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Microsoft Makes History with $450 Billion Single-Day Stock Surge

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Microsoft Makes History with $450 Billion Single-Day Stock Surge

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Microsoft Corp. made stock market history on Thursday, adding nearly half a trillion dollars to its market value in a single day — the largest one-day gain for any company in Wall Street history. Shares of the Redmond, Washington-based company soared 16%, marking their biggest single-day percentage gain since October 2008. The surge added approximately $450 billion to Microsoft's market capitalization. The move eclipses Nvidia Corp.'s $440 billion addition following President Donald Trump's announcement of a 90-day tariff pause last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Thursday's surge came after Microsoft reported that revenue for its Azure cloud unit surged 43% during the fiscal fourth quarter — the most since early 2022. The company also confirmed its capital spending plans for 2026 remain unchanged. The nearly $500 billion jump is larger than the market capitalization of roughly 96% of S&P 500 stocks. It is also bigger than the combined value of the benchmark's 41 smallest members, which includes companies like Domino's Pizza Inc., Clorox Co. and Hasbro Inc. Microsoft's one-day value addition also dwarfs many of the world's other equity markets. South Africa, Turkey, Finland and Vietnam all have total stock market values that are less than what the software maker added on Thursday. The tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 2.8 percent to 25,122, the S&P 500 rose 1.7 percent to 7,437, and the Dow rose 1.2 percent to 52,208. Analysts pointed to a pull-back in oil prices as supportive of equities, as traders reacted to comments from Pakistan insisting that negotiations between Iran and the United States were ongoing despite escalating strikes on both sides. The Microsoft results came at the end of a difficult July for tech companies after the Nasdaq's huge second-quarter gains. Major U.S. tech companies have been spending billions to build out AI infrastructure and develop increasingly advanced AI models. This week's earnings results have been

Prepared by Christopher Adams and reviewed by editorial team.

Timeline of Events

· On Oct 13, 2008, Microsoft rose 18.6% in financial crisis rebound.
· On Apr 9, 2025, Nvidia added $440B after Trump tariff pause.
· On Oct 2025, Microsoft stock peaked at $555 per share.
· By mid-2026, Microsoft stock fell 30% from October high.
· Over past 12 months, Microsoft shares dropped about 24%.
· Microsoft lagged Magnificent Seven peers in 2026.
· Investors feared AI spending outpaced demand growth.
· Capacity constraints left Azure revenue on table previously.
· Microsoft added 31 new data centers in quarter.
· Microsoft 365 Copilot grew from 15M to 30M seats.
· On Jul 29, 2026, Microsoft reported Q4 earnings after market close.
· On Jul 30, 2026, Microsoft shares soared 16% to $451.
· On Jul 30, 2026, Microsoft added $450B market capitalization.
· On Jul 30, 2026, Azure revenue grew 43% year-over-year.
· On Jul 30, 2026, Azure crossed $100B annual revenue first.
· On Jul 30, 2026, Microsoft market cap reached $3.35T.
· On Jul 30, 2026, Nasdaq rose 2.8% to 25,122.
· On Jul 30, 2026, S&P 500 rose 1.7% to 7,437.
· On Jul 30, 2026, Dow Jones rose 1.2% to 52,208.
· On Jul 30, 2026, Microsoft kept 2026 capex plans unchanged.
· Microsoft expects Azure to grow 45% next quarter.
· Capital expenditures of $50B expected for fiscal Q1 2027.
· Calendar year 2026 capex guidance now $175B accounting-adjusted.
· Microsoft expects to remain cash-flow positive in fiscal 2027.
· Nine brokerages raised target price to mean $560.90.
· AI infrastructure spending across hyperscalers to exceed $850B.
· Microsoft fiscal 2026 annual revenue surpassed $331B.
· Annual operating income exceeded $155B in fiscal 2026.
· OpenAI accounted for $24.1B of Microsoft fiscal 2026 revenue.
· Copilot "super app" expected to launch later quarter.

News Intelligence

Immediate US impact: Historic stock rally adds half-trillion to shareholder wealth today.
· Possible long-term US impact: AI spending confidence may stabilize broader tech valuations.
· Most affected groups: Microsoft shareholders, tech investors, AI industry workers, Nasdaq traders.
· Reader priority: Verify earnings numbers versus analyst expectations across multiple sources.