PALO ALTO: Facebook Inc may face questions about fallout from U.S. election controversies when it posts earnings on Wednesday, but top of mind for investors is a less political matter: the company's heavy bet on e-commerce to drive ad sales. The world's biggest social media company is poised to reap a windfall from that gambit, analysts say, bolstered by a return in ad growth rates to pre-COVID levels and a holiday shopping boost from its new "social commerce" features. Wall Street expects the company to report fourth-quarter sales up 25% to $26.4 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Investors will be watching for signs of how new shopping features performed, including tools like Facebook Pay that enable in-app purchases in units Instagram and WhatsApp as well as on the company's namesake app. Facebook will be the first of the ad-supported tech companies to post its earnings this season.

Source: Mint January 27, 2021 12:00 UTC