Amazon shares jumped 6% in volatile after-hours trading after the company reported third-quarter earnings, surpassing expectations for revenue and earnings per share, and provided an optimistic sales forecast for the fourth quarter.

Revenue for the third quarter reached $158.9 billion, exceeding the analyst forecast of $157.3 billion. Amazon also projects revenue between $181.5 and $188.5 billion for the current quarter, above the average forecast of $186.36 billion.

Most of the capital investment in 2025, according to CEO Andy Jassy, will go towards supporting the AWS cloud division, with total investments expected to exceed $75 billion. Jassy emphasized that artificial intelligence is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The growth in Prime memberships and the success of Prime Day have also been key drivers of growth in the retail segment.