanced 0.7% to $89.53.Oil giants ExxonMobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) report their latest financial results before the bell, along with AbbVie (ABBV), Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Moderna (MRNA), Magna International (MGA) and AutoNation (AN).Friday's economic calendar has the Chicago purchasing managers' index for July at 9:45 am ET, followed by the final University of Michigan consumer sentiment report for the same month at 10 am. The weekly Baker Hughes oil-and-gas rig count is out at 1 pm.Gold declined 1.2% to $4,113 per troy ounce, while bitcoin shed 1.6% to $63,713.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$AAPL$ABBV$AMZN$AN$CL$CVX$META$MGA$MRNA$MSFT$RDDT$XOM
Amazon Shares Surge on Cloud-Driven Quarterly Beat; CapEx Outlook Raised
US Markets

Amazon Shares Surge on Cloud-Driven Quarterly Beat; CapEx Outlook Raised

Amazon.com (AMZN) shares were soaring early Friday after the e-commerce giant's second-quarter results topped Wall Street's views amid cloud-computing business strength, while the company lifted its capital expenditure guidance.Net income jumped to $5.75 a share for the June quarter from $1.68 a year earlier, Amazon said late Thursday. The consensus on FactSet was for $1.82. Net sales climbed 20% to $200.61 billion, surpassing the Street's view for $197.04 billion.The company's shares were up 11% in premarket activity Friday.Sales at the Amazon Web Services cloud-computing unit surged 37% to $42.23 billion, marking the fastest growth in 18 quarters. "Customers continue to increase cloud migrations and scale up their use of AWS core services," Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said during an earnings call late Thursday, according to a FactSet transcript. "As customers invest in (artificial intelligence), we see core spending increase in core consumption.""We've long believed AWS could become a few hundred-billion-dollar revenue business and now believe it'll be at least double that, and very possibly be a $1 trillion annual revenue business for us in time," Amazon Chief Executive Andy Jassy said on the call.For 2026, the technology giant now expects to spend roughly $220 billion in cash CapEx, up from its previous estimate of $200 billion, driven by the higher cost of memory, Jassy told analysts. "But even at that amount, we will still not have enough capacity to meet all the demand we have in 2026, and I believe this dynamic will also be true in 2027."Amazon expects to spend "a lot of CapEx and encounter free cash flow headwinds" in the short term amid strong demand for the development of data centers and before it can start monetizing from them, Jassy said on the call. "But as we get a few years out and the revenue growth outpaces the incremental CapEx growth, which will happen at some point, the resulting revenue, free cash flow and return on invested capital is very compelling."Second-quarter CapEx came in at $53.1 billion, while free cash flow was a negative $7.6 billion for the trailing 12 months, compared with an inflow of $18.18 billion a year earlier, mainly reflecting AI investments, according to the company.Recently, Microsoft (MSFT) said it anticipated CapEx in fiscal 2027 to increase year over year, with the metric to exceed $50 billion in its fiscal first quarter. Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms (META) raised the lower end of its CapEx guidance. Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) shares came under pressure last week after the Google parent indicated rising AI capital spending that analysts said could drive a bigger cash burn than previously projected.Amazon delivered the "cleanest beat" among the hyperscalers within Wedbush Securities' coverage, while the e-commerce giant's management also provided the "most explicit walk through" of how it will achieve return on invested capital on its CapEx spend, the brokerage said Friday."This clean beat and walk through are the factors in our view on the different share reaction between (Alphabet) and (Amazon) on what we view as similarly strong fundamental prints with raises in CapEx," Wedbush said in a note to clients, as its increased its price target on the Amazon stock to $310 from $293 and reiterated its outperform rating.For the ongoing quarter, Amazon expects net sales between $197 billion and $202 billion, while the Street is looking for $202.76 billion. Excluding the impact of the company's Prime Day sales event in both 2025 and 2026, this year's September quarter year-over-year growth would be nearly 400 basis points higher, according to the company.

