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Amazon tops $1 trillion in stock market value
NEW YORK, Sept 5, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Amazon became the second big US company
to hit $1 trillion in stock market value in the latest demonstration of the
rising clout of American technology heavyweights.
The online retail giant breached the $1 trillion valuation near 1540 GMT
when its share price hit $2,050.50. The Amazon landmark comes about a month
after Apple hit the $1 trillion level.
Amazon retreated slightly after hitting the milestone, and near 1600 GMT,
it was up 1.1 percent to $2,035.07.
Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, who is now the world’s richest man, Amazon
has grown exponentially from its roots as an online bookseller into a sector-
crossing mastodon.
It competes directly with Walmart and is at the forefront of the latest
trends in artificial intelligence with its Alexa personal assistant program.
Other ventures include its purchase in 2017 of Whole Foods Market and an
increasingly vital presence in the production of movie and television shows
that are made available to subscribers of its Amazon Prime streaming service.
The company’s employee count has soared to 575,000 as it has spread out
into ever-more sectors of the economy.
Company profits, which long played second fiddle to revenue growth, have
shown impressive gains. In the most recent quarter, Amazon reported $2.5
billion in profits, a 12-fold increase over the year-earlier period.
BSS/AFP/HR/0945