Trump Suggests Meta May Invest Upto $60 Billion In The US By The End Of 2025 - Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated that Meta Platforms META could invest up to $60 billion in the United States by the end of the year.

What Happened: While taking press questions at the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump stated that the Mark Zuckerberg-led company is likely to invest $60 billion by the end of 2025. This follows the likes of Apple AAPL and TSMC TSM. In February, the iPhone maker invested $500 billion, while TSMC invested $10 billion in the United States, in a move to avoid tariffs and give a boost to Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda. When asked about the impact of tariffs, Trump continued to defend them and stated his belief that they would boost the U.S. economy and create more jobs in the country.

An anonymous source disclosed to Reuters on Wednesday that the meeting is part of Zuckerberg’s continuous discussions with the administration concerning the leadership of American technology. However, Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Meta, did not confirm the White House visit to the publication.

Notably, Meta has not officially announced the investment yet. The company did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.

See Also: Ross Gerber Finds Tesla Stock Expensive Despite Its 50% Plunge: Why The Investor Says EV Giant’s ‘Fundamental Story Has To Be Revalued’

Why It Matters: The possible meeting between Zuckerberg and the Trump administration officials comes at a time when Meta’s shares are experiencing a downward trend. Meta’s shares traded lower on Thursday amid an overall market weakness that has been impacting social media and tech stocks.

Microsoft (MSFT) has done it again, dazzling investors with a stellar fourth-quarter fiscal 2024 performance that crushes all doubts. Emerging victorious, Microsoft reported earnings of $2.95 per share, a formidable 1.72% beat over expectations, showcasing a robust 9.7% improvement year over year. Revenues soared to $64.7 billion, marking a 15.2% annual surge, and exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.84%. Dive deeper, and you'll find earnings spike further; at constant currency, they gloriously hiked by 11% year over year.

Commercial Triumph Amidst Sky-High Expectations

Commercial bookings painted a picture of triumph, surging 17% year over year (and 19% at cc), stampeding past expectations. The growth was fuelled by an uptick in mega-contracts worth $10 million and $100 million each, revolving around both Azure and Microsoft 365, all while maintaining stellar performance in core annuity sales motions.

The Cloud Unleashed: Azure's Ascension

Microsoft's Cloud revenues manifested at $36.8 billion, a whopping 21% ascent year over year (up 22% at cc). Azure is akin to a formidable dragon on a gold hoard, lifting the company's overall performance and overshadowing previous expectations.

Segmental Showdown: Numbers That Tell a Tale

The Productivity & Business Processes segment emerged as a formidable force, with revenues soaring 11% (up 12% at cc) year over year, led by Office commercial products and cloud services that witnessed a 12% growth rate. Teams Premium saw a meteoric rise with a nearly 400% surge in seats, a testament to the allure of advanced features.

Meanwhile, the Intelligent Cloud segment carved its path to glory, contributing 44.1% to total revenues with a 19% annual boost. Azure and other cloud services revenue scaled a remarkable 29% growth, including an 8-point surge from AI services — demand that outstrips available capacity.

Lastly, the More Personal Computing segment showcased resilience, raking in a 14% year-over-year revenue increase to $15.9 billion. This rise included a net impact from the Activision acquisition, demonstrating Microsoft's strategic agility in adapting to evolving market trends.

Azure's Triumph at the Heart of the Storm

Azure has asserted its dominance in the cloud domain, spearheading Microsoft's remarkable saga of success. The company's fourth-quarter earnings soar high on the wings of Azure's triumph, painting a vivid picture of victory in the fiercely competitive cloud landscape. Investors are left in awe of Microsoft's relentless pursuit of excellence, as Azure reigns supreme in the clouds amidst a storm of competition, firmly establishing its reign as the Cloud King.

Microsoft's AI Triumph Unveiled in Fiscal Q4 Financials Microsoft's AI Triumph Unveiled in Fiscal Q4 Financials

The decline in Meta’s shares is attributed to the erasure of Wednesday’s gains by Wall Street, with market sentiment being negatively affected by tariff threats and economic data. The possible meeting with the Trump administration could be seen as a strategic move by Zuckerberg to discuss these issues and potentially influence future policies that could impact Meta and the tech industry at large.

Meta holds a momentum rating of 87.21% and a growth rating of 72.53%, according to Benzinga’s Proprietary Edge Rankings. The Benzinga Growth metric evaluates a stock’s historical earnings and revenue expansion across multiple timeframes, prioritizing both long-term trends and recent performance. For an in-depth report on more stocks and insights into growth opportunities, sign up for Benzinga Edge.