Amazon shares break $1,000 mark

Amazon’s stock has topped $1,000 a share for the first time. It touched $1,001.20 at one point in early trade before slipping back to $998. The online retail giant originally listed its shares in May 1997 for just $18 each.

The milestone puts its market value at about $478 billion, double that of Walmart and more than 15 times the size of Target. Amazon is now the fourth-largest US company by market capitalisation, behind Apple, Google owner Alphabet and Microsoft.