$AMZN$GOOG$GOOGL$META$MSFT
Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Surge as Microsoft Triggers Rebound in Chipmakers While Inflation Rate Falls in June

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes soared Thursday as semiconductors rebounded after Microsoft's (MSFT) quarterly results revealed evidence of AI monetization and a closely watched inflation gauge showed a decline for June.The Nasdaq Composite catapulted 2.8% to 25,122.18, the S&P 500 jumped 1.7% to 7,437.63, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.2% to 52,208.06.Technology was the standout gainer, up 5.2%, followed by consumer discretionary. Communication services, consumer staples, and health care led the decliners.Microsoft's intelligent cloud segment revenue surged 32% to $39.31 billion, buoyed by an astounding 43% growth in Azure and other cloud services. Analysts expected a 40% year-over-year advance in Azure sales. Shares of Microsoft shot up 16%, one of the top gainers in the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and the Dow."This was another standout quarter by Nadella & Co. with triple-digit AI [annual recurring revenue] growth and accelerating Azure trajectory into the end of FY26, reinforcing that any knee-jerk reactions to the elevated capex framework represent strong buying opportunities as Redmond's structural AI moat only widens from here," Dan Ives, global head of technology at Wedbush Securities, said in a note.Arm (ARM) shares rose 6.2% after the semiconductor group reported a fiscal Q1 beat for adjusted earnings and revenue.A consortium of banks led by Morgan Stanley (MS) is in talks to lend $15 billion to a data-center developer to build a campus and power plant for Anthropic in Texas, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google would provide financial guarantees and chips for the project. The deal could be announced as soon as today, the report said.VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH), with net assets of $77.2 billion, advanced 6.9%, as chipmakers are major beneficiaries of AI-related spending. Among companies with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion, six of the top 10 gainers on Thursday were from the semiconductors and semiconductor equipment and materials industries, according to data compiled by Finviz.In economic news, the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, price index fell 0.1% in June, as expected, cutting the year-over-year rate to 3.7% from 4.1%. The price index rose by 0.5% in May. The core PCE price index climbed 0.1% in June, below the 0.2% gain expected and following a 0.3% growth in May. The year-over-year rate dropped to 3.3% from 3.4%, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.An advance BEA reading of gross domestic product showed 1.5% growth in Q2, after a 2.1% increase in Q1 and missing the 2.0% gain forecast in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.US Treasury yields traded mixed, with the 10-year up 5.3 basis points to 4.68%.In precious metals markets, gold futures jumped 1.9% to $4,173.5, and silver futures advanced 2.5% to $59.53.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate was down 0.9% at $83.70 a barrel, while global benchmark North Sea Brent declined 1.8% to $89.15 a barrel.Late Wednesday, US forces completed a "heavy wave" of strikes against Iran in response to Tuesday's attempted missile attacks on US forces, according to CENTCOM. Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted US bases in Kuwait and Jordan following Washington's strikes on Iran, Al Jazeera, a Middle East broadcaster, reported, citing the IRGC.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$ARM$GOOG$GOOGL$MS$MSFT$SMH
Update: Nasdaq Composite Snaps 6-Day Slump as Microsoft Soars
US Markets

