Loading...
Meta sells advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and other apps, so it fights Alphabet for the same digital ad budgets. Meta also uses a huge user base and ad tools to reach the same marketers Alphabet wants to sell to.
As of May 18, 2026
For informational purposes only.
Alphabet basically took a breather today. The stock finished almost exactly where it started, around $397, after swinging both higher and lower during the day. Buyers tried to push it up toward recent highs above $400, but sellers showed up and knocked it back down, and trading volume was a bit below its recent average.
In plain English: after a big run over the past couple of months, today looked like a “catch your breath” day, not a “new story” day.
Alphabet has been on a strong uptrend lately, with the price well above its recent averages and sitting near the top of its 1–2 month range. That tells you the overall mood around the stock is still optimistic.
Today, though, the pattern was more of a tug-of-war:
If you picture it: after sprinting for weeks, Alphabet jogged in place today.
There are two big forces pushing against each other right now.