Possible loss looms in Microsoft’s fiscal 4Q

Published July 18, 2012 9:11pm ET



REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — A flopped acquisition may lump Microsoft with the first loss in its 26-year history as a public company when the software maker releases its latest quarterly results Thursday.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The fiscal fourth-quarter numbers, due out after the stock market closes, will include a $6.2 billion charge to reflect that Microsoft’s 2007 acquisition of online ad service aQuantive hasn’t yielded the returns envisioned by management.

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