Microsoft shares slide after Q2 earnings as AI spending hits record and Azure growth barely clears forecasts

Microsoft shares dipped in after-hours trading Wednesday following the company's report of record quarterly capital expenditures and a modest beat in Azure cloud growth, raising fresh questions about the pace of returns from its AI investments.

Artificial Intelligence · Cloud Computing · NASDAQ:MSFT · Stock Market · Technology
Dow Jones closes flat after Fed; Microsoft drops, IBM jumps in after-hours ahead of Apple earnings

Dow Jones closes flat after Fed; Microsoft drops, IBM jumps in after-hours ahead of Apple earnings

Microsoft dropped nearly 4% in after-hours Wednesday as its AI-driven push sent quarterly capital spending soaring 66% on data centers and chips. IBM jumped roughly 6% after beating fourth-quarter revenue forecasts. Meta climbed close to 4% following its forecast of $115 billion to $135 billion in capex for 2026. Tesla gained about 2%, announcing a roughly $2 billion investment in Elon Musk’s xAI.
28 January 2026
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Microsoft beats Azure in Q2, but MSFT stock drops after earnings as AI spending stays in focus

Microsoft beats Azure in Q2, but MSFT stock drops after earnings as AI spending stays in focus

Microsoft just edged past expectations for Azure cloud growth in its fiscal second quarter, but the stock dropped over 7% in after-hours trading following the report. Azure revenue rose 39% in the October-December quarter, beating the Visible Alpha consensus of 38.8%, while total revenue increased 17% to $81.3 billion.
28 January 2026
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Dow Jones flattens near 49,000 as S&P 500 hits 7,000; Fed and Big Tech earnings loom

Dow Jones flattens near 49,000 as S&P 500 hits 7,000; Fed and Big Tech earnings loom

The Dow Jones Industrial Average stayed close to unchanged on Wednesday as the S&P 500 briefly climbed above 7,000 before slipping back. Investors were on edge ahead of the Federal Reserve’s rate announcement and a slew of megacap earnings reports. By 11:31 a.m. ET, the Dow had edged up 49.62 points, or 0.10%, to 49,053.03. Chip stocks drove early gains, with Intel soaring 11.3%.
28 January 2026
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Dow Jones today: Dow hovers near 49,000 as Fed decision and mega-cap earnings loom

Dow Jones today: Dow hovers near 49,000 as Fed decision and mega-cap earnings loom

The Dow Jones Industrial Average held steady on Wednesday morning, lingering near 49,000 as traders eyed the Federal Reserve and a flurry of late-day earnings reports from major companies. By 10:26 a.m. EST, the blue-chip index dipped 3.56 points, or 0.01%, to 48,999.85. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 inched up 0.16%, and the Nasdaq climbed 0.39%.
28 January 2026
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Wall Street’s Fed Day: US stock futures rise as traders eye today’s economic calendar and Big Tech earnings

Wall Street’s Fed Day: US stock futures rise as traders eye today’s economic calendar and Big Tech earnings

U.S. stock index futures ticked higher early Wednesday, with chipmakers pushing the gains as traders braced for a Federal Reserve announcement and a packed earnings calendar. By 5:40 a.m. ET, S&P 500 E-minis were up 0.36%, Nasdaq 100 E-minis climbed 0.9%, and Dow E-minis inched 0.06% higher. Nvidia added 1.7%, Intel jumped 6.6%, and Seagate surged 11.3%. Texas Instruments also rose after delivering a strong outlook.
28 January 2026
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AI stocks are moving before the bell: Nvidia rises as Microsoft, Meta earnings loom

AI stocks are moving before the bell: Nvidia rises as Microsoft, Meta earnings loom

AI stocks edged up in premarket trading Wednesday, with chipmakers leading the charge. Nvidia climbed 1.7%, while Intel surged 6.6%. Both Micron and Microchip Technology also posted gains exceeding 5%. Wall Street braces for a packed day featuring Big Tech earnings and a Federal Reserve announcement. https://www.reuters.com/business/us-stock-index-futures-rise-wall-street-braces-big-tech-earnings-2026-01-28/
28 January 2026
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Nvidia’s $2 billion CoreWeave bet shakes up AI stocks before Microsoft earnings

Nvidia’s $2 billion CoreWeave bet shakes up AI stocks before Microsoft earnings

Nvidia announced a $2 billion investment in AI cloud provider CoreWeave, purchasing shares at $87.20 each and nearly doubling its stake as both companies work to boost U.S. data-center capacity. CoreWeave CEO Michael Intrator highlighted the deal as proof of “the strength of demand” from their clients. CoreWeave’s shares rose 5.7% in Tuesday’s U.S. premarket trading, while Nvidia’s slipped 0.7%.
27 January 2026
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Dow Jones climbs over 300 points; Fed decision and big-tech earnings are next

Dow Jones climbs over 300 points; Fed decision and big-tech earnings are next

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, tracking 30 major U.S. firms, climbed 307.91 points, or 0.63%, to 49,406.62 on Monday, preliminary figures show. The S&P 500 gained 0.50%, while the Nasdaq edged up 0.44%. Investors are gearing up for a busy week packed with earnings reports and a Federal Reserve policy announcement. “You're seeing communications and technology are trading well today in advance of the earnings from a lot of the large companies,” noted Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Northlight Asset Management.
26 January 2026
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US Stock Market Today Updates

AI PORTFOLIO

Top Stock Picks

Today’s highest-ranked model selections.

#1 Strong buy

Alphabet

NASDAQ:GOOGL 92/100 • ★★★★½
#2 Strong buy

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

NYSE:TSM 89/100 • ★★★★½
#3 Buy

S&P Global

NYSE:SPGI 88/100 • ★★★★
#4 Buy on weakness

Amazon

NASDAQ:AMZN 86/100 • ★★★★
#5 Buy on weakness

Microsoft

NASDAQ:MSFT 84/100 • ★★★★
View full portfolio
Editorial model selection. Not personalised advice.
MARKET CALENDAR

Key Events Today

The catalysts most likely to move markets.

#1

U.S. index futures reopen at 18:00 ET

This is the clearest scheduled U.S.-market price-discovery point today and can transmit weekend news into equity-index futures before Monday's cash session.

#2

New Zealand retail sales at 18:45 ET

The Q2 retail package can move NZD and regional risk sentiment. Spillover to U.S. assets is usually secondary unless the result is unusually large.

#3

No scheduled domestic U.S. data or corporate reports

The absence of U.S. releases, earnings, IPO pricings and split events leaves fewer scheduled catalysts, increasing the relative importance of weekend headlines and positioning at the futures reopen.

View full calendar
Times and estimates may change. Verify before trading.