The Financial Post reports in its Wednesday edition that Microsoft shares have outperformed Apple so far in September. A Bloomberg dispatch to the Post reports that billions of dollars still separate the two companies, but Microsoft's positions in markets such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence make it more attractive to some investors. Huntington Private Bank analyst David Klink says: "Microsoft has more of what the market wants right now, and given where we stand on the pair's growth prospects, we wouldn't be surprised to see it overtake Apple. We have more faith in Microsoft's margins, while the cloud and AI are growth areas that can stand the test of time over a decade. We don't know if the iPhone can do the same. It's hard to make a bear case for Apple, given its services business, but the bull case clearly favours Microsoft." The last time Microsoft was larger than Apple was in November, 2021. Apple's market cap is nearing $2.8-trillion (U.S.), down from a peak of nearly $3.1-trillion, but still above Microsoft's $2.4 trillion (U.S.). While Apple shares have dropped this month, Microsoft has held steady, narrowing the gap between the two to about $200-billion (U.S.) at one point last week.