Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) goes into the day-after-Christmas session with a slightly unusual setup: U.S. markets are closed today (Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025) for Christmas Day, so there is no “closing bell” price action to digest tonight. Instead, investors are carrying forward the last trade from Wednesday’s holiday-shortened session, when AMZN last changed hands around $232.38. [1]
That matters because the next meaningful repricing for Amazon stock will likely happen at the open on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, when normal liquidity returns and any Christmas Day headlines can finally be reflected in price. [2]
Why “after the bell” is different today (Dec. 25)
The U.S. equity market is closed today for Christmas Day, and Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025 had an early close at 1:00 p.m. ET. [3]
Reuters reported that the broader market finished Christmas Eve trading at record highs and explicitly noted that U.S. markets would remain shut Thursday, with thin holiday volume during the shortened session. [4]
Bottom line: there’s no fresh regular-session tape for AMZN tonight—the “after the bell” conversation is really about (1) where the stock left off on Dec. 24 and (2) which headlines could move it when trading resumes Friday.
Amazon stock price check: where AMZN left off before the holiday
As of the last available trade (from Wednesday, Dec. 24):
- Last price:$232.38
- Day change:+$0.27 (about +0.12%)
- Intraday range:$231.35 – $232.94
- Volume: about 11.42M shares
- Last trade timestamp shown: Wednesday, Dec. 24 (22:15 UTC)
If you’re looking at “after-hours” references from Christmas Eve, StockAnalysis shows AMZN around $232.38 at the (early) close and around $232.01 in after-hours later that afternoon/evening (ET). [5]
For longer-term positioning, one widely cited performance table shows AMZN’s YTD total return around +5.92% as of Dec. 24—a modest gain compared with several other mega-cap peers. [6]
The key AMZN-moving headlines breaking today (Dec. 25)
Even with U.S. markets closed, Amazon-related news still hit the wires today. Here are the most stock-relevant themes that traders will likely watch into Friday’s open.
1) AWS status chatter: “not an outage” vs. real incident notes
A major conversation today centers on reported disruptions affecting online services (especially gaming)—and whether AWS was involved.
- Business Standard reported AWS denied “global outage” claims, saying services were operating normally and pointing users to the AWS Health Dashboard as the authoritative source for service availability. [7]
- The Times of India similarly covered AWS pushing back on social-media speculation and again pointing to the AWS status/health resources. [8]
- Meanwhile, an AWS Health Dashboard incident page (as captured in search results) described an issue that “appears to be related to DNS resolution of the DynamoDB API endpoint in US‑EAST‑1,” with AWS working multiple parallel mitigations. [9]
Why this matters for AMZN investors: AWS is the margin engine of Amazon, and even localized reliability headlines can influence near-term sentiment—especially during a thin-liquidity holiday week when Friday’s open can gap on limited real positioning.
Also worth remembering: AWS reliability has been in the spotlight recently. Reuters reported earlier this year that AWS experienced a widespread outage in October 2025 that disrupted businesses worldwide (resolved afterward). [10]
What to watch before Friday’s open: whether AWS posts follow-up updates clarifying scope, root cause, and resolution—and whether enterprise customers or major platforms attribute any outages to AWS or to “elsewhere on the internet,” as AWS suggested. [11]
2) Amazon and “agentic commerce”: blocking AI shopping bots while building its own
Another stock-relevant narrative (especially for longer-term bulls) is Amazon’s positioning around AI-powered shopping agents—tools that could eventually route purchases through a chatbot instead of through Amazon’s traditional product pages (impacting Amazon’s ads economics, data ownership, and conversion funnel).
A PYMNTS report (summarizing a CNBC-linked discussion) says Amazon has updated its website code to block dozens of AI bots from scraping/crawling, while simultaneously investing in its own experiences (including Rufus and an experimental “Buy for Me” flow). It also notes Amazon has sued Perplexity over alleged unauthorized access tied to an AI “browser agent.” [12]
Why this matters for AMZN: advertising and retail economics are increasingly tied to who controls the discovery layer. If shopping shifts to agents, Amazon has a lot to defend—while also having the scale to potentially win.
3) Zoox recall: small in revenue terms, big in narrative terms
Two days ago, Reuters reported Amazon’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary Zoox is recalling 332 vehicles in the U.S. due to an automated driving system software issue, with a free software update to address it. [13]
A related NHTSA recall document indicates updated software was deployed to impacted vehicles as of Dec. 19, 2025. [14]
Why this matters for AMZN: Zoox is not the driver of Amazon’s near-term earnings, but it is part of Amazon’s longer-horizon optionality story. Recalls can be a headline risk and can affect perceptions about execution and safety oversight.
4) Labor headlines abroad: delivery-worker strike call in India
While not a U.S. market-moving item by itself, labor headlines can flare into reputation or operational questions—particularly in large growth markets.
