Microsoft makes U-turn on physical stores as G7 deal leaves shares unaffected

Microsoft, which shut its retail stores last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been using its experience centres to mainly host business customers.

Last month, Google-parent Alphabet Inc said it was opening its first physical retail store in New York City this summer.

Earlier this week, shares in US technology giants barely reacted on Monday to a landmark global minimum corporate tax deal agreed between the world’s richest nations, with analysts saying it will take the backing of low-tax nations to have any meaningful impact on the companies’ bottom lines.

The Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies agreed on Saturday to back a minimum global corporate tax rate of at least 15 per cent and the focus now shifts to the G20 countries for a wider agreement on the new tax proposals.

Analysts say the tax deal wouldn’t hurt companies unless it’s agreed with tax-haven countries such as Ireland, whose economy has been booming with the influx of billions of dollars in investment from multinationals due to lower taxes.

In morning US trading, shares of Apple, Amazon and Google-parent Alphabet dipped 0.2 per cent to 0.5 per cent, while Facebook edged up 0.1 per cent and Microsoft rose 0.6 per cent. The benchmark S&P 500 index was down 0.2 per cent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq was little changed.

Europe’s tech stocks index slipped 0.1 per cent.

“The details of the implementation are still to be ironed out and potentially further watered down,” said Marija Vertimane, senior strategist at State Street Global Markets.

Dublin, which has resisted European Union attempts to harmonize its tax rules, is unlikely to accept a higher minimum rate without a fight.

“I would treat the current proposal as a small positive for the market,” Vertimane added pointing to levies being lower than what was initially discussed.

Peter Tuz, president of Chase Investment Counsel Corp in Charlottesville, Virginia, called it “neutral” for the market.

While any tax hike is “negative to the way people value stocks,” the agreement could indicate that US President Joe Biden will be less aggressive in seeking an increase of the US corporate tax rate to 28 per cent, Tuz said.

“They might reduce the maximum they were trying to seek, which in general I would think would be a better thing for a lot of US companies,” Tuz said. “The great majority probably do not operate outside the US. The large ones do, but plenty don’t.”

The G7’s proposals are seen targeting technology companies that sell services remotely and attribute much of their profits to intellectual property held in low-tax jurisdictions.

“The immediate market implications are likely to be minimal,” said Ian Williams, economics & strategy research analyst at Peel Hunt.

“No G7 nation currently charges that low a rate and the details, including agreement from numerous smaller countries, require plenty of work.”

REUTERS