Cloud services help Microsoft beat Q1 revenue expectations

London

MICROSOFT Corp reported better-than-expected quarterly adjusted revenue, boosted by burgeoning demand for its cloud products, sending its shares soaring more than 6 per cent in extended trading on Thursday.

Under chief executive Satya Nadella, Microsoft has been shifting its focus to software and cloud services as demand for the Windows operating system slows. "Cloud continues to be the Rock of Gibraltar for Microsoft as this was a source of strength yet again in the quarter," FBC Capital Markets analyst Daniel Ives said.