What's going on?

For your tech entr�e, Microsoft � currently the world�s most valuable public company � served up some tasty quarterly results on Wednesday.

What does this mean?

Microsoft�s overall revenue and profit was pretty much what investors predicted. The company�s fast-growing cloud computing segment continued its ascent, with sales there scudding past investors� predictions, although sales of computer hardware fell short.


The increased cloud cover might�ve been helped by partnerships with the likes of German automaker Volkswagen, which is bundling up Microsoftware with its potentially game-changing electric vehicle chassis (speaking of which, Tesla reported another shocker on Wednesday). Microsoft�s growth appears stratospheric compared to Europe�s largest software company, SAP, which lamented a slowdown in its own cloud growth forecast on Tuesday.

Why should I care?

The bigger picture: Investors on cloud nine.

Investors in any industry look out for companies benefiting from �secular trends� � tailwinds that drive growth regardless of the state of the economy. And Microsoft�s cloud computing business appears to fit the bill. It�s unlikely investors� focus will shift anytime soon: as well as offering high growth, cloud computing�s lower costs compared to the hardware-heavy servers of yesteryear potentially means bumper cumulative profits for the companies involved.

For you personally: Windows into your investments.

Robo-advisors often buy funds that track the performance of US stocks, and pension managers around the world do too. As the world�s biggest listed company, representing almost 4% of the US stock market, your personal wealth is probably aligned with Microsoft�s share price to some extent, even if you haven�t bought the stock directly (tweet this). While the daily swings in a company�s share price aren�t worth obsessing over, especially when it comes to long-term investments, there�s no denying Microsoft�s slight fall on Wednesday�s news might put a frown on your face.