Microsoft looks to leapfrog Apple as largest stock globally

Microsoft is catching up with Apple in market capitalisation as investors see better growth opportunities and far less China risk in the software giant.

The Redmond, Washington-based company’s shares have outperformed the iPhone maker’s this month, bringing its market value closer to Apple, which is at the centre of a flare-up in tensions with China. While hundreds of billions of dollars still separate the two companies, Microsoft’s positions in markets including cloud computing and artificial ...