What happened Shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) were trading higher Tuesday in the wake of a cooler-than-expected November inflation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that lifted the market broadly, but which especially helped the tech sector. In its most recent fiscal quarter, Microsoft noted that it was feeling the challenges of the macroeconomic environment even as it continued to deliver strong growth in its software and cloud segments. Sales in its personal computing segment declined as it faced difficult comparisons with the quarter a year ago, when it was still benefiting from pandemic-related tailwinds.