Amazon Q4 revenue rises, but below expectations

New York

AMAZON was expected to run away with the holiday season. Instead, it merely strolled.

Revenue for the fourth quarter was a bit lighter than expected, the Seattle company reported on Thursday, and profit was a whole lot skimpier. Wall Street was crushed. The US$24 billion or so that investors had added to the company's market value earlier in the day immediately vaporised, and then some.