Investopedia Markets News (all except PF)

• The U.S. and China reached a preliminary trade deal Thursday, lowering U.S. tariffs in exchange for access to China's rare earth minerals and striking agreements on several other issues.
  
• The deal represents a truce in the ongoing trade war between the two countries, but leaves many issues unresolved.
  

The agreement reached between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, de-escalates the trade war between the two countries, but leaves open the possibility that it could flare up again.

The deal amounted to a one-year truce between the world's two largest economies, Trump told reporters on Air Force One Thursday on his flight home from South Korea, where he and Xi met.

China committed to resume purchasing American soybeans, which they had halted earlier in the year, and to hold back from restricting U.S. access to rare earth minerals crucial for the U.S. high-tech industry. They also agreed to take steps to crack down on fentanyl production, Trump said.

In return, the U.S. would refrain from imposing the additional 100% tariff on Chinese products Trump had threatened and reduce tariffs on China to 47%. It also gives China access to American computer chips used in AI.

"I thought it was an amazing meeting," Trump said.

The one-year trade war truce between the U.S. and China simmers down a potentially destabilizing conflict, but leaves open the possibility of future flare-ups.

Specifically, China agreed to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans this year and at least 25 million tons a year in 2026 and 2027, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted on social media. China bought 26.8 million metric tons of soybeans from the U.S. in 2024, according to the Department of Agriculture.

Aside from that, few details of the deal had been released as of Thursday afternoon. Trump said he would meet with Xi again in April, setting the stage for further talks.

If both sides stick to the deal, it would amount to a freeze in the tit-for-tat trade restrictions each side has imposed on one another recently. However, it would leave major issues unresolved, including the fate of Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, the independence of Taiwan, and "transshipment," or China evading U.S. tariffs by first shipping products to other countries.

"Progress in U.S.-China trade talks today marks an undeniably positive step toward temporarily stabilizing a structurally fractious relationship even as key flashpoints ... remain unresolved," Louise Loo, head of Asia economics at Oxford Economics, wrote in a commentary.

The provisions of the deal “just get us back to where we were before the U.S.-China trade wars of the spring,” Josh Lipsky, chair of international economics at the Atlantic Council think tank, said in a blog post. “China still faces higher tariffs than it did when Trump came into office."

Reed and other experts noted that China was able to leverage its dominance of rare earth minerals to extract concessions from the U.S. and predicted that it would likely do so again in the future.

• The price of Bitcoin extended its slide Thursday, heading toward its monthly low of around $104,000. Other cryptocurrencies also lost ground, along with U.S. stocks.
• The slide could underscore broader risk-off sentiment fueled by anxiety around the Federal Reserve's plans for future interest rate cuts.

Whatever happened to "Uptober?"

The price of Bitcoin (BTCUSD) extended its slide Thursday, and altcoins including Ether (ETHUSD) and Solana (SOLUSD) fell even harder—likely disappointing those expecting October gains to materialize by tomorrow. The world's most well-known cryptocurrency is now below $107,000, down more than 6% so far this month—and 15% from its record high on Oct. 6—while Ether and Solana have each fallen about 10% in October.

The slide could underscore broader risk-off sentiment fueled by anxiety around the Federal Reserve's plans for future interest rate cuts, after Fed Chair Jerome Powell said yesterday that another cut in December is "far from" guaranteed.

That "prompted traders to scale back expectations," Vugar Usi Zade, COO at crypto exchange Bitget told Investopedia. U.S.-listed Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded fund flows, including Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Trust (FBTC) and ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB), showed "signs of investor caution," as they collectively saw $550 million in outflows as of Oct. 29, he said.

Thursday's drop in the price of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies along with stocks would seem to throw cold water on hopes that it could serve as a "safe haven" asset or hedge for volatility in the stock market.

Crypto markets had already taken a hit after a Black Friday-like event on Oct. 10, when more than $19 billion in crypto positions were wiped out. Weeks later, a couple of digital asset treasury companies, or DATCOs, said they were selling the crypto in their stockpiles mere months after acquiring them.

