Meta Platforms (META) shares slipped in premarket trading on Thursday, retreating about 1.15% as a sharp rise in US Treasury yields and higher oil prices dampened broader market sentiment. The decline came even as analysts raised their price targets following the company's Meta Connect event on Wednesday.
The 30-year Treasury bond yield touched 5.446%, its highest level since June 2004, while the benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield surged to 5.15%, approaching levels last seen in July 2007. The 2-year Treasury yield was little changed on Thursday but had climbed to a 2023 high earlier in the week. Oil prices added another source of pressure, with international Brent crude futures rising 2% to around $105 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate crude gaining 1.5% to roughly $93.
The combination of higher yields and rising energy prices is raising concerns about the outlook for consumers and the path of monetary policy, potentially creating a more difficult backdrop for high-growth technology stocks. Nasdaq futures fell roughly 1%, while S&P 500 futures were lower by about 0.5%.
At Meta Connect, the company made a series of announcements, including a slimmer virtual-reality headset, a new handheld device designed around its Muse AI assistant, and expanded partnerships that will allow Muse to interact with retailers and services. However, broader market weakness overshadowed the announcements.
Muse adoption becomes a key focus for investors
Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, said in an X post that investors had expected Meta stock to be flat or slightly lower following the event because the company did not provide any good data points, or "no juicy nuggets when it came to how Muse is moving forward."
"We really didn't get much. Zuck did say that there are millions of people using it and someday he hopes there will be many billions. Keep in mind, Muse is only available in the US, and my sense is that there is probably about 250 million US users of Meta products on a daily basis. So, I was hoping he would say something like tens of millions or 50 plus or something like that but millions probably gets us somewhere between 10 and 15 million people have tried this," Munster said.
Munster said the lack of a more substantial adoption figure could limit the immediate impact of the Connect announcements on the stock. "It's undoubtedly off to a good start but its not some crazy start that I think is going to push shares higher in the next couple days," he said.
Meta expands Muse beyond the smartphone
Meta's Connect announcements nevertheless showed that the company is building a broader ecosystem around Muse rather than treating it solely as another AI chatbot. Zuckerberg unveiled Meta VR Glasses, a smaller and slimmer device designed to bring capabilities associated with bulkier virtual-reality headsets into a more compact form factor. The glasses will cost $1,299 and are scheduled to launch in spring 2027.
Meta said the device weighs roughly as much as a deck of playing cards, with the battery and processor moved into a separate puck to reduce the weight of the glasses themselves. The product is designed to compete with more expensive and cumbersome devices such as Apple's Vision Pro, while reflecting Meta's broader shift toward making AI central to its hardware strategy.
Meta also introduced Meta Charm, a small handheld device intended to provide quick access to Muse. The gadget is approximately the size of an Apple AirPods case and includes a roughly 2-inch touchscreen and built-in 5G connectivity. Meta said Charm will ship during the December holiday period but did not disclose a price.
Retail partnerships create a potential commerce opportunity
One of the most significant developments at Connect was the expansion of Muse's ability to interact with retailers and other services. Meta said Muse would become the primary interface for its smart glasses, allowing users to shop, make appointments, and complete other tasks through voice commands. The company announced new partnerships with Walmart, Best Buy, Sephora, Wayfair, Dick's Sporting Goods and Gap.
The partnerships are designed to reduce friction between discovering a product and completing a purchase. Amazon, however, is not currently allowing Muse to access its store. The development opens up a potential monetization model for Meta beyond advertising. JPMorgan analysts led by Doug Anmuth said Meta could eventually generate revenue from transactions conducted through Muse using a take-rate or commission model.
Analysts see longer-term AI and hardware potential
JPMorgan raised its Meta price target to $920 from $820 following the event, saying Muse had the potential to become "the most widely used consumer AI application since ChatGPT." The prospect of AI-driven commerce could become increasingly important if users begin relying on Muse not simply to retrieve information but to complete tasks on their behalf.
Morgan Stanley also maintained an Overweight rating and a $775 price target on Meta following the Connect announcements. Analysts led by Brian Nowak said the company's latest AR glasses could represent an improvement over its previous virtual- and augmented-reality products. "While we (and most investors) have been skeptical of META's AR/VR efforts in recent years, this product does seem to be a notable improvement," they wrote.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
