Commercial statement: September was a strong month for Meta shares. Their value jumped 27% during the month, marking their best monthly performance since 2022. Investors particularly appreciated the company's direction in the field of artificial intelligence. However, the positive mood in the markets was also contributed by developments around long-standing legal disputes, which posed considerable uncertainty for Meta.
Artificial intelligence takes center stage
One of the most notable new features of Meta in recent weeks is its personal AI assistant Muse. According to available data, its launch was very fast. In less than a month, it surpassed the five million download mark, surpassing competing services such as ChatGPT, Grok or Claude.
Muse is not intended to function solely as a tool for users to write and get answers to their questions. Meta wants to gradually transform it into a full-fledged personal assistant capable of solving various tasks on its own. For example, it should be able to handle booking flights, filling out forms, or sending emails. It is precisely the ability to perform specific activities instead of just providing information that will make the Muse a reality.macIt is supposed to be one of its main attractions.
Source: XTB
That Meta is counting on Muse in a big way was also confirmed by Mark Zuckerberg during the annual Connect conference. He described the new assistant as one of the key elements of the company's future product and business strategy. At the same time, the Muse Charm was also introduced, a new hardware accessory that should arrive in December. It should be possible to communicate with the AI without having to unlock the phone or open the relevant application. However, Meta has not yet revealed in detail how exactly the device will work and what it will offer in terms of technology.
Legal uncertainty is starting to recede
The positive development of the stock did not start until September. An important event came in the second half of August, when Meta reached an out-of-court settlement with US states worth approximately $16,7 billion. The lawsuits concerned the operation of the company's social networks and their impact on minors.
Meta has denied the allegations and called the financial demands unreasonable. However, the agreement calls for the company to adopt technological and legislative measures aimed at strengthening protections for younger users.
From the perspective of investors, the structure of the entire settlement is particularly interesting. Meta will not have to pay the amount in one go. The payments are to be spread over the next ten years, and the payment of the entire amount is also linked to the condition that competing platforms will also take similar measures, for example YouTube or TikTok. According to market reaction, the agreement helped reduce uncertainty associated with one of the company's long-standing legal problems.
Stock performance since August minim shows how much investor sentiment has changed. In mid-August, their price was around $540, but since then it has risen by about 33%. Looking at the beginning of this year, Meta shares are still up more than 11%.
Meta therefore enters the final months of the year with a significantly more positive sentiment. The key question for the coming period will be whether the company can translate the current interest in its AI products into long-term revenue and profit growth.
If you are interested in how Meta and other technology companies from the Magnificent 7 group are doing, more detailed informationmacyou can find in our e-book about the Magnificent 7This provides an overview of their business, financial results, potential opportunities and main risks.
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