😤 What's a tech giant got to do?

Yay Microsoft, boo Alphabet | And Twitter was such a friendly place | [TOGETHER WITH]( Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for April 27th in 3:13 minutes. ♻️ You don’t need to choose between doing good and making money. Join the Impact in Tech Foundation’s Elisa Giudici for [Impact Investor’s Guide to Web3]( on Thursday, and discover the opportunities that could bring your carbon footprint down and your bank balance up. [Grab your free ticket]( Today's big stories - Microsoft's quarterly results beat expectations, but Alphabet stumbled - There’s another potential crisis hiding in the markets, but there are ways to safeguard your portfolio – [Read Now]( - Twitter agreed to be bought by Elon Musk Close Call [Close Call] What’s Going On Here? [Microsoft]( and Google-parent [Alphabet]( reported diverging quarterly updates late on Tuesday, but they both have one thing in common: they’re never far from regulation… What Does This Mean? Microsoft kicked things off with a clean sweep of expectation-beating results: revenue from its cloud computing business was 26% higher than the same time last year, its productivity business – think Office 365 and LinkedIn – 17% higher, and its PC business 11% higher. No such luck for Alphabet, whose overall revenue missed expectations. That, even though its advertising revenue – from platforms like Google and YouTube – was up 22% on the same time last year, and its cloud revenue up 44%. Its profit disappointed too, given how much it spent driving visitors to its sites and keeping them there. And while Alphabet tried to [appease]( investors with a $70 billion [buyback]( of its own shares, it didn’t work: the company’s stock initially fell 5%. Why Should I Care? The bigger picture: Sneaky tactics. Microsoft and Alphabet are still numbers two and three behind Amazon in the cloud space, but Microsoft is gaining ground: it’s increased its market share by nearly 10% over the past five years, putting it at around 21% to Amazon’s 33%. Not without some allegedly underhanded tactics, mind you: there’s [talk]( that Microsoft’s been luring customers away from rivals by charging more to run its Office applications on their cloud services. And with regulators always sniffing around the tech giants these days, analysts think this could be next on their agenda. Zooming out: Why choose? Boeing won’t settle for just one cloud giant, not when it can have all three: the plane manufacturer [announced]( earlier this month that it’s hiring Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon to help revamp its tech and give its designers and developers better software to work with. It’s hoping that’ll improve quality control, as well as eliminate some of the production issues that drive up the costs of developing new aircraft. You might also like: [The cloud industry is on the rise. Here’s how to hitch a ride.]( Copy to share story: [( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Close Call&utm_campaign=daily-global-27-04-2022&utm_source=email) Analyst Take How To Guard Against The Crisis Hidden In The Markets [How To Guard Against The Crisis Hidden In The Markets]( [Photo of Reda] Reda, Analyst What’s Going On Here? There are so many crises in the markets right now that you’d probably rather not hear about another one. But the reality is that emerging markets (EMs) haven’t been so at risk since [the 90s](, and they’re more tied up with the global economy – and ultimately [your portfolio]( – than you might think. After all, they’re a major driver of global economic growth, which means even one bankruptcy could end up having [global repercussions](. So that’s today’s Insight: why EMs could be set for a crisis, and [how to protect your portfolio in case it happens](. [Read or listen to the Insight here]( SPONSORED BY ATTEST Americans have a problem with crypto For all the headlines when a big bank offers crypto, it turns out that Americans aren’t too fussed. [Attest]( just asked a bunch of real customers what they want from their bank, and the ability to invest in stocks and crypto came [bottom of the list](. When [Attest]( asked them what would encourage them to invest in crypto, the [top response]( was: “If I had extra money every month to invest”. [Attest]( thinks there might be [a solution](: banks could offer cash incentives to new customers, which should make any crypto services more accessible and attract more banking customers too. There are more bright ideas where that came from: [read Attest’s latest research](. [Read The Research]( Antisocial Media [Antisocial Media] What’s Going On Here? Twitter [accepted]( Elon Musk’s offer to buy the social media giant earlier this week, whether you like it or not. What Does This Mean? We’ve all been where Elon’s been: bought a stake in one of the world’s biggest social media platforms, rejected an offer of a board seat, then [offered]( to buy the company outright. So you must’ve felt for the guy when Twitter tried to scupper the move with a [poison pill]( tactic, hoping to put him off by diluting his ownership and driving up the price of the deal. Breathe easy: some of Twitter’s largest shareholders bombarded the company with calls