Facebook falters as growth slows and shares fall

Social-media giant Facebook has shrugged off “fake news” and claims of voter manipulation. But slowing growth is a different story, says Alice Gråhns.

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Zuckerberg: wants to be friends again
(Image credit: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto)

"The citizens of the world may appreciate the humbling of Facebook," says Lex in the Financial Times. Its shareholders won't. Last week the social network announced a solid second quarter: user numbers were up 11% and revenues 42% year-on-year. Yet the share price plunged by almost a fifth, wiping nearly $120bn off Facebook's stockmarket value (roughly equivalent to the entire market capitalisation of fast-food giant McDonald's).

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Alice grew up in Stockholm and studied at the University of the Arts London, where she gained a first-class BA in Journalism. She has written for several publications in Stockholm and London, and joined MoneyWeek in 2017.