Microsoft News 31 December 2025 - 9 January 2026

Microsoft shares slipped 4 cents to $472.85 after the company announced its acquisition of Seattle-based startup Osmos, aiming to automate data engineering in Microsoft Fabric. Terms were not disclosed. The move comes as investors watch rate-sensitive growth stocks ahead of key U.S. economic data.

Microsoft shares fell 2.21% to $472.94 on Friday, underperforming chip stocks as the Nasdaq ended flat. The stock traded between $470.19 and $487.15. Investors await U.S. jobs and inflation data next week, with Microsoft’s earnings date still unconfirmed. Microsoft closed about 15% below its 52-week high.

NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 16:08 ET — After-hours Microsoft (MSFT.O) shares fell about 2.4% on Friday to $472.24, after trading as high as $487.15 and as low as $470.19. Volume was about 19.6 million shares in a holiday-thinned session. The drop put Microsoft on the back foot on the first trading day of 2026, a period when portfolio managers often rebalance holdings and lock in gains after year-end. After-hours trading is the session after the 4 p.m. close, when volumes are typically thinner and prices can move more abruptly. Why it matters now: Microsoft is one of the market’s

NEW YORK, January 2, 2026, 08:12 ET Wall Street analysts are starting 2026 bullish on Microsoft (MSFT), with TipRanks showing a “Strong Buy” consensus and an average price target of $631.36 for the shares. The target implies 30.6% upside, TipRanks data show. TipRanks The optimism matters now because investors are demanding proof that heavy spending on artificial intelligence, or AI, can translate into profit growth. Microsoft is a bellwether, selling AI through Azure — its cloud-computing platform — and through productivity subscriptions used across corporate IT budgets. Markets have also shown they can turn quickly after a strong year. U.S.

NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 11:52 ET — Regular session Microsoft (MSFT) shares fell 0.5% to $484.89 in late morning trading on Wednesday, after opening at $487.55. The stock has traded between $484.35 and $488.30, valuing the software maker at about $3.85 trillion. The dip matters now because Microsoft is one of the heaviest weights in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, and year-end positioning can sway index performance. Wall Street’s major indexes slipped in holiday-thin trading, extending a late-December tech wobble that has tested the usual “Santa Claus rally” — a seasonal pattern that often sees stocks rise in the