Update: Nasdaq Composite Snaps 6-Day Slump as Microsoft Soars

(Updates with market moves at the end of the day.)The Nasdaq Composite surged Thursday, rebounding after a six-day losing streak, as Microsoft's (MSFT) shares moved 16% higher in a post-earning rally.The technology-heavy Nasdaq gained 2.8% to close at 25,122.18, its biggest single-day percentage gain since June 15. The S&P 500 rose 1.7% to 7,437.63, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.2% to 52,208.06. Among sectors, tech paced the gainers with a 5.2% advance, while communication services led the laggards.Microsoft soared almost 16%, the top gainer on the Dow. Its quarterly results released late Wednesday topped estimates driven by a revenue surge in cloud computing platform Azure."This year, Azure revenue surpassed $100 billion for the first time, and Microsoft 365 Copilot reached over 30 million paid seats, reflecting the confidence customers are placing in us to power their (artificial intelligence) transformation," Chief Executive Satya Nadella said in a statement on Wednesday.Sandisk (SNDK) surged 26%, the top performer on the S&P 500, while other chip-related stocks also logged sharp gains, such as Micron Technology (MU), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Intel (INTC).Meta Platforms' (META) shares slumped 8% as the technology giant provided a soft third-quarter revenue outlook following an unexpected year-over-year decline in quarterly earnings. It raised the lower end of its capital expenditure guidance."Microsoft shows clearer AI revenue through Azure and Copilot, while Meta still depends mainly on advertising," Saxo Bank said in a report.Amazon.com (AMZN) was the Dow's third-biggest gainer, up 3.9%. The e-commerce giant and Apple (AAPL) released their latest quarterly results after the closing bell on Thursday.Treasury yields were mixed, with the 10-year rate up 5.1 basis points at 4.67%, while the two-year rate was little changed at 4.25%.In economic news, the US personal consumption expenditure price index fell 0.1% month over month in June, marking the first decline since April 2020, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Thursday. That helped cut the year-over-year rate to 3.7% from 4.1%.Separate data showed US economic growth slowed more than expected in the second quarter, though consumer spending seemed to shrug off intensifying price measures.West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.9% at $83.71 a barrel in Thursday late-afternoon trade, while Brent fell 1.8% to $89.15. Both benchmarks are on track for hefty gains this month, following two consecutive monthly declines.The US carried out fresh strikes against Iran on Wednesday in response to Tehran's attempted missile attacks on US forces in the Middle East a day earlier, the US Central Command said."Elevated energy prices are also clouding the inflation outlook for the (Federal Reserve), keeping upside inflation risks alive, with core PCE inflation having run above the Fed's 2% target for more than five years," TD Economics said. "While the Fed remained on the sidelines this week, financial markets continue to price a rate hike by year-end."The Federal Open Market Committee held the policy rate steady on Wednesday, in a divided decision that included three officials calling for a hike.Spot gold rose 1.1% to $4,113.71 per troy ounce, while silver advanced 2.3% to $59.43 per ounce.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$AAPL$AMD$AMZN$INTC$META$MSFT$MU$SNDK
Japan

US Equity Markets End Higher on Microsoft's Cloud Gains, Semiconductor Rebound

US equity indexes ended higher Thursday after Microsoft (MSFT) posted AI-backed gains and semiconductor stocks rebounded.* Microsoft's intelligent-cloud segment's revenue increased 32% to $39.31 billion, buoyed by 43% growth in Azure and other cloud services.* The personal consumption expenditures price index fell 0.1% in June, as expected, cutting the year-over-year rate to 3.7% from 4.1%.* US initial jobless claims last week rose sequentially to 197,000 from an upwardly revised 188,000, versus expectations for an increase to 200,000 in a Bloomberg poll.* September West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $0.74 to settle at $83.70 per barrel, while September Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $1.56 at $89.18.* Chip-related stocks jumped with Sandisk (SNDK) up 26%, the top performer on the S&P 500. Micron Technology (MU), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Intel (INTC) also advanced.* Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) shares fell 28%, the biggest drop on the Nasdaq, after the company lowered its full-year 2026 net product revenue guidance.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$ALNY$AMD$INTC$MSFT$MU
Sectors

Sector Update: Tech Stocks Sharply Higher Late Afternoon

Tech stocks were sharply higher late Thursday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) rising 5.6% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) climbing up 7.3%.The Philadelphia Semiconductor index popped 8.3%.In corporate news, Microsoft (MSFT) shares jumped past 16% after the company reported higher-than-expected fiscal Q4 results in the previous day.ASE Technology (ASX) shares climbed 10% after the company's Q2 earnings and revenue exceeded expectations.Meta Platforms (META) shares fell nearly 9% after it provided a soft Q3 revenue outlook following an unexpected year-over-year decline in quarterly earnings. Meta also raised the lower end of its capital expenditure guidance.A consortium of banks led by Morgan Stanley (MS) is in talks to lend $15 billion to a data-center developer to build a campus and power plant for Anthropic in Texas, The Wall Street Journal reported. Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google would provide financial guarantees and chips for the project. Alphabet shares were down 0.7%.

