Microsoft’s market value soared past $4 trillion on Thursday, fueled by strong earnings and continued investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence, pushing major stock indices to new highs. The tech giant’s shares jumped 5.3% after reporting $27.2 billion in quarterly profit, highlighting its significant investments in AI. With this milestone, Microsoft becomes the second company—after fellow AI frontrunner Nvidia—to cross the $4 trillion mark. Around 25 minutes into trading, the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 1.3% to 21,396.04. The S&P 500 gained 0.8 percent to 6,413.89, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.3 percent to 44,584.16. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq are above their all-time closing highs. The gains came as President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with South Korea that imposes a 15 percent tariff on imports from the Asian country. Markets greeted the South Korea announcement as another resolution of terms with a key US economic partner following a period of uncertainty. That helped offset disappointment with data showing an uptick in pricing pressure. The personal consumption expenditures price index climbed 2.6 percent in June from a year ago, up from the 2.4 percent figure the prior month, data showed. Among other companies reporting results, Facebook parent Meta surged 12.5 percent as it reported quarterly profits of $18.3 billion on strength in its advertising business as it also pumps up AI investment.
Microsoft’s valuation tops $4 trillion amid AI-driven stock rally
