Why Facebook Stock Surged Today

Shares of Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) leaped 8.3% on Wednesday, as investors breathed a sigh of relief that the results of U.S. elections would lessen the risk of regulation on the social media industry.

Facebook has increasingly come under fire for a host of issues, including privacy concerns and its role in allowing hate speech and misinformation to spread across its network. Yet with the Republicans likely to maintain control of the Senate and Democrats likely to retain the House, the likelihood that antitrust regulators will bring a strong case against Facebook has been reduced.

Facebook's stock rose sharply on the first day of trading after Election Day in the U.S. Image source: Getty Images.

Source Fool.com