Facebook User Growth Stalls in Mature Markets

Facebook’s user growth in its most mature markets—the U.S., Canada and Europe—has screeched to a halt, but the company squeezed more revenue from those regions, a sign that the formidable advertising machine it has built continues to chug along.

While there were some worrying signs for the social network in its third quarter earnings report, the numbers weren’t the disaster that some Facebook skeptics had thought they might be, especially after a second quarter report that was widely panned by investors. The company’s stock gyrated wildly in after-hours trading on Tuesday, eventually rising into positive territory. The company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg told investors he sees big opportunities for Facebook on the horizon—he singled out video, messaging and Facebook Stories—but he warned that it will take time for the company to fully capitalize on them. Facebook also said it plans to continue making major investments next year, which are likely to reduce earnings.