ETHZilla (ETHZ), a former biotech firm that pivoted to stockpiling ether in August, sold roughly $40 million from its treasury to fund share repurchases, the company disclosed Monday. Its CEO said in a statement that the company planned to continue on that path with the goal of reducing the number of shares available as well as shrinking the gap between its stock price and the net asset value of its underlying holdings.

Some of the more high-profile DATCO shares including Tom Lee's BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR), Eightco Holdings (ORBS), and SharpLink Gaming (SBET) have fallen sharply from their peaks, down at least 70%.

As DATCO shares started trading at a discount to their crypto holdings, which would hamper their ability to continue funding their treasuries, there was some concern that they would trigger a broader wave of selling. Weakness in DATCOs led to some volatility in parts of the market, but there's no evidence that they triggered a selloff, according to Zade.

"Bigger forces are at play," he said.

• A social media giant faltered on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, as artificial intelligence costs piled up, while a biotech name benefited from reports of talks with a major pharma player.
  
• Shares of Meta Platforms dropped after the Facebook parent announced a one-time tax hit related to the One Big Beautiful Bill, and said AI-related expense growth would accelerate next year.
• Moderna shares surged following reports that the vaccine specialist has held strategic negotiations with a large pharmaceutical company.

Shares of a social media juggernaut slumped as investors balked at its rapidly accelerating spending on artificial intelligence, while reports of potential partnership or buyout talks helped a vaccine maker's shares shoot higher.

Major U.S. equities indexes moved lower as investors mulled over a meeting between the presidents of the U.S. and China, a cautious tone from the Federal Reserve chair following yesterday's rate cut, and the latest quarterly earnings reports. The S&P 500 slid 1%. The Dow dipped 0.2%, while tech sector underperformance dragged the Nasdaq 1.6% lower. See here for more reporting from Investopedia on the day's big market stories. 

Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp parent Meta Platforms (META) reported third-quarter earnings per share that fell significantly shy of analysts' forecasts, reflecting the impact of a $16 billion one-time tax charge related to the One Big Beautiful Bill. The social media giant also lifted the low end of its 2025 capital expenditure forecast and said expenses would grow "significantly faster" next year, raising concerns about its steep spending on artificial intelligence. Meta shares tumbled 11.3%.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) stock fell 18.2%, the most of any S&P 500 component, after the fast-casual burrito chain reported lower-than-expected third-quarter revenue and reduced its full-year forecast for comparable-restaurant sales. The company pointed to declines among 25- to 34-year-old customers who make less than $100,000, a key cohort that Chipotle says is turning to at-home food options amid a challenging macroeconomic environment.

Shares of EMCOR Group (EME) dropped 16.6% after the mechanical and electrical construction specialist posted its third-quarter results. Although sales and profits came in ahead of expectations, operating margins were down from a year ago, and EMCOR's narrowed full-year guidance failed to impress investors.

Although eBay (EBAY) surpassed third-quarter revenue and adjusted profit estimates, its guidance for the critical holiday quarter came in below expectations, and its shares slid 15.9%. The e-commerce company noted decelerating growth in the volume of goods imported into the U.S. from key markets following the removal of the de minimis exemption.

Shares of logistics company C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW) motored 19.7% higher, logging the S&P 500's top performance Thursday. The freight forwarder has integrated AI to automate various processes, from providing quotes for shipping services to tracking shipments. AI-driven efficiency contributed to a significant year-over-year decline in operating expenses, while C.H. Robinson's employee headcount is down more than 10% from a year ago.

Medical and pharmaceutical distributor Cardinal Health (CAH) beat sales and adjusted profit estimates for its fiscal first quarter of 2026 and raised its full-year forecasts. The company benefited from strong demand for high-margin specialty medicines and branded drugs. Its shares soared 15.4%.

Moderna (MRNA) shares surged 13.9% following reports that the vaccine maker has held talks with a large pharmaceutical company about a potential major partnership or buyout agreement. The biotech firm has faced pressure as sales taper off for its COVID-19 vaccines. No details have emerged about the nature or scope of a possible deal.

• Amazon shares surged after hours Thursday as the company reported better third-quarter earnings than analysts had expected.
• Growth in the company's Amazon Web Services helped boost the results.

