Meta stock (META): what moves it and how to read its chart
Meta makes almost all its money from ads. So when businesses spend more or less on ads, META's chart often hears about it first.
This page explains how the stock tends to move. It isn't a recommendation to buy or sell it.
At a glance
| Item | Meta Platforms (META) |
|---|---|
| What it is | The company behind Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads, plus VR headsets and AI |
| Where it trades | Nasdaq, ticker META (it was FB until 2022) |
| Indexes it's in | S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100. Not in the Dow |
| Earnings | 4 times a year, after the close, usually late January, April, July and October |
| What moves it most | Ad sales, spending plans for AI and data centers, guidance, rules on privacy |
| How it tends to move | Usually moderate, but known for some very large earnings gaps |
| Regular hours | 9:30 am–4:00 pm ET, plus pre-market and after-hours sessions |
What the company does
Billions of people use Meta's apps for free. Businesses pay to show them ads. That ad money is nearly all of Meta's revenue.
Meta also spends heavily on AI and on Reality Labs, its VR and smart-glasses unit. Reality Labs has lost money for years, and investors watch how much it costs.
What moves it
- Ad sales. How much businesses spend, and the price per ad. Both show up in the Earnings report.
- Spending plans. Meta's forecast for costs and data center spending can move the stock as much as its sales.
- Guidance. What it says about the next quarter's revenue.
- The economy. Ad budgets are often one of the first things businesses cut when times get tight, and one of the first they raise again.
- Rules and lawsuits. Privacy rules, app-store changes and court cases about how it runs its apps.
When it's busiest
- 9:30–10:30 am ET: the open.
- 3:00–4:00 pm ET: the close.
- Earnings night: after 4:00 pm ET. Meta often reports in the same week as Alphabet and Microsoft, so the market is already busy.
US stock hours stay 9:30 am–4:00 pm ET all year. Extended-hours times depend on your broker.
Its personality
- Big gaps on reports. This is the stock to study if you want to see how big an earnings Gap can get. In February 2022 it fell about a quarter in one day. In February 2024 it jumped about 20% in one day. Same company, two directions.
- Calm between reports. On ordinary days it often trends cleanly.
- Spending fights. When Meta raises its spending plans, the stock can drop even on strong sales.
- Moves with ad peers. Alphabet's ad numbers can move META, and the reverse. See Alphabet stock.
Reading it with our method
Start on the daily chart. Mark the last places price turned around and find the direction. After a big earnings gap, mark the new levels too. Gaps often reset the map.
On your entry chart, only a candle body closing past a level counts. After a gap, wait for a few candles to close before reading anything.
Stop first, size second. Example: your stop is $10 away and your plan risks $120. That's $120 ÷ $10 = 12 shares. Use the position size calculator. A math example, not a promise. A gap can jump past any stop, which is why many traders hold less into earnings.
Common mistakes
- Treating the earnings gap as a trend signal. A gap shows a new price, not a direction. Wait for the next turning point.
- Holding full size into the report. Its history shows how far one night can move it.
- Reading only revenue. The spending forecast often matters as much.
- Copying someone's "earnings play." Their size and stop aren't yours. See gap trading explained.
Questions
When does Meta report earnings?
Four times a year, after the US market closes, usually late January, April, July and October. Check Meta's investor site for exact dates.
Why did Facebook's ticker change to META?
The company renamed itself Meta Platforms in 2021, and its ticker changed from FB to META in 2022.
Is Meta in the Dow Jones?
No. Meta is in the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq-100, but not the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
How does Meta make money?
Almost all of it comes from ads shown in Facebook, Instagram and its other apps. A small part comes from devices like VR headsets.
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