

Microsoft profits up 21%, giving cushion for gaming push


By MATT O'BRIEN (AP) — Demand for Microsoft’s cloud-computing services and work software helped boost its quarterly profits by 21% as the pandemic continued to keep many office workers at least partly at home. The Redmond, Washington company on Tuesday reported fiscal second-quarter profit of $18.8 billion. It posted revenue of $51.7 billion for the October-December period, up 20% from a year earlier.