$ASX$GOOGL$META$MSFT
Japan

Update: US Equity Indexes Surge as Microsoft's Quarterly Results Spark Rebound in Chipmakers Ahead of Amazon's Earnings

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes soared following a bounce in semiconductors, as investors anchored to Microsoft's (MSFT) quarterly results showing AI monetization while awaiting results from Amazon.com (AMZN) and Apple (AAPL) after the bell.The Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.7% to 25,097.2, the S&P 500 was up 1.6% to 7,435.5, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.2% to 52,231.8 ahead of Thursday's close. Technology was the standout gainer, up 5%.The Microsoft intelligent cloud segment's revenue increased 32% to $39.31 billion, buoyed by 43% growth in Azure and other cloud services, according to the company. Analysts expected a 40% year-over-year advance in Azure sales."This year, Azure revenue surpassed $100 billion for the first time, and Microsoft 365 Copilot reached over 30 million paid seats, reflecting the confidence customers are placing in us to power their (artificial intelligence) transformation," Chief Executive Satya Nadella said in a statement. Shares of Microsoft soared 17%, one of the top gainers on the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and the Dow.VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH), with net assets of $77.2 billion, soared 6.7%, as chipmakers are major beneficiaries of AI-related spend. Investors will watch Amazon's AI-related growth in both revenue and spend when it announces quarterly results after the bell.Among companies with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion, six of the top 10 gainers in the final leg of trading were from the semiconductors and semiconductor equipment and materials industries, according to data compiled by Finviz.In economic news, the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, price index fell 0.1% in June, as expected, cutting the year-over-year rate to 3.7% from 4.1%. The price index rose by 0.5% in May. The core PCE price index climbed 0.1% in June, below the 0.2% gain expected and following a 0.3% growth in May. The year-over-year rate dropped to 3.3% from 3.4%, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.US Treasury yields traded mixed, with the 10-year up 4.5 basis points to 4.67%. The two-year was steady at 4.24%.Late Wednesday, the US Central Command forces completed a "heavy wave" of strikes against Iran in response to Tuesday's attempted missile attacks on US forces, according to CENTCOM. Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted US bases in Kuwait and Jordan following Washington's strikes on Iran, Al Jazeera, a Middle East broadcaster, reported, citing the IRGC.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate was down 1.1% at $83.55 a barrel, while global benchmark North Sea Brent declined 1.9% to $89.03 a barrel.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$AAPL$AMZN$MSFT$SMH
Update: Equities Rise Intraday as Microsoft's Post-Earnings Rally Lifts Tech Sector
US Markets

Update: Equities Rise Intraday as Microsoft's Post-Earnings Rally Lifts Tech Sector

(Updates with latest market prices and developments.)US benchmark equity indexes were higher intraday, supported by the technology's sector's advance as Microsoft (MSFT) shares surged, while traders parsed fresh inflation data.The Nasdaq Composite was up 2.6% at 25,074.4 after midday Thursday, while the S&P 500 rose 1.5% to 7,424.6. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.1% to 52,145.7. Among sectors, tech saw the steepest rise with a gain of 5.1%, while communication services led the laggards.Microsoft was up nearly 17%, the top gainer on the Dow and among the best performers on the S&P 500. Its quarterly results released late Wednesday topped estimates driven by a revenue surge in cloud computing platform Azure.Chip-related stocks were sharply higher, with Sandisk (SNDK) surging 25%, the top performer on the Dow. Micron Technology (MU), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Intel (INTC), also advanced.Amazon.com (AMZN) followed Microsoft on the Dow, up 4.9%. The e-commerce giant and Apple (AAPL) are scheduled to release their latest quarterly results after markets close Thursday.Meta Platforms' (META) shares slumped 9.2% intraday as the technology giant provided a soft third-quarter revenue outlook following an unexpected year-over-year decline in quarterly earnings. It raised the lower end of its capital expenditure guidance."Microsoft shows clearer (artificial intelligence) revenue through Azure and Copilot, while Meta still depends mainly on advertising," Saxo Bank said in a report.In economic news, the US personal consumption expenditure price index fell 0.1% month over month in June, marking the first decline since April 2020, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Thursday. That helped cut the year-over-year rate to 3.7% from 4.1%."While lower gasoline prices provided a boost to households' purchasing power in June, that support may prove temporary as energy prices have moved higher amid renewed US-Iran tensions," TD Economics said in a report.West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.6% at $83.96 a barrel intraday, while Brent fell 1.2% to $89.67. Both benchmarks are on track for hefty gains this month, following two consecutive monthly declines.The US carried out fresh strikes against Iran on Wednesday in response to Tehran's attempted missile attacks on US forces in the Middle East a day earlier, the US Central Command said."Elevated energy prices are also clouding the inflation outlook for the (Federal Reserve), keeping upside inflation risks alive, with core PCE inflation having run above the Fed's 2% target for more than five years," TD Economics said. "While the Fed remained on the sidelines this week, financial markets continue to price a rate hike by year-end."The Federal Open Market Committee held the policy rate steady on Wednesday, in a divided decision that included three officials calling for a hike.Treasury yields were mixed intraday, with the 10-year rate up 3.9 basis points at 4.66%, while the two-year rate fell 1.3 basis points to 4.22%.In other economic news, US real gross domestic product increased at a 1.5% annualized rate in the quarter ended June, according to an advance government estimate released Thursday. The consensus was for 2% growth in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.Spot gold rose 0.8% to $4,101.62 per troy ounce, while silver advanced 1.5% to $58.94 per ounce.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$AAPL$AMD$AMZN$INTC$META$MSFT$MU$SNDK
Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Surge as Rebound in Chipmakers Boosts Technology

