{"id":62011,"date":"2026-05-16T09:38:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T13:38:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/ackman-swaps-alphabet-for-microsoft-in-portfolio-pivot-us-nigeria-strike-hits-isis-leadership\/62011\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T09:38:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T13:38:24","slug":"ackman-swaps-alphabet-for-microsoft-in-portfolio-pivot-us-nigeria-strike-hits-isis-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/ackman-swaps-alphabet-for-microsoft-in-portfolio-pivot-us-nigeria-strike-hits-isis-leadership\/62011\/","title":{"rendered":"Ackman Swaps Alphabet for Microsoft in Portfolio Pivot; US-Nigeria Strike Hits ISIS Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Bill Ackman\u2019s Pershing Square<\/strong> has fully liquidated its stake in <strong>Alphabet<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>) to fund a new <strong>$2.3 billion<\/strong> position in <strong>Microsoft<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/MSFT\">MSFT<\/a>).<\/li>\n<li>A joint <strong>US-Nigeria<\/strong> military operation successfully neutralized <strong>Abu-Bilal al-Minuki<\/strong>, the global second-in-command and director of operations for <strong>ISIS<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Latvian President <strong>Edgars Rinkevics<\/strong> has nominated opposition MP <strong>Andris Kulbers<\/strong> to form a new government following the recent resignation of the Prime Minister.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Iran<\/strong> and <strong>Pakistan<\/strong> held high-level diplomatic talks in <strong>Tehran<\/strong> aimed at brokering a resumption of peace negotiations with <strong>Washington<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ackman Reallocates to Microsoft Citing Valuation<\/h2>\n<p>Billionaire investor <strong>Bill Ackman<\/strong> confirmed on Saturday that <strong>Pershing Square Capital Management<\/strong> sold its long-held position in <strong>Alphabet<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>) to finance a multi-billion dollar entry into <strong>Microsoft<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/MSFT\">MSFT<\/a>). Ackman clarified that the sale was not a &quot;bet against&quot; the Google parent company, stating he remains <em>very bullish long-term<\/em> on the firm but faced a <em>finite capital base<\/em> that required a reallocation of funds.<\/p>\n<p>The hedge fund manager revealed that <strong>Pershing Square<\/strong> began accumulating <strong>Microsoft<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/MSFT\">MSFT<\/a>) shares in February after a price dip, eventually building a stake of approximately <strong>5.65 million shares<\/strong>. Ackman noted the investment was made at a valuation of roughly <strong>21 times forward earnings<\/strong>, which he described as <em>highly compelling<\/em> given the growth of the <strong>Azure<\/strong> cloud division and the <strong>M365<\/strong> productivity suite.<\/p>\n<h2>US and Nigeria Neutralize Top ISIS Leader<\/h2>\n<p>In a significant counter-terrorism development, <strong>U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM)<\/strong> and the <strong>Nigerian Army<\/strong> executed a joint air-land operation in Northeastern Nigeria that resulted in the death of <strong>Abu-Bilal al-Minuki<\/strong>. Al-Minuki was identified as the global second-in-command for <strong>ISIS<\/strong> and a key strategist for the group\u2019s media and financial operations.<\/p>\n<p>The mission, which took place in the <strong>Lake Chad Basin<\/strong>, was executed with <strong>zero casualties<\/strong> to friendly forces or loss of assets. <strong>U.S. President Donald Trump<\/strong> and <strong>Nigerian President Bola Tinubu<\/strong> both confirmed the success of the strike, noting that the removal of such a high-ranking official <em>greatly diminishes<\/em> the militant group&#39;s ability to coordinate global operations.<\/p>\n<h2>Latvia Names New Prime Minister-Designate<\/h2>\n<p>Latvian President <strong>Edgars Rinkevics<\/strong> has officially selected opposition MP <strong>Andris Kulbers<\/strong> of the <strong>United List<\/strong> party as the next Prime Minister. The decision follows the resignation of <strong>Evika Sili\u0146a<\/strong> and the subsequent collapse of the previous three-party coalition government.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kulbers<\/strong> must now secure approval from the <strong>Saeima<\/strong> (parliament) to finalize his administration. President <strong>Rinkevics<\/strong> emphasized the need for a <em>swift transition<\/em> to avoid a prolonged caretaker government, though he acknowledged that the path to a stable majority remains <em>complicated<\/em> due to the fractious nature of current parliamentary politics.<\/p>\n<h2>Iran and Pakistan Seek Path to US Peace Talks<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Iranian Interior Minister<\/strong> held detailed discussions with his Pakistani counterpart, <strong>Mohsin Naqvi<\/strong>, in <strong>Tehran<\/strong> on Saturday to explore ways to resume stalled peace talks with the <strong>United States<\/strong>. <strong>Pakistan<\/strong> continues to serve as a primary mediator between the two nations, facilitating indirect communication amid a period of heightened regional tension.<\/p>\n<p>The talks come as <strong>Washington<\/strong> signals <em>cautious optimism<\/em> regarding a potential second round of negotiations, which are rumored to be hosted in <strong>Islamabad<\/strong>. While disagreements persist over nuclear concessions and maritime security in the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>, both sides are reportedly reviewing proposals for a <em>fair and balanced deal<\/em> to stabilize the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Bill Ackman\u2019s Pershing Square has fully liquidated its stake in Alphabet (GOOGL) to fund a new $2.3 billion 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