Holiday Shopping Gets Off to a Good Start

Market Overview - Pre-market futures indicate a decline, with major indexes showing losses: Dow down 207 points (-0.43%), S&P 500 down 46 points (-0.67%), Nasdaq down 239 points (-0.94%), and Russell 2000 down 26 points (-1.06%) [1] - Market sentiment is expected to seek balance, but uncertainty remains due to the Federal Reserve's "blackout period" ahead of the interest rate decision on December 10 [5] Economic Indicators - The first week of December is not a full "Jobs Week" due to delays from a government shutdown, with only ADP's private-sector payrolls report expected [2] - November S&P Manufacturing PMI and ISM Manufacturing results are anticipated, with S&P expected around 51.9 and ISM below 50, indicating contraction [6] Holiday Shopping Trends - Cyber Monday is projected to attract 73.9 million online shoppers, following Black Friday's 130.4 million and Small-Business Saturday's 67 million [3] - Adobe forecasts online shopping to reach $11.8 billion on Cyber Monday, a 9.1% increase from the previous year [4] Retail Sector Insights - Black Friday saw a 10.4% increase in online sales compared to last year, while in-store sales grew only 1.7% [4] - Retailers such as Macy's, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and American Eagle are expected to report earnings soon, alongside CrowdStrike and Salesforce [10]