Amazon Reports Huge Quarter

The nearly-universal pain faced by brick-and-mortar retailers was apparently Amazon's gain, as the online retailer posted a 9 percent gain in profit in the fourth quarter. The chain had earlier called last year's holiday season its best ever.

According to the New York Times, Amazon posted a profit of $225 million, on revenue of $6.7 billion. The results were above analyst expectations and sent the company's stock soaring.