Microsoft threatens Apple's position as the world's most valuable company

Apple's stock has recently fallen, raising concerns that the company could lose its title as the world's most valuable company to Microsoft.

Apple shares have lost 0.5% this year, after rising 48% last year, on concerns about global smartphone demand. Microsoft shares, on the other hand, have risen nearly 2% this year, after rising 57% last year.

Currently, Apple's capitalization is 2.896 billion USD, while Microsoft's is 2.845 billion USD. Apple's capitalization reached 3.081 billion USD on December 14.

Apple shares fell as iPhone sales in China fell 30% in the first week of 2024, according to data from research firm Jefferies, the latest sign of growing pressure on the company in the market amid competition from Huawei and other domestic rivals.

Apple and Microsoft market capitalization from 2019 to 2024 (unit: trillion USD). Chart: Reuters

The Vision Pro glasses will go on sale in the US from February 2, marking Apple's biggest product launch since the iPhone was announced in 2007. However, a report earlier this week from UBS bank estimated that Vision Pro sales will have a "negligible" impact on Apple's EPS (earnings per share) this year.

Since 2018, Microsoft has briefly overtaken Apple to become the world's most valuable company several times, most recently in 2021, due to concerns about supply chain disruptions during the pandemic.

In its most recent financial report, released in November 2023, Apple forecast holiday sales that fell short of Wall Street expectations, citing weak demand for iPads and wearables.

Analysts say Apple's revenue for the final quarter of last year could rise 0.7% to $117.9 billion. This would be the first time in four quarters that the company has recorded revenue growth compared to last year. Apple will announce its financial report on February 1.

Meanwhile, Microsoft's revenue is forecast to increase 16% to $61.1 billion, thanks to steady growth in its cloud computing segment. The company's financial report will also be released in the coming weeks.

Ha Thu (according to Reuters)

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