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes rose amid a bounce in semiconductors as investors anchored to Microsoft's (MSFT) quarterly results showing AI monetization and a closely watched inflation gauge fell in June.The Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.6% to 25,069.1, the S&P 500 was up 1.5% to 7,424.5, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.1% to 52,152.7 after midday Thursday. Technology was the standout gainer, up 5%, while communication services led the decliners.The Microsoft intelligent cloud segment's revenue increased 32% to $39.31 billion, buoyed by 43% growth in Azure and other cloud services, according to the company. Analysts expected a 40% year-over-year advance in Azure sales."This year, Azure revenue surpassed $100 billion for the first time, and Microsoft 365 Copilot reached over 30 million paid seats, reflecting the confidence customers are placing in us to power their (artificial intelligence) transformation," Chief Executive Satya Nadella said in a statement. Shares of Microsoft soared 17%, one of the top gainers on the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and the Dow.Arm (ARM) jumped 6.2% after the semiconductor group reported a fiscal Q1 beat for adjusted earnings and revenue.Meta Platforms (META) slumped 9%, one of the worst performers on the Nasdaq. The firm provided a soft Q3 revenue outlook following an unexpected decline in quarterly earnings, while it raised the lower end of its capital expenditure guidance.VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH), with net assets of $77.2 billion, soared 6.8%, as chipmakers are major beneficiaries of AI-related spend. Among companies with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion, seven of the top 10 gainers after midday Thursday were from the semiconductors and semiconductor equipment and materials industries, according to data compiled by Finviz.In economic news, the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, price index fell 0.1% in June, as expected, cutting the year-over-year rate to 3.7% from 4.1%. The price index rose by 0.5% in May. The core PCE price index climbed 0.1% in June, below the 0.2% gain expected and following a 0.3% growth in May. The year-over-year rate dropped to 3.3% from 3.4%, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.An advance BEA reading of gross domestic product showed 1.5% growth in Q2, after a 2.1% increase in Q1 and missing the 2.0% gain forecast in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.US initial jobless claims rose sequentially to 197,000 in the week ended July 25 from an upwardly revised 188,000, versus expectations for an increase to 200,000 in a Bloomberg-compiled poll. The four-week moving average, however, fell 5,000 to 202,750, the US Labor Department reported.US Treasury yields traded mixed, with the 10-year up 3.7 basis points to 4.66%. The two-year fell 1.5 basis points to 4.22%.In precious metal markets, gold futures jumped 1.8% to $4,107.5, and silver futures advanced 1.5% to $58.94.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate was down 0.7% at $83.84 a barrel, while global benchmark North Sea Brent declined 1.5% to $89.38 a barrel.Late Wednesday, the US Central Command forces completed a "heavy wave" of strikes against Iran in response to Tuesday's attempted missile attacks on US forces, according to a CENTCOM statement.Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted US bases in Kuwait and Jordan following Washington's strikes on Iran, Al Jazeera, a Middle East broadcaster, reported, citing the IRGC.A drone strike on gas vessels in Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta on Wednesday raised the prospect of threats to navigation through the Suez Canal, one of the last remaining export routes for Saudi oil, Reuters reported.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$ARM$META$MSFT$SMH
Wire

OpenAI Reducing Price of GPT-5.6 Luna Model by 80%

Microsoft-backed (MSFT) OpenAI said Thursday it is reducing the price of GPT-5.6 Luna AI model by 80%.The company also said it is cutting the cost of its GPT-5.6 Terra model by 20%.Price: $455.49, Change: $+64.95, Percent Change: +16.63%