Amazon (AMZN) shares popped in extended trading Thursday after the e-commerce and cloud giant posted third-quarter results that blew past analysts' estimates, driven by growth in its cloud business.

The shares were up over 13% above $253 after hours, at what would be their first all-time high since early February.

The online retail and cloud computing provider reported earnings per share of $1.95, up from $1.43 the same time a year ago, and well above the analyst consensus compiled by Visible Alpha. Revenue rose 13% year-over-year to $180.2 billion, also beating expectations as sales in the company's Amazon Web Services segment jumped 20% to $33 billion.

Like many of its big tech peers, Amazon faces pressure to show its investments in AI are paying off, and Thursday's strong showing from its cloud business and the ensuing jump in Amazon's stock would point to growing optimism about its trajectory.

"We continue to see strong momentum and growth across Amazon as AI drives meaningful improvements in every corner of our business," said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, adding that the company has particularly benefited from "strong demand in AI and core infrastructure, and we’ve been focused on accelerating capacity."

Looking ahead, Amazon said it expects fourth-quarter revenue to come in between $206 billion and $213 billion, compared to the analyst estimate of $208.66 billion.

The company also lifted its projected capital expenditures for the full year to $125 billion from about $118 billion previously, with CFO Brian Olsavsky telling investors during Thursday's earnings call he expects it to rise in 2026.

Earlier this week, Amazon announced what could be its largest layoffs in the company's history, with plans to reduce its headcount by about 14,000 jobs, through layoffs and changes to hiring plans as it and other tech companies look to trim costs elsewhere as they boost investments in AI infrastructure.

Through Thursday's close, the shares were up less than 2% for 2025, as concerns about tariffs and disappointing cloud growth earlier in the year weighed on sentiment around the stock.

This article has been updated since it was first published to include additional information and reflect more recent share prices.

• The shutdown means hardship for federal workers and recipients of food benefits, hurting overall economic growth.
  
• The lack of reports from statistical agencies complicates the job of anyone who relies on analyzing economic data.
  

The government shutdown entered its 30th day on Thursday, amplifying its effects on household finances, the economy, and decision-makers who rely on economic data.

The federal government shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, continued as Democratic and Republican lawmakers remained deadlocked over health care policy. Gamblers on betting website Polymarket were pricing in a 30% chance the shutdown would end by Nov. 7, and a 64% it would be resolved the following week.

If the impasse is not broken by Tuesday, the shutdown will be the longest in history.

There was at least one indication Thursday of progress being made toward ending the stalemate. There were "a lot more conversations going on now ... than perhaps there were a couple of weeks ago" between members of the two sides, Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on CNBC Thursday.

In the meantime, the financial damage continued to accumulate on several fronts.

The economy is expected to mostly bounce back after the shutdown ends, but some of the ongoing damage will likely become permanent, according to an analysis released this week.

The lowest-income households in the country braced for a serious financial impact, as the Department of Agriculture said it would stop funding the SNAP food aid program as of Saturday.

The program, although funded by the federal government, is administered by states, some of which may continue to give benefits to recipients during the shutdown. But at least 25 states have said they would not, according to reporting by Politico, putting many of the program's 42 million beneficiaries at risk of losing access to their benefits.

The lowest-income families rely on SNAP to cover 90% of their food costs, according to an analysis by Oxford Economics. Food banks warned that the cutoff would put millions at risk of going hungry.

"For families already stretched thin, this lapse in benefits could mean impossible choices between food, rent, medicine, utilities, and more," wrote The ARC, a group that serves people with disabilities, in a blog post. "People with disabilities already face higher rates of poverty and food insecurity, putting them more at risk."

Federal employees who are either furloughed or working without pay will also feel the strain, even if the government eventually gives out back pay when the shutdown ends, as it has done in the past. Workers will collectively miss about 1.8 million paychecks as the shutdown drags on into November, the Bipartisan Policy Center estimated.

The pause in paychecks and benefits will have an effect on the national economy as well as individuals.

The Gross Domestic Product, a measure of the country's economic output, will likely be dragged down by 1 to 2 percentage points in the fourth quarter, depending on how long the shutdown lasts, the Congressional Budget Office said this week.

