The Bank of Russia unexpectedly maintained its key interest rate at a record-high 21% , defying analysts’ expectations of another significant hike as inflation remains stubbornly elevated. The decision marks a shift toward a more measured approach in balancing economic growth and price stability. Key Details Inflation Concerns: Annual inflation climbed to 8.9% in November, well above the central bank’s 4% target , with inflation expectations reaching 13.9% in December. Policy Rationale: The central bank cited the significant tightening of monetary conditions after October’s 200-basis point hike as sufficient to resume disinflationary processes. Governor Elvira Nabiullina emphasized avoiding both economic overheating and severe slowdowns. Economic Overheating: Elevated government spending on the war in Ukraine and social programs, coupled with labor shortages and rising wages, have fueled strong domestic demand, exacerbating price pressures...
Microsoft Corp’s Azure cloud-computing service reported slower quarterly growth, disappointing investors eager for returns from the company’s substantial investments in artificial intelligence (AI) products.
Key Takeaways:
Slowing Growth in Azure: Azure's revenue grew by 29% in the fiscal fourth quarter, down from a 31% rise in the previous quarter. AI contributed eight percentage points to this growth, up from seven in the prior period.
Impact on Shares: Microsoft’s shares fell about 3% in premarket trading on Wednesday following the announcement.
AI Investments and Challenges: CEO Satya Nadella has integrated AI technology from OpenAI into Microsoft’s products, including digital assistants called Copilots. However, corporate customers are just starting to adopt these AI assistants, which still face some challenges.
Capital Expenditures: Capital expenditures jumped to $19 billion in the fourth quarter, up from $14 billion in the previous quarter, as Microsoft invests heavily in data centers and servers to meet cloud and AI service demand.
Earnings and Revenue: Total revenue increased by 15% to $64.7 billion in the fourth quarter, with adjusted profit at $2.95 per share, meeting analysts' expectations.
Future Outlook: CFO Amy Hood indicated that while Azure growth would continue to slow in the current quarter, investments in data centers and servers would drive growth acceleration in the second half of fiscal 2025.
Cybersecurity and Gaming: Microsoft’s cybersecurity products and Xbox video-gaming unit showed strong performance, with Defender for Cloud surpassing $1 billion in revenue and a 61% increase in Xbox content and services revenue.
Despite the slowing growth in Azure, Microsoft's significant investments in AI and cloud infrastructure are expected to pay off in the longer term, with a positive outlook for the second half of fiscal 2025.
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