Technology, Fourth Quarter | featured news

LinkedIn reported fourth quarter 2012 earnings that beat Street expectations, sending shares soaring in late trading.

Facebook has faced a few controversies in the past few months, including controversies over privacy policies on its own site and on its photo-sharing site, Instagram. Still, the company has bolstered investor confidence with a series of moves that seem to lay the groundwork for Facebook to make more advertising dollars, particularly in the all-important mobile space.

Amazon.com Inc shares hit a record on Tuesday after it reported better-than-expected quarterly profit, fueled by the growth of higher-margin businesses during the fiercely competitive holiday quarter.

Apple Inc. regained some momentum in its fourth quarter, selling more iPhones than expected while triggering some concerns about the iPad. But the results ratcheted up the pressure on the company for the current holiday quarter. The company is preparing to market a new set of products and is grappling with making enough iPhones.

The online travel website has seen better quarters, with higher taxes, increased spending on technology and content, and a push and pull between airlines and global distribution systems that took a toll in the last quarter of 2010. The stock was down more than 18% Friday at $21.06.