INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Thirty-three analysts recommend buying Microsoft's stock, according to Refinitiv data.SAN FRANCISCO: Just four months after Apple Inc
breached the $1 trillion mark, the iPhone maker has lost its lead as Wall Street's most valuable company and is on the verge of being
replaced by Microsoft Corp
Apple shares fell 1.77 per cent in extended trade after US President Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal that tariffs could be placed
on laptops and mobile phones imported from China
The loss wiped out the 1.35 per cent gain during the official trading session and put Apple's stock market value at $814 billion.Microsoft
shares dipped 0.35 per cent after-hours to $106.10, putting its market capitalisation also at $814 billion
Microsoft had rallied by more than 3 per cent during Monday's official trading session, when the market notched broad gains.Both
companies' market capitalizations were calculated using outstanding shares reported in their most recent 10-Q filings.Trading after the bell
is often volatile and lacks the volume typically seen in official trading sessions.Technology shares have been punished in recent months on
investor worries about rising interest rates and fallout from the trade conflict between the United States and China.But Apple has suffered
more than other Silicon Valley stalwarts, down 23 per cent since the iPhone maker warned on November 1 that sales for the crucial holiday
quarter would likely miss Wall Street expectations.Global demand for smartphones has slowed in recent years, making it more difficult for
Apple to increase its revenue.Apple's market capitalisation overtook Microsoft's in 2010 as the maker of Windows software struggled with
slow demand for personal computers, due in part to the explosion of smartphones driven by the iPhone.Since Satya Nadella took over as chief
executive in 2014, Microsoft has reduced its reliance on Windows software for PCs and become a major player in cloud computing, second only
to Amazon.com .Thirty-three analysts recommend buying Microsoft's stock, while just one has a negative rating and another has a neutral
rating, according to Refinitiv data.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published
