US stocks edge lower as investors size up solid Black Friday sales results
- US stocks fell slightly on Monday as investors digested solid Black Friday retail sales data.
- Consumers spent a record $9.8 billion online during the sales event, according to Adobe Analytics.
- The wave of consumer holiday spending is set to continue today with Cyber Monday deals.
US stocks edged slightly lower on Monday as investors digested solid holiday sales results from Black Friday.
Online spending hit a record $9.8 billion, according to Adobe Analytics, which represents year-over-year growth of 7.5%. Black Friday has become a mostly online shopping event as retailers extend their deals beyond brick-and-mortar stores.
According to data from MasterCard, in-store sales increased 1.1% year over year on Black Friday, while e-commerce sales jumped 8.5%. Overall, MasterCard said Black Friday sales rose 2.5%.
The holiday consumer spending is set to continue as retailers launch a slate of Cyber Monday deals.
Fundstrat's Tom Lee said that the spending data isn't strong enough to send the Federal Reserve back into tightening mode. "I would not look at strong Black Friday numbers as something the Fed has to panic about," he said in a Monday note.
Here's where US indexes stood shortly after the 9:30 a.m. opening bell on Monday:
- S&P 500: 4,550.80, down 0.19%
- Dow Jones Industrial Average: 35,374.66, down 0.04% (15.49 points)
- Nasdaq Composite: 14,226.69, down 0.17%
Here's what else is going on today:
- The Beijing Stock Exchange is reportedly stopping big shareholders from selling stocks in a bid to sustain a market rally.
- The dollar is on pace for its worst month of 2023, dragged down by bets that the Fed is done raising interest rates.
- The S&P 500 will jump to a new record high of 5,000 next year, RBC said, joining bullish outlooks on 2024.
In commodities, bonds, and crypto:
- West Texas Intermediate crude oil dipped 0.46% to $75.19 a barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 0.47% to $80.20 a barrel.
- Gold climbed 0.44% to $2,011.90 per ounce.
- The 10-year Treasury yield dropped 2 basis points to 4.44%.
- Bitcoin fell 1.68% to $36,831.