urging it to accept, forcing the company to come to the negotiating table. So while your bids on major companies might’ve fallen through, Elon’s didn’t: Twitter agreed to sell to the world’s richest man for around $44 billion – 38% more than it was worth at the start of the month ([tweet this](). Why Should I Care? For markets: Rob Tesla, pay Paul. Banks are prepared to lend Elon almost $26 billion to pay for the deal, but he’ll need to cover the rest himself. That leaves two options: find investors to buy the company with him, or – more likely – sell some of his stake in, say, Tesla. That might be why the EV maker’s stock has fallen 9% since he announced his takeover ambitions earlier this month. The bigger picture: Leave Elon alone. Elon’s been explicit about his intent: he wants Twitter to be a bastion of free speech, where everyone – disgruntled men, disgruntled presidents, and disgruntled billionaires alike – can finally tell the world what they really think after having been silent – on podcasts, on network television, and on the world stage – for far too long. But analysts have pointed out that Elon has used the platform to [influence]( his personal business interests before, and they cynically argue that he could use his new position to do it again. Okay, snowflakes… You might also like: [Is Twitter really worth what Elon is paying?]( Copy to share story: [( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Antisocial Media&utm_campaign=daily-global-27-04-2022&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day “People respond well to those that are sure of what they want.” – Anna Wintour (a British journalist) [Tweet this]( SPONSORED BY DACXI Crypto, the simple way There’s a lot to think about when you start your crypto journey, not least which coins to choose. That’s why [Dacxi]( decided to simplify the process: it’s made it easy to [get to grips with crypto]( and [build up the portfolio]( you’ve always wanted. Just pick a [Dacxi bundle]( – like [blue chip]( or [precious metals]( – to stock up on some of the world’s top coins. But you’re not locked in: you can sell your coins individually too. Then just sit back and enjoy your new portfolio. Well, unless you fancy using [Dacxi’s educational tools]( to develop your skills, or feel like meeting fellow crypto fans in [Dacxi’s community](. Discover how simple crypto can be: [check out Dacxi](. [Find Out More]( The information provided in this article does not constitute investment advice, financial advice, trading advice or any other sort of advice and you should not treat any of this article’s content as such. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding Cryptocurrencies is suitable for you relative to your financial position. The price of cryptocurrency can go down as well as up and past performance is not a guide to future performance. Investors may not get back the full amount originally invested. The information in this article is believed to be reliable. Dacxi has taken reasonable care to ensure the information stated is accurate. However, Dacxi makes no representation, guarantee or warranty that it is wholly accurate and complete. Do conduct your own due diligence and consult your financial adviser before making any investment decision. When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. 🌎 Finimize Live 🎉 Coming Up This Week All events are in UK time. 💪 [How To Invest In Profitable NFT Drops](: 6pm, April 27th 🪐 [Impact Investor’s Guide to Web3](: 6pm, April 28th 🎙 [Live Crypto Community Q&A](: 5pm, April 29th ✅ [How To Choose An Exchange Traded Fund](: 12.30pm, May 3rd 🌱 [How To Turn Your Portfolio Vegan](: 6pm, May 3rd 💪 And then after that… 💥 [What Is ReFi Anyway?](: 5pm, May 5th 🎉 [How To Invest In The Metaverse: Land, Stocks, And Crypto](: 6pm, May 6th 🚀 [How Space Is Changing The World](: 5pm, May 9th 👉 [What’s Next For Crypto Regulation?](: 6pm, May 11th 📚 [How To Go From Ideas To Execution](: 5pm, May 12th 💻 [How To Invest In The Up-And-Coming Tech Landscape](: 5pm, May 13th 📈 [How To Identify High Growth Metaverse Stocks](: 12pm, May 16th 🙌 [How To Invest In Community-Led Projects](: 5pm, May 16th 🌎 [How To Invest In The Global Chip Shortage](: 5pm, May 17th 🏡 [How To Buy A Digital Condo](: 12pm, May 18th 🚗 [The Leaders Of The EV Revolution](: 5pm, May 19th ♻️ [How To Pick Winning ESG Stocks](: 5pm, May 20th 📈 [How To Invest Thematically](: 12pm, May 24th 🎯 On Our Radar - No one escapes the panopticon. There’s an [all-seeing eye]( in the ocean now. - Never stop dreaming. Just don’t be surprised when your biggest fantasy leaves you [disappointed](. - Technology gets mean. AI wants to [hurt your feelings](. - Botox is old news. Anti-aging tech could [change our bodies]( completely. - How to let the little things go. Even when you find dirty socks [everywhere](. ❤️ Share with a friend Your Referrals: 0 Thanks for reading {NAME}. If you liked today's brief, we'd love for you to share it with a friend. If they sign up on your unique link, you’ll earn some sweet swag. Share your unique link: [ You stay classy, {NAME} 😉 We’d love to hear your thoughts. [Give feedback]( Want to advertise with us too? 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