Amazon (AMZN) shares are rising on strong sales and profit for the holiday shopping season

Amazon.com Inc. Forecast profit and revenue in the current quarter beat analysts' estimates on optimism for strong holiday sales.

Operating income will be between $16 billion and $20 billion in the period through December, the company said in a statement on Thursday. Analysts on average forecast $17.5 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Fourth-quarter revenue is expected to be as high as $188.5 billion, compared with an average estimate of $186.4 billion.