Microsoft Becomes Most Valuable Firm
While the nation remains transfixed with the home-run race between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, another, more low-key competition is being waged for bragging rights as the most valuable company.
Until this week, General Electric Co. could say it was king of the hill. But sometime during trading Monday, Microsoft Corp. took over the top spot as the most valuable company in terms of market capitalization.
Microsoft, based in Redmond, Wash., closed Tuesday at $108.31-1/4, up $2.31-1/4 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. With 2.46 billion shares outstanding, the computer software giant is worth about $266.4 billion.
General Electric closed at $78.06-1/4, down $1.06-1/4, in trading on the New York Stock Exchange, valuing it at $253.9 billion. It has 3.25 billion shares outstanding.