Microsoft Beats Expectations.....

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT). The Redmond, Washington-based software maker on Thursday said second-quarter earnings almost doubled to $4.71 billion or 50 cents a share from $2.63 billion or 26 cents a share same time last year. Revenue rose 30% to $16.37 billion from $12.54 billion last year on the back of robust holiday sales and enterprise demand. For the third quarter, Microsoft said it expects earnings of 43-45 cents a share and revenue between $14.3-$14.6 billion.