$MSFT
Sectors

Sector Update: Tech Stocks Sharply Higher Thursday Afternoon

Tech stocks were sharply higher Thursday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) rising 5% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) climbing up 6.9%.The Philadelphia Semiconductor index popped 7.8%.In corporate news, Microsoft (MSFT) shares jumped past 16% after the company reported higher-than-expected fiscal Q4 results in the previous day.Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) is developing advanced AI chip-packaging technology akin to what Intel (INTC) already offers, as it looks to better compete with a distant rival, The Information reported. Taiwan Semiconductor shares climbed 8%, and Intel gained 13%.Meta Platforms (META) shares fell 9% after it provided a soft Q3 revenue outlook following an unexpected year-over-year decline in quarterly earnings. Meta also raised the lower end of its capital expenditure guidance.

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Wire

OpenAI Reducing Price of GPT-5.6 Luna Model by 80%

OpenAI Reducing Price of GPT-5.6 Luna Model by 80%

$MSFT
Sectors

Sector Update: Tech

Tech stocks were sharply higher Thursday afternoon, with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) rising 6% and the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) climbing 6.9%.The Philadelphia Semiconductor index popped 7.8%.In corporate news, Microsoft (MSFT) shares jumped past 16% on Thursday, a day after the company reported higher-than-expected fiscal Q4 results. The company reported solid fiscal Q4 results and guidance, with its Azure, M365 Cloud and Copilot businesses reflecting rapid growth, countering the AI disruption narrative, Oppenheimer said in a note.

$MSFT
Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Jump Amid Rebound in Chipmakers

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes rose amid a bounce in semiconductors as investors anchored to Microsoft's (MSFT) quarterly results showing AI monetization.The Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.5% to 25,046.3, the S&P 500 was up 1.2% to 7,405.4, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.7% to 51,932.8 after midday Thursday. Technology was the standout gainer, up 4.8%, while communication services led the decliners.The Microsoft intelligent cloud segment's revenue increased 32% to $39.31 billion, buoyed by 43% growth in Azure and other cloud services, according to the company. Analysts expected a 40% year-over-year advance in Azure sales."This year, Azure revenue surpassed $100 billion for the first time, and Microsoft 365 Copilot reached over 30 million paid seats, reflecting the confidence customers are placing in us to power their (artificial intelligence) transformation," Chief Executive Satya Nadella said in a statement. Shares of Microsoft soared 16%, one of the top gainers on the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and the Dow.VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH), with net assets of $77.2 billion, soared 7%, as chipmakers are major beneficiaries of AI-related spend.In economic news, the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, price index fell 0.1% in June, as expected, cutting the year-over-year rate to 3.7% from 4.1%. The price index rose by 0.5% month-over-month in May. The core PCE price index climbed 0.1% in June, below the 0.2% gain expected and following a 0.3% growth in May. The year-over-year rate dropped to 3.3% from 3.4%, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.Late Wednesday, the US Central Command forces completed a "heavy wave" of strikes against Iran in response to Tuesday's attempted missile attacks on US forces, according to a CENTCOM statement. "The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf countries."Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted US bases in Kuwait and Jordan following Washington's strikes on Iran, Al Jazeera, a Middle East broadcaster, reported, citing the IRGC.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate was down 0.7% at $83.83 a barrel, while global benchmark North Sea Brent slipped 0.7% to $90.14 a barrel.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$MSFT$SMH
Wire

Microsoft's Strong Fiscal Q4 Results, Guidance Counter AI Disruption Narrative, Oppenheimer Says

Microsoft (MSFT) reported solid fiscal Q4 results and guidance, with its Azure, M365 Cloud and Copilot businesses reflecting rapid growth, countering the AI disruption narrative, Oppenheimer said Thursday.However, capital expenditure efficiency ratios and gross margin continue to deteriorate due to ongoing heavy investments in data centers to support increasing demand, the integration of lower margin AI into products and a higher Azure mix, according to the note.Microsoft expects fiscal Q1 Productivity and Business Processes revenue of $36.7 billion to $37.0 billion, above the $36.6 billion consensus. It projects Intelligent Cloud revenue of $40.95 billion to $41.25 billion, compared with the $40.11 billion consensus. Fiscal Q1 capital expenditure is expected to be more than $50 billion, above the $45.7 billion consensus, the note added.Oppenheimer kept an outperform rating on Microsoft with a price target of $515.Shares of Microsoft rose more than 15% in Thursday trading.Price: $455.64, Change: $+65.10, Percent Change: +16.67%

