U.S. stocks posted modest weekly gains, closing Friday with broad-based strength as Meta unveiled concrete steps toward its metaverse ambitions and Salesforce reported a rebound in customer retention and cloud revenue.
- S&P 500 rose 0.6% on Friday, closing the week higher
- Nasdaq Composite gained 0.8% on Friday, marking three straight weekly gains
- Meta reduced metaverse segment expenses by 12% in Q3 2025
- Salesforce reported 14% YoY cloud revenue growth and 92% customer retention
- META shares up 4.7% for the week; CRM shares up 6.3%
- New AR glasses prototypes to be launched in early 2026
Markets ended the week on a positive note, with the S&P 500 rising 0.6% and the Nasdaq Composite gaining 0.8% on Friday, marking their third consecutive weekly advance. The rally was underpinned by investor optimism surrounding technology giants, particularly Meta Platforms (META) and Salesforce (CRM), as both companies delivered strategic updates that eased concerns about long-term growth trajectories. Meta, which has faced skepticism over its metaverse investments, announced a series of cost controls and product rollouts designed to align its Reality Labs division with near-term profitability goals. The company reported a 12% reduction in operational expenses within its metaverse segment during Q3 2025, while launching two new AR glasses prototypes targeting enterprise and consumer markets by early 2026. The moves signaled a pivot from pure investment to commercial viability. Salesforce, meanwhile, rebounded from earlier-year concerns, reporting a 14% year-over-year increase in cloud revenue for the quarter and a 92% customer retention rate—the highest in two years. The company also announced a strategic partnership with a major European logistics firm to integrate AI-driven CRM tools across supply chains, signaling renewed confidence in its AI-powered platform growth. The combined momentum helped lift the technology sector index 1.2% for the week, outpacing broader market gains. Investors appear to be reassessing valuations for high-growth tech stocks after a period of heightened caution, with META shares rising 4.7% and CRM gaining 6.3% over the five-day period.