Meta flashes a golden cross. History shows that’s often been a bullish signal
Shares of Meta Platforms just triggered a rare “golden cross,” a bullish technical indicator when the 50-day moving average crosses above the 200-day moving average. Technical analysts who study price charts often view the pattern as confirmation that short-term momentum has strengthened in relation to a stock’s long-term trend. Meta’s 50-day moving average rose to $630.87 on Oct. 6, edging above its 200-day moving average of $629.25, according to FactSet data. The owner of Instagram and WhatsApp closed Tuesday at $738.88, far above both yardsticks rallying almost 18% in the past month. Meta’s “golden cross” moment comes after it introduced Muse , a personal AI agent, on September 8, exciting investors. “Investors had been skeptical of the AI spending from Meta. Muse was the first sign of tangible returns on that spend. For Meta, continuing to build relevant products and deliver better returns on its existing advertising business could be further catalysts,” Sam Rines, director of Active ETFs at WisdomTree, told CNBC in an email. As Muse quickly became the most popular free new app i n Apple’s App Store, Wells Fargo recently raised its price target on the stock to $1,000 from $796. History as guide Historical data shows that Meta has been here five times before, with generally positive short-term results. According to FactSet data, Meta’s previous golden crosses occurred in August 2013, January 2017, June 2018, June 2020 and June 2025. In 2013, Meta shares surged nearly 28% over the following three months, about 59% over six months and roughly 85% over the next year. The June 2020 crossover also heralded strong gains. Meta climbed 26% three months later, 22% after six months and nearly 42% a year later. On other occasions, passing the golden cross didn’t auger longer-term outperformance. After Meta’s June 2018 golden cross, shares gained about 8% in the next month, but were down nearly 16% three months later, and about 25% lower after six months. The most recent golden cross, in June 2025, showed a similar pattern. Meta was little changed a month later, and ahead 11% after three months, but was down about 6% after six months and off by 15% over the following year. — CNBC’s Nick Wells contributed to reporting
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