Meta Platforms shares recently formed a rare “golden cross,” with the 50‑day moving average crossing above the 200‑day average. According to FactSet, the 50‑day average reached $630.87 on October 6, just edging past the 200‑day average of $629.25. The stock closed Tuesday at $738.88, well above both benchmarks after rallying nearly 18% in the past month. The crossover followed Meta’s launch of Muse, a personal AI agent introduced on September 8, which investors viewed as the first tangible return on the company’s AI spending. Sam Rines, director of Active ETFs at WisdomTree, told CNBC that continued product development and stronger returns from its core advertising business could provide further catalysts. After Muse quickly rose to become the top free new app in Apple’s App Store, Wells Fargo lifted its price target on Meta to $1,000 from $796.
Historical context shows Meta has experienced this pattern five times before—August 2013, January 2017, June 2018, June 2020 and June 2025—with generally positive short‑term results. In August 2013 the stock gained almost 28% over three months, about 59% over six months and roughly 85% over the following year. The June 2020 crossover also delivered strong advances: shares rose 26% after three months, 22% after six months and nearly 42% after a year. Not all instances led to lasting outperformance. After the June 2018 golden cross, shares rose about 8% in the next month but fell roughly 16% after three months and were down about 25% after six months. The most recent June 2025 cross produced a modest 11% gain after three months, then slipped to a 6% decline after six months and a 15% loss over the subsequent year. — CNBC’s Nick Wells contributed to reporting
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