For reference, the economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.8% in the third quarter, so a two-percentage-point reduction would more than cut the growth rate in half. The GDP would make up for that loss in the quarter the government reopened, as back pay goes out, the CBO said.

However, some of the losses would be permanent, with the U.S. losing $7 billion to $14 billion in economic growth, according to the CBO.

The shutdown of the government's statistical agencies means that economic reports on inflation, the job market, and other facets of the economy have been delayed and in some cases may never be released. A second month of reports is about to be delayed if lawmakers can't reach an agreement.

A highly anticipated report on job creation in September from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, due Oct. 3, wasn't published because of the shutdown. The shutdown will also delay, if not cancel entirely, the report for October, due Nov. 7.

Investors, business leaders, and officials at the Federal Reserve have had to go without the data while making key decisions.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted the data blackout this week after the central bank's policy committee decided to lower interest rates. The data blackout could cause the Fed to be more cautious about moving interest rates if the shutdown is not resolved by its next meeting in December, he said.

• Lagging consumer confidence is unlikely to hurt the holiday shopping season. Economists project that sales will climb for the end of the year.
• While confidence is dropping for moderate incomes, it’s rising for high earners who are seeing big gains in the stock market, which is likely to boost sales this holiday season.

Rising inflation, a weak job market, the government shutdown and trade tensions have consumers on edge. Despite that pessimism, economists said consumers are prepared to keep spending ahead of the upcoming holiday season. 

“These challenges may cause consumers to slow their roll but will ultimately not stop them from getting out and spending this season,” wrote Wells Fargo economists Tim Quinlan, Shannon Grein, and Andrew Thompson. “The very uneasiness that is spooking consumers may itself be a factor that drives consumption for households in search of comfort and a sense of normalcy.”

Consumer spending makes up about two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, helping to support jobs, wages, and financial markets. Any pullback can cause negative effects to ripple throughout the economy.

October's consumer confidence survey, released earlier this week, showed a decline in sentiment, continuing a trend of poor results tied to Trump’s tariff announcements. The monthly Conference Board report showed that a weak labor market has consumers worried about future business conditions, wages, and job availability. It also indicated that holiday spending would fall this year.

But economists doubt shoppers will stay on the sidelines this season, with Wells Fargo projecting holiday retail sales to rise between 3.5% and 4% from last year. 

“We have long cautioned against reading too much into confidence and sentiment as they do not always serve as reliable gauges for future consumer spending,” Wells Fargo wrote. “Retail therapy may be just the cure for households feeling low this holiday season.”

Big gains in the stock market are one element that could help fuel spending, wrote economist Grace Zwemmer of Oxford Economics, since higher-wealth individuals are responsible for the highest share of consumer spending.

“We expect retail sales will end the year on a high note, as wealthier, older households who have benefitted from stock market gains will drive holiday spending higher,” wrote Zwemmer.  “We expect an outsized wealth effect, tax cuts, and lower interest rates to sustain a solid pace of consumption growth in 2026.”

Indeed, this week's survey showed that consumers making more than $200,000 a year showed the biggest rise in consumer confidence, while it fell for respondents making less than $75,000 a year.

“The relationship between sentiment and spending has weakened in the years since the pandemic,” Zwemmer wrote. “Wealthy, high-income households, who are responsible for most spending, have accumulated significant net wealth since the onset of the pandemic and were not as impacted by the recent bout of high inflation as lower-income groups.”

• Enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans, which are offered by private insurers, has increased over the years as many plans provide lower premiums and more benefits.
• However, the tools that make the Advantage health insurance plans cheaper also restrict the number of physicians available to enrollees.

Medicare Advantage health insurance plans can offer more benefits and monthly premiums as low as $0—but they come with some caveats and restrictions.

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage, an alternative to traditional Medicare distributed by private insurers, has increased over time, from 8 million in 2007 to 33 million in 2024, according to a report from nonpartisan health care research organization KFF. This shift is mainly due to the fact that Advantage plans typically have cheaper premiums and offer more types of benefits.

Yet, a recent report from KFF showed that the average Advantage enrollee's plan in 2022 only covered 48% of the physicians that are available for traditional Medicare enrollees.