Business Standard reported that delivery partners associated with multiple platforms, including Amazon, called for strikes on Dec. 25 and Dec. 31 tied to pay and safety demands. [15]
For AMZN investors, this is typically a monitor, not panic headline—unless it broadens materially or triggers regulatory action.
Today’s forecasts and analysis: bulls vs. bears (and what to do with it)
Because there’s no U.S. trading session today, much of the “AMZN after the bell” discussion is coming from fresh commentary and model-based analysis.
The bullish framing (published today)
A Seeking Alpha piece published this morning reiterates a “Strong Buy” stance, arguing the bull case is powered by Amazon’s leadership in e-commerce and cloud, plus accelerating digital advertising growth and longer-dated bets like Zoox. [16]
The cautious framing (also published today)
A Trefis note published today highlights what it calls “hidden dangers,” including:
- risk of AWS growth deceleration and margin pressure,
- concern that CapEx intensity could weigh on free cash flow,
- and a view that AMZN has historically been capable of sharp drawdowns. [17]
How to interpret this before Friday’s open: neither piece is company guidance—but together they map the real debate shaping AMZN into 2026: AWS + AI upside versus capex, competition, and reliability/operational headline risk.
Wall Street consensus snapshot: price targets and expectations
One consolidated set of analyst aggregates shows:
- Consensus rating: “Strong Buy”
- Average price target: about $284.7
- Median target:$300
- Range: roughly $195 to $340 [18]
This same dataset also summarizes Street-style forecasts for revenue and EPS over the next year, reinforcing that—despite 2025’s choppy narrative—analyst expectations still lean toward growth plus operating leverage. [19]
Key dates to keep on your radar (because the next “real catalyst” is coming)
The next major scheduled catalyst for AMZN is typically Q4 earnings. But as of today, public earnings calendars don’t fully agree on the exact date:
- One calendar lists Feb. 5, 2026 (unconfirmed). [20]
- Another lists Jan. 29, 2026 (with “confirmed” language), highlighting the variability across third-party sources. [21]
Practical takeaway: treat the earnings date as late January to early February 2026 until Amazon confirms it—and expect positioning to build as the market exits the holiday period.
What to know before the market opens tomorrow (Friday, Dec. 26, 2025)
Here’s the checklist that matters most going into the next session:
Watch for a gap open—and don’t underestimate holiday liquidity
Reuters emphasized holiday-week conditions: thin volume was already evident on Christmas Eve. That can amplify price moves, widen spreads, and create sharper gaps at the open than traders expect. [22]
Know the hours: premarket starts early
If you track AMZN in extended trading:
- Nasdaq premarket:4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET
- Regular session:9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
- After-hours:4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET [23]
AWS updates could be the first real “price driver” Friday
Given today’s mixed narrative—AWS denying a broad outage while the AWS Health Dashboard referenced a DynamoDB/DNS-related issue in US‑EAST‑1—any overnight update, resolution notice, or customer attribution could swing sentiment quickly at the open. [24]
Macro backdrop: Santa rally, rate-cut expectations, and mega-cap sensitivity
On Dec. 24, the Dow and S&P 500 closed at record highs in the opening days of the “Santa rally” window, with the market still pricing in rate cuts next year even if January expectations are low. [25]
For AMZN specifically, shifts in yields and “risk-on/risk-off” tone can matter because mega-cap tech remains a key driver of index flows.
The economic calendar looks light—but don’t ignore surprises
One listed item for Friday is the New York Fed Staff Nowcast update. It’s not always a market-mover, but in a low-news holiday session, even “secondary” releases can get attention. [26]
Map the obvious technical reference points traders watch
Macrotrends lists Amazon’s 52-week high at $258.60 (above today’s ~$232 area), putting the stock meaningfully below its recent peak zone—levels many short-term traders treat as resistance/reference points. [27]
The practical bottom line for AMZN holders tonight
Because the U.S. market is closed today, AMZN’s next real “vote” happens Friday morning—and it’s likely to be shaped by:
- Any AWS status clarification,
- holiday-week liquidity (gap risk), and
- whether the broader “Santa rally” tone holds as traders return from the holiday. [28]
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
References
1. www.nasdaq.com, 2. www.nasdaq.com, 3. www.nasdaq.com, 4. www.reuters.com, 5. stockanalysis.com, 6. www.financecharts.com, 7. www.business-standard.com, 8. timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 9. health.aws.amazon.com, 10. www.reuters.com, 11. www.business-standard.com, 12. www.pymnts.com, 13. www.reuters.com, 14. static.nhtsa.gov, 15. www.business-standard.com, 16. seekingalpha.com, 17. www.trefis.com, 18. stockanalysis.com, 19. stockanalysis.com, 20. www.wallstreethorizon.com, 21. www.tipranks.com, 22. www.reuters.com, 23. www.nasdaq.com, 24. www.business-standard.com, 25. www.reuters.com, 26. www.newyorkfed.org, 27. www.macrotrends.net, 28. www.reuters.com
