• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
FinanceMicrosoft

After the coronavirus selloff, there is only one $1 trillion company left in the U.S.

Anne Sraders
By
Anne Sraders
Anne Sraders
Down Arrow Button Icon
Anne Sraders
By
Anne Sraders
Anne Sraders
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 25, 2020, 1:16 PM ET

Subscribe to Outbreak, a daily roundup of stories on the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on global business, delivered free to your inbox.

Since this story was reported, Apple regained its $1 trillion market cap.

Over the past month, the coronavirus has ravaged the stock market—knocking billions of dollars off companies’ market caps. Now, there’s only one trillion-dollar U.S. company left: Microsoft.

The software behemoth held on to a market cap of $1.03 trillion as of Monday, as its former trillion-dollar peers struggled (and failed) to keep their market caps above the venerable mark. Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet have since fallen behind Microsoft (which was the third company to hit the $1 trillion mark initially in April 2019. Saudi Aramco is the only other company, not based in the U.S., to have a market cap of $1.5 trillion).

Since the market peaked on Feb. 12, Microsoft’s stock is down roughly 19%, while Apple and Alphabet are both down around 25%.

But why is Microsoft the standout? For Wedbush’s Dan Ives, who covers companies like Microsoft and Apple, the answer is simple: cloud. “Part of why Microsoft has almost been the Rock of Gibraltar in this dark storm is because of how exposed and leveraged they are to the cloud theme,” Ives tells Fortune.

Ives suggests that the shift to remote working and remote learning is going to be a long-term overall catalyst for cloud-based infrastructure—something that makes up about 70% of Microsoft’s business, he says.

Although the company’s traditional PC business is more exposed to supply chain and consumer headwinds, Microsoft’s cloud business is shored up by enterprise. That’s why Ives estimates 80% to 90% of Microsoft’s valuation is cloud-driven.

That enterprise aspect stands to bolster the titan’s cloud and software businesses (like Azure, Redmine, and Office 365). “Microsoft is one where the trend to move to cloud is such a high-priority purchase in terms of the pecking order, they’re just going to be less exposed to the headwinds than some consumer-driven companies like an Alphabet or an Apple,” Ives says. That almost “provides a floor on the stock,” he says, thanks to a “Teflon-like spending area, as enterprises now have to accelerate their move to the cloud.”

Companies like Apple are not only facing supply chain pressure, but consumer demand pressure, as people are now focused on “their health, groceries, and hand sanitizer,” not the new iPhone, Ives suggests. And for Alphabet, the COVID-19 environment is creating less consumer disposable income and less advertising from companies—something that’s going to hurt Alphabet’s advertising revenue.

As the workforce (and world) shifts to the cloud, Ives believes the impacts will be permanent. And for investors, Microsoft, which boasts a 1.4% dividend yield as well, is both a “defensive and offensive name.”

Still, if markets can pick up in the near future, the others aren’t too far off from reclaiming the $1-trillion-company title: Apple would need to rise roughly 2% to recapture its $1 trillion market cap, while Alphabet would need to rise roughly 27%, based on Monday.

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Why the extraordinary dollar surge spells more trouble for the global economy
—These estimates of how much COVID-19 will hurt the economy are terrifying
—The NYSE is closed because of the coronavirus. What that means for investors
—How thinking like a golfer can help you ride out market mayhem

—Listen to Leadership Next, a Fortune podcast examining the evolving role of CEO
—WATCH: The U.S. tax deadline was moved from April 15 to July 15

Subscribe to Fortune’s Bull Sheet for no-nonsense finance news and analysis daily.

About the Author
Anne Sraders
By Anne Sraders
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

A pile of gold coins and gold bars.
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of December 10, 2025
By Danny BakstDecember 10, 2025
4 minutes ago
housing affordability
Real EstateHousing
America’s mobile housing affordability crisis reveals a system where income determines exposure to climate disasters
By Ivis Garcia and The ConversationDecember 10, 2025
24 minutes ago
student
CommentaryEducation
International students skipped campus this fall — and local economies lost $1 billion because of it
By Bjorn MarkesonDecember 10, 2025
29 minutes ago
Goldman Sachs' logo seen displayed on a smartphone with an AI chip and symbol in the background.
NewslettersCFO Daily
Goldman Sachs CFO on the company’s AI reboot, talent, and growth
By Sheryl EstradaDecember 10, 2025
1 hour ago
Current price of silver as of Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Personal Financesilver
Current price of silver as of Wednesday, December 10, 2025
By Joseph HostetlerDecember 10, 2025
1 hour ago
EconomyFederal Reserve
If the Fed cuts interest rates today, it may be the last one until June 2026
By Jim EdwardsDecember 10, 2025
2 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
‘Fodder for a recession’: Top economist Mark Zandi warns about so many Americans ‘already living on the financial edge’ in a K-shaped economy 
By Eva RoytburgDecember 9, 2025
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
When David Ellison was 13, his billionaire father Larry bought him a plane. He competed in air shows before leaving it to become a Hollywood executive
By Dave SmithDecember 9, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Banking
Jamie Dimon taps Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell, and Ford CEO Jim Farley to advise JPMorgan's $1.5 trillion national security initiative
By Nino PaoliDecember 9, 2025
19 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Uncategorized
Transforming customer support through intelligent AI operations
By Lauren ChomiukNovember 26, 2025
14 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Even the man behind ChatGPT, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is worried about the ‘rate of change that’s happening in the world right now’ thanks to AI
By Preston ForeDecember 9, 2025
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
The 'Great Housing Reset' is coming: Income growth will outpace home-price growth in 2026, Redfin forecasts
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
4 days ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.