WANT - Black Friday cheer: Holiday sales forecast to rise 3.6% to 5.2%

The National Retail Federation held a holiday sales call this morning. The outlook for the holiday season is bright. The NRF notes that consumers have been engaged at a strong rate this year during prior holidays, which it takes as a good sign. The early start to the holiday season is seen as a positive as consumers change their shopping habits during the pandemic. It is also noted that retail sales have been strong over the last six months, even if all categories aren't participating. The NRF forecasts that retail sales will grow 3.6% to 5.2% in comparison to a year ago, which is higher than the 3.5% average over the last few stores. Online holiday retail sales is seen rising 20% to 30%. Retail stocks: Walmart ([[WMT]] -0.4%), Target ([[TGT]] +2.3%), Costco ([[COST]] +0.0%), Gap ([[GPS]] +7.6%), Etsy ([[ETSY]] +0.2%), Amazon ([[AMZN]] -0.9%) and Wayfair ([[W]] -0.7%).ETFs: [[XLY]], [[XRT]],

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Black Friday cheer: Holiday sales forecast to rise 3.6% to 5.2%