Amazon forecast profit and revenue in the current quarter that exceeded analysts’ estimates, on optimism for a strong holiday shopping season.
Operating income will be $16 billion to $20 billion in the period ending in December, the company said on Thursday in a statement.
Analysts, on average, projected $17.5 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Fourth-quarter sales will be as much as $188.5 billion, compared with an average estimate of $186.4 billion.
“As we get into the holiday season, we’re excited about what we have in store for customers,” chief executive Andy Jassy said in the statement.
The cloud business, which suffered record low sales growth last year, continued to regain momentum during the third quarter. Amazon Web Services revenue jumped 19 per cent to $27.5 billion, in line with estimates.
Operating income generated by the unit was $10.4 billion, exceeding analysts’ average projection of $9.12 billion.
Mr Jassy is betting heavily on the boom in generative artificial intelligence, which can create text, video and images based on simple user prompts.
Having spent the past couple of years wooing Wall Street by cutting costs and streamlining Amazon’s logistics operation, he is now pouring money into new data centre construction to support the AI boom, even as some investors worry the payoff may take years to materialise.
Amazon shares rose about 4 per cent in extended trading after closing at $186.19 in New York. The stock had increased 23 per cent this year through the close.
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
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Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')
Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
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