StockHistory function becomes StockMystery as Microsoft Excel bugs out

For many, the start of a new year is a time to take stock. For Microsoft, it was a time to stop giving it as the company kicked off 2026 with a bug that broke Excel's StockHistory function. A Register reader reported the problem to us over the weekend. It also turned up on social media and in Microsoft's feedback forums. The …

[Blackjack]

There is a reason some people keeps a machine offline with the specific version of Excel they need so their "Database" doesn't break.

[PRR]

> ...keeps a machine offline with the specific version of Excel they need...

Where do stock market quotes come from?

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Obviously you store the market data when the market was most favorable to your business model - no point in worrying about future returns

[steviesteveo]

This is the tension. MS is providing online only features while not providing stability

I really think they underestimate the load bearing nature of that one money making feature users are relying on at their peril: that user who has worked out he needs office for this one feature that's now broke is going to look for alternatives. He won't be the only customer in that boat

[Blackjack]

You have a guy hired to manually write them in Excel because copy pasta breaks things in Excel anyway.

No I am not joking there is people who actually do this.

[b0llchit]

Stop the errors - add more AI

They really should be adding Copilot answers to these stock things instead of connection error messages. You can always "sell" the hallucinations on varying stock levels due to the HeisenStock effect^(*). Besides, anyone who depends on Microsoft to show you stock prices has already given up on truth anyway, so nothing (of value) changes.

^{(*) _{the stock price differs on whether you look or not}}

[mmaxx]

Re: Stop the errors - add more AI

Connection Error? What a wasted opportunity.

Perhaps the next Copilot version can learn to trade for itself ahead of serving up bogus data. At least that way it can just buy everything and won't have to seize our nuclear weapons.

[Neil Barnes]

Re: Stop the errors - add more AI

Perhaps there's a new RFC in the offing? Instead of a connection error message, return an advert?

[nijam]

Making everything worse is simply a marketing tool to make AI look better. But only a Marketing Tool would think that was a good idea.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

"One is blinded to the fundamental uselessness of their products by the sense of achievement one feels in getting them to work at all. In other words, their fundamental design flaws are completely hidden by their superficial design flaws."

The business model of Microsoft Sirius Cybernetics Corporation

[Yorick Hunt]

Pffft!

Excel* worked without missing a beat for me.

_{* Excel 2010}