Stocks fell Thursday as cybersecurity and software shares dropped after disappointing forecasts. Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) posted a rare miss on both top and bottom lines, dragging down Big Tech. Microsoft (MSFT) erased its after-hours gain despite strong results reported Wednesday. The tech sector (XLK) declined, pulling Nvidia (NVDA), AMD (AMD) and Broadcom (AVGO) lower, while Brent crude fell more than 2% to below $110 per barrel and WTI traded near $100.
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GOOGLearningsMSFTsoftwarecybersecurity
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Related tickers and likely impact
GOOGL
▼ Likely negativeAlphabet Inc. (Class A)
Relevance: high
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Communication Services |
| Industry | Interactive Media & Services |
| Market cap | $4.0T |
| Close on 10/28/2026 | 325.61 |
| Change that session | +1.57% |
MSFT
▼ Likely negativeMicrosoft
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Information Technology |
| Industry | Systems Software |
| Market cap | $3.9T |
| Close on 10/28/2026 | 530.83 |
| Change that session | -0.09% |
QQQ
▼ Likely negativeInvesco QQQ Trust
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/28/2026 | 725.59 |
| Change that session | +0.60% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
Related news
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U.S. technology stocks diverged in premarket trading: Microsoft rose about 2.8% after fiscal first-quarter results beat expectations, with earnings of $4.89 per share on revenue of $92.28 billion and Azure revenue up 48%. Alphabet fell more than 10% after third-quarter EPS of $2.12 missed the $3.02 consensus, though revenue rose 25% to $127.6 billion, and Google search ad revenue grew at its slowest pace in five quarters. Software stocks also tumbled after weak results from Fortinet (down around 25%) and ServiceNow (down 18.1%), intensifying concerns that AI models could disrupt traditional software business models. Marvell fell 9.5% after Bloomberg reported it was in advanced talks to acquire Lumentum, while Caterpillar dropped 9.7% despite a sharp rise in third-quarter profit.
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- Semperis Deepens Microsoft Security Collaboration, Integrating the Lightning Platform with Microsoft Sentinel and Security Copilot
Semperis announced on October 26, 2026 a deeper collaboration with Microsoft, as its Lightning Platform integrates with Microsoft Sentinel and Security Copilot. The integration uses Microsoft-native components such as Azure Functions, Log Analytics tables, KQL and MCP to bring identity context, including attack paths, Tier 0 exposure, posture indicators and hybrid identity telemetry, into Sentinel. Security teams can therefore query and act on identity risk without leaving the Microsoft environment. Semperis has also built custom Security Copilot agents that use KQL over Lightning tables to return risk and posture summaries and identify exposed paths, and these agents can be published on the Microsoft Security Store. The collaboration builds on Semperis' membership in the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association and its designation as a Microsoft Certified Security Software vendor. CEO Mickey Bresman said security teams need identity context within the tools they already use.
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- Microsoft (MSFT): Can Security Bundles Generate More Profit per Customer?
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Latest news
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- Was Nvidia's Jensen Huang the target of a Chinese spy? A look at NYT's report
According to the New York Times, US intelligence officials have concluded that Alice Wong, a Chinese citizen linked to Singapore-based MegaSpeed, had been an intelligence asset passing information to Beijing, and that she was documented as being very close to Jensen Huang. The report says President Trump was briefed on the relationship about a year ago without taking action, and Huang has not received a defensive briefing. Nvidia told the Times that it would have been informed of any risk and that its customer discussions never covered national security. The hosts raised the question of whether government information could have reached Beijing, given Nvidia's lobbying to sell advanced chips to China and reported efforts to smuggle its chips there.
- Micron Is Down 17% Over the Past Month. Is This AI Stock Still a Buy?
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- Alphabet Is Having Its Worst Earnings Day Ever. Here’s What It Means for Your ETFs
Alphabet shares fell about 13% to near $283 after third-quarter results missed expectations, with EPS of $2.12 against a $2.97 consensus and revenue of $127.58 billion versus $127.83 billion expected. Capital spending rose 114% to $51.36 billion, pushing free cash flow to negative $9.07 billion. The article argues ETF holders also feel the drop because Alphabet is a large weight in funds, with Class A and Class C making up 10% and 13% of XLC's net assets in its June 30 filing. It suggests investors check the top-three weights of their funds and the overlap between holdings.
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- The Battle That May Matter Most for Netflix Stock Isn't Against Disney
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