Facebook pays for all its mistakes at once, and it is a big bill

Facebook Inc. appears to finally be paying for the impact of fake news in the 2016 elections and user privacy concerns, with the stunning disclosure of a revenue deceleration in the second half of this year sending shares on a mind-blowing plunge Wednesday afternoon.

During a conference call Wednesday, Facebook Chief Financial Officer David Wehner predicted bad news for the second half, and the company’s shares immediately began a drastic retreat in the extended session. Should the after-hours bloodbath continue into Thursday’s trading session, Facebook would see a $100 billion blow to its market cap after shares plunged 20%.