Microsoft records nearly $450 billion one-day market-cap gain on Azure AI strength

Microsoft added nearly $450 billion in market value in a single trading session, the largest one-day gain on record for any company, after forecasting stronger-than-expected Azure cloud growth driven by AI demand. Shares rose more than 15 percent, lifting Microsoft’s market capitalization to about $3.35 trillion and surpassing Nvidia’s previous record one-day gain. The results eased investor concerns that heavy AI infrastructure spending was outpacing returns and reinforced confidence in the commercial payoff from AI cloud investments.