Commsec

US sharemarkets were mixed on Wednesday. Shares in Microsoft rose by 7.2% following its upbeat earnings result. In response, shares in Amazon rose 2.4%. But despite better-than-expected first quarter results and a US$70-billion share buyback plan, shares in Alphabet (Google parent) fell by 0.1%. Shares of First Republic Bank fell 29.8% after a report suggested that the US Government was unwilling to intervene in the bank's rescue process. The Dow Jones index fell by 229 points or 0.7%. The S&P 500 index lost 0.4%. But the Nasdaq index rose by 55 points or 0.5%. After the close, shares in Meta Platforms rose more than 11% after releasing earnings. This content is prepared, approved and distributed in Australia by Commonwealth Securities Limited ABN 60 067 254 399 AFSL 238814 (CommSec) a wholly owned but non-guaranteed subsidiary of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124 AFSL 234945 (the Bank) and a Market Participant of ASX Limited and Cboe Australia Pty Limited.  All information contained h