Key Takeaways

• Amazon shares rose 6% in extended trading on Thursday after the company surpassed Wall Street’s third-quarter earnings estimates, boosted by growth in its cloud business and healthy e-commerce sales.

• The stock sits poised to break out from a symmetrical triangle following the company’s better-than-expected quarterly report.

• Investors should watch key overhead price levels on Amazon's chart around $200, $242, and $273, while also monitoring an important support area during profit taking periods near $192.

Amazon (AMZN) shares rose 6% in extended trading on Thursday after the company surpassed Wall Street’s third-quarter earnings estimates, boosted by growth in its cloud business and healthy e-commerce sales.

The company said Amazon Web Services (AWS) revenue increased 19% in the three-month period, marking the segment's fastest growth in seven quarters. Meanwhile, online stores revenue grew 7% from a year earlier, with the tech giant saying it anticipates a strong holiday quarter amid improved shipping times and a larger range of lower-cost items.

Prior to Thursday’s afterhours jump, Amazon shares had gained about 23% in 2024, slightly outpacing the S&P 500 index’s return over the same period.

Below, we analyze the technicals on Amazon’s chart and identify important post-earnings price levels worth watching.

Symmetrical Triangle Breakout

Since setting their record high in early July, Amazon shares have traded within a symmetric triangle, a chart pattern that indicates a consolidation in price before a potential breakout, usually in the direction of the prevailing trend.

Indeed, the stock sits poised to stage an upside breakout following the company’s better-than-expected quarterly report.

Let’s look at a key overhead level and several chart-based price targets on Amazon’s chart, while also pointing out an important support area during periods of profit taking.

Key Overhead Price Levels to Watch

The first level to watch sits around $200, an area that may come into play on Friday where the shares could face overhead resistance near the stock’s all-time high (ATH) and psychological round number.

Measuring Principle Price Target

To forecast an upside price target above the ATH, we can use a technical tool called the measuring principle. We do this by calculating the distance between the symmetrical triangle’s two trendlines near the start of the pattern and add that amount to the breakout point. In this case, we add $50 to $192, which predicts a target of $242.

Bars Pattern Price Target

Investors can speculate a longer-term bullish price target by applying a bars pattern, a technique that uses prior trends on the chart to predict future directional moves.