Advantage plans can typically offer coverage for more health services than traditional Medicare plans, such as routine vision, hearing, and dental care. Private insurers distributing Advantage plans can lower prices by utilizing provider networks, a list of physicians and hospitals covered by the plan, and implementing prior authorization.

The same tools that Advantage insurers use to provide extra benefits and lower costs, however, also severely restrict the number of in-network health providers their enrollees can visit. And unlike Advantage plans, traditional Medicare enrollees can go to any U.S. doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare.

It’s open enrollment season, and as Medicare costs rise in 2026, many beneficiaries are looking for better coverage and more affordable plans. While advantage plans often provide lower premiums and additional benefits, they typically come with limited access to physicians compared to traditional Medicare.

Access to physicians also varies by county. According to KFF calculations, in the top 30 counties with the largest MA enrollee population, the share of physicians in-network for MA enrollees varied from 18% to 58%.

Accessibility even varies among plans. A third of Medicare beneficiaries were in a county where one Advantage plan in their area covered a quarter of the doctors available to traditional Medicare, versus another plan in the same area that covered two-thirds of physicians.

Yet, few tools exist to help enrollees compare Advantage plans and which physicians are covered under them. Of the existing tools, the directories are only correct about half of the time about which physicians are in-network, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid found.

• Starbucks' same-store sales recently turned positive after six straight quarters of declines, which CEO Brian Niccol says shows the company's comeback plan is working.
• The company aims to win back customers by serving them quickly and making cafes a calmer, more inviting place to spend time.

Starbucks is back in consumers’ daily grind.

The company's year-long turnaround campaign is gaining ground, executives said on a conference call Wednesday. Same-store sales started to grow on a year-over-year basis in the fiscal fourth quarter after a year-and-a-half of declines. Business improved among Starbucks Rewards members and less-frequent visitors, showing the Back to Starbucks campaign is on track, CEO Brian Niccol said.

Comparable sales at Starbucks-operated stores in the U.S. "turned positive in September, driven by transactions, and it [has] remained positive through October, reflecting the momentum taking shape in our business,” Niccol said, according to a transcript made available by AlphaSense. 

Same-store sales in North America were flat in the quarter ended Sep. 28 compared to the year-earlier period, snapping a six-quarter streak of negative numbers, according to data from Visible Alpha. Globally, same-store sales reversed an equally long period of decline, growing 1% year-over-year.

Starbucks executives said business is improving, but the path back to consistent earnings growth may not be linear. Sales are picking up. At the same time, Starbucks is investing in staffing, technology and remodeling cafes.

Niccol launched Back to Starbucks shortly after taking the helm as CEO in September 2024. The plan calls for more efficiently managing a crush of orders from phone apps, the counter and drive-thru, and making cafes a more orderly, welcoming place to relax. As part of the initiative, Starbucks is investing in better staffing and renovating cafes, but also shuttering locations and laying off white collar workers.

Starbucks shares (SBUX), which gained ground in the months after Niccol's appointment, have lost about a quarter of their value since hitting their high for the year in March. The stock closed Thursday's session down about 1%.

The cafe giant reported mixed financial results for the fiscal fourth quarter. Its revenue jumped 5% year-over-year to $9.6 billion, above the $9.1 billion analysts were expecting, according to consensus estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. Adjusted earnings per share of 52 cents came in lower than the 55 cents analysts had expected.

It may take time for Starbucks' sales growth to show up in earnings, said CFO Cathy Smith. “We’ve got the right plan in place,” Smith said, according to the transcript. “Earnings are going to lag. So we've said that you grow top-line first, and then the earnings will follow."

CORRECTION & UPDATE: This article has been updated to correct the name of the executive who commented on the outlook for earnings and to include the latest share price information.

• Apple is scheduled to report earnings after the closing bell Thursday.
• Wall Street analysts said they'll be watching for potential upside from iPhone 17 demand, and comments around Apple's 2026 plans.

Apple (AAPL) is set to report its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings after the closing bell today, with Wall Street analysts looking for strong results on the top and bottom lines.

After some signs of a strong start to early sales of the iPhone 17 lineup, bullish analysts at JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley recently told clients their expectations around Apple's results have climbed, with that momentum likely to carry into an upbeat outlook for the current quarter and winter holiday season.

