Microsoft and Amazon Cloud Services Likely to Face EU Regulation
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1 hour ago
0mins
Source: seekingalpha
- Regulatory Scope Expansion: According to Bloomberg, preliminary findings from the European Commission indicate that Microsoft's Azure and Amazon's AWS may meet the criteria for regulation under the Digital Markets Act, with a final decision expected by year-end, potentially subjecting these cloud giants to stricter oversight.
- Market Position Review: The European Commission highlighted in November that Microsoft and Amazon hold 'very strong positions' in the cloud computing market, prompting a formal review to determine if they should be included in the new regulatory framework, reflecting significant scrutiny of their market dominance.
- Increased Compliance Obligations: If designated as 'gatekeeper' platforms, these cloud services would face a set of obligations under the Digital Markets Act, including interoperability requirements and restrictions on customer lock-in and self-preferencing practices, which could impact their business models and market strategies.
- Heightened Industry Risks: The cloud computing sector has faced scrutiny due to several outages in recent years, underscoring reliance on a few major providers; EU regulatory measures aim to prevent anti-competitive behavior and promote fair competition in digital markets, potentially having profound implications for Microsoft's and Amazon's market operations.
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Analyst Views on MSFT
Wall Street analysts forecast MSFT stock price to rise
34 Analyst Rating
32 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 378.910
Low
500.00
Averages
631.36
High
678.00
Current: 378.910
Low
500.00
Averages
631.36
High
678.00
About MSFT
Microsoft Corporation is a technology company. The Company develops and supports software, services, devices, and solutions. The Company’s segments include Productivity and Business Processes, Intelligent Cloud, and More Personal Computing. The Productivity and Business Processes segment consists of products and services in its portfolio of productivity, communication, and information services. This segment primarily comprises: Office Commercial, Office Consumer, LinkedIn, and Dynamics business solutions. The Intelligent Cloud segment consists of server products and cloud services, including Azure and other cloud services, SQL Server, Windows Server, Visual Studio, System Center, and related Client Access Licenses (CALs), and Nuance and GitHub; and Enterprise Services, including enterprise support services, industry solutions and Nuance professional services. The More Personal Computing segment primarily comprises Windows, Devices, Gaming, and search and news advertising.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Market Position Review: The European Commission highlighted in November that Microsoft and Amazon hold 'very strong positions' in the cloud computing market, prompting a formal review to determine if they should be included in the new regulatory framework, reflecting significant scrutiny of their market dominance.
- Increased Compliance Obligations: If designated as 'gatekeeper' platforms, these cloud services would face a set of obligations under the Digital Markets Act, including interoperability requirements and restrictions on customer lock-in and self-preferencing practices, which could impact their business models and market strategies.
- Heightened Industry Risks: The cloud computing sector has faced scrutiny due to several outages in recent years, underscoring reliance on a few major providers; EU regulatory measures aim to prevent anti-competitive behavior and promote fair competition in digital markets, potentially having profound implications for Microsoft's and Amazon's market operations.
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See More
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