$MSFT
Wire

Microsoft's Robust Fiscal Q4 Results Driven by Azure Growth, M365 Copilot Traction, RBC Says

Microsoft's (MSFT) robust fiscal Q4 results were driven by Azure growth amid rising demand and continued M365 Copilot traction, RBC Capital Markets said in a Thursday research report.Azure growth delivered upside on efficiency gains across the CPU and GPU fleet, as well as process enhancements, the firm said. Meanwhile, M365 Copilot net seat additions growth continued to support AI monetization, analysts wrote.The company lowered its 2026 capex guidance to $175 billion from $190 billion after extending the useful life of data centers to 25 years from 15 years, reclassifying data center leases to operating leases from finance, according to the note.The brokerage said it reiterated its outperform rating on the stock and price target of $640 per share.Price: $449.28, Change: $+58.74, Percent Change: +15.04%

$MSFT
Wire

Update: Microsoft Shares Rise After Fiscal Q4 Beat

(Updates with the latest stock price movement in the headline and the first paragraph.)Microsoft (MSFT) shares rose 15% on Thursday, a day after the company reported higher-than-expected fiscal Q4 results.The company reported fiscal Q4 adjusted earnings late Wednesday of $4.74 per diluted share, up from $3.86 a year ago.Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected $4.24.Revenue for the three months ended June 30 was $90.0 billion, up from $76.44 billion a year earlier.Analysts expected $87.62 billion.Price: $448.92, Change: $+58.38, Percent Change: +14.95%

$MSFT
Commodities

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell Thursday Amid Tech Earnings

The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.7%, and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) advanced 1.5% in Thursday's premarket activity, amid earnings reports by big technology companies.US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.5%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.3%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 1% before the start of regular trading.US initial jobless claims rose to a level of 197,000 in the week ended July 25 from an upwardly revised 188,000 level in the previous week, compared with expectations for a larger increase to 200,000 in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg.US economic growth, measured by gross domestic product, rose by 1.5% in Q2, after a 2.1% gain in Q1, below a 2.0% increase expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.Personal income rose by 0.2% in June following May's 0.7% gain, smaller than the expected 0.3% gain in a survey conducted by Bloomberg as of 7:35 am ET. The core PCE price index increased by 0.1%, below the 0.2% gain expected and following a 0.3% gain in May. The year-over-year rate dropped to 3.3% from 3.4% in the previous month.The weekly natural gas stocks will be released at 10:30 am ET.In premarket action, bitcoin was up by 1.7%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 2% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) advanced 1.7%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was down 0.6%.Power Play:Microsoft (MSFT) shares were up more than 9% after the company reported higher fiscal Q4 adjusted earnings and revenue.Winners and Losers:IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) advanced 1.3%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was inactive and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) were up 2%.AGCO (AGCO) was down 7% before the opening bell after the company reported lower-than-expected Q2 adjusted earnings and net sales.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advanced 0.1%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.4%, while its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), was 0.3% lower.Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) shares traded up 5% in early hours activity after the company reported higher Q2 adjusted earnings and gross income.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was down 1.4%, the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) was up 1.3%, and the iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) gained 0.7%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) was 0.1% higher.Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) shares were down 2.2% pre-bell even after the company reported higher Q2 underlying earnings and revenue.Health CareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) retreated 1.4%, the Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was down 0.4%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) gained 1.7%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was up 1.4%.Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) was down 1.1% premarket even reporting higher Q2 non-GAAP earnings and revenue.EnergyThe iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was up 2.8%, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) was down by 0.7%.Shell (SHEL) was up more than 1% before market open after the company reported higher Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue.CommoditiesFront-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil retreated by 0.6% to $83.99 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was down 1.1% to $2.69 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) decreased by 1.1%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 1.4% lower.Gold futures for August advanced by 0.9% to $4,133.20 an ounce on the Comex. Silver futures gained by 0.3% to $58.24 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) was up by 0.6%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) rose by 1.1%.

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