More details around widely anticipated artificial intelligence features and potential plans for a foldable phone in 2026 could also drive more enthusiasm for Apple's stock, they said. Options pricing suggests traders expect Apple stock could move about 3% in either direction by the end of this week following the company's earnings call, which could drive the stock to a new record.

This hasn't been an easy year for Apple, amid lingering concerns that its AI efforts have lagged those of many of its Big Tech peers. However, strong results today and comments around plans for fiscal 2026 could help lift investor sentiment.

Apple shares have climbed about 8% in 2025 so far, lagging the S&P 500's nearly 17% gain, after spending some of the year in negative territory amid worries about its AI progress. Apple's gains have largely come in the last few months, after some signs of inroads with the Trump administration and easing trade policy headwinds, along with promising demand signals for the iPhone 17.

The iPhone maker is seen reporting earnings of $1.77 per share on revenue of $101.61 billion, up from earnings per share of 97 cents on $94.93 billion in revenue a year ago, according to estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. However, analysts are divided on whether the iPhone's stock still has room to rise from this week's all-time highs.

The shares were up about 1% near $272 in recent trading, leaving it on track to close at a fresh high topping yesterday's record. This week's gains have boosted Apple's market capitalization above $4 trillion, trailing only AI chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA) on the list of the world's most valuable companies.

• Investors will be focused on Amazon's cloud business and AI investments when the e-commerce giant reports third-quarter earnings after the closing bell on Thursday.
• Amazon's second-quarter cloud growth disappointed Wall Street after big beats from competitors Alphabet and Microsoft, both of which reported strong results on Wednesday.
• Options pricing suggests some traders expect Amazon stock to set its first record high since early February if Wall Street likes Thursday's results.

Amazon is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings after markets close on Thursday, and all eyes are likely to be on the e-commerce giant’s cloud business. 

Amazon is expected to report third-quarter revenue of about $178 billion, a 12% increase from last year, according to analyst estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. Its earnings are expected to increase 10% to $1.57 a share. 

While Amazon’s e-commerce operation makes up the bulk of its business, investors will be most focused on its AI efforts, represented by cloud revenue and capital expenditures. Amazon’s cloud growth of 17.5% in the second quarter exceeded official expectations, but disappointed Wall Street after two blowout reports from competitors Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOG). On Wednesday, both of those companies again posted cloud revenue well ahead of Wall Street’s estimates, setting another high bar for Amazon to clear. 

Amazon's array of businesses spans e-commerce, logistics, advertising, cloud computing and more, making its results a partial reflection of the financial health of U.S. consumers and businesses. Its market capitalization—well over $2 trillion as of midday Thursday—makes its stock one of the most influential in the stock market.

Investors may also be primed for Amazon to increase its capital expenditures guidance after Alphabet and Meta Platforms (META) did so with their reports Wednesday. Amazon’s second-quarter capex of $32.2 billion was about 25% higher than analysts expected. Wedbush analysts expect Amazon’s full-year capex to total $119 billion, implying growth of about 10% between the first and second halves of this year.

“We are constructive on the setup leading into the report given positive commentary around [Amazon Web Services] growth, healthy trends for the core retail business, and strong advertiser demand,” wrote Wedbush analysts in a note late last week. 

Amazon stock has been the laggard of the Magnificent Seven recently, with shares up just 3% since the start of the year. Concerns about tariffs and lagging cloud growth have weighed on the stock.

Some investors see the potential for shares to close the gap with the rest of the Mag 7 after earnings. Options prices on Thursday morning suggest traders expect Amazon stock to move about 6.3% in either direction by end of the week. A move higher off of Wednesday’s closing price would put shares around $244.75, which would be their first all-time high since early February, while an equivalent decline would put the stock at about $216. 

Wall Street is generally bullish on the outlook for Amazon stock, with all 22 of the analysts with current ratings tracked by Visible Alpha assigning it a “Buy” rating. Their median price target of $270 is nearly 20% above the stock’s intraday price on Thursday. 

This article has been updated since it was first published to reflect analysts’ estimates for Amazon's diluted earnings per share.