MICROSOFT Corp, seeking to revive its share price after a 29-percent slump this year, plans to buy back as much as US$40 billion in stock, raise its dividend and issue its first commercial paper.

Microsoft rose 4.7 percent in early trading yesterday after adding a US$2-billion commercial paper program and saying it may ultimately sell as much as US$6 billion in debt. Standard & Poor's gave its highest possible credit rating to Microsoft, the first company to get the AAA rating in a decade.