[Econ D & Wait, what?] Amazon.com

  NEW YORK (AP) -- Amazon.com Inc. said Thursday that its fourth-quarter profit rose 9 percent and beat analysts' forecasts. Those results, plus an optimistic forecast, sent its shares soaring nearly 10 percent in extended trading.

Amazon had called the holiday season its "best ever," and the earnings report backed up the idea that it is not being seriously hurt by cutbacks in consumer spending. Amazon said its revenue in the current quarter should be between $4.53 billion and $4.93 billion, while analysts are expecting $4.57 billion.

Shares of the Seattle-based online retailer shot up $4.86, or 9.7 percent, to $54.86 in after-hours trading. The stock had fallen 36 cents to finish regular trading at $50.

Amazon said its profit in the fourth quarter was $225 million, or 52 cents per share. That was better than the 39 cents per share expected by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.

Revenue rose 18 percent to $6.7 billion, exceeding analyst estimates for $6.4 billion.