Amazon warehouses expect this to be the busiest time of the year for online orders
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online jewelry seller
Blue Nile (Nasdaq:
NILE), which has been consistently profitable since 2005, making it through the recession without much of a problem. Though the
stock has plenty of critics - most of whom have valid concerns about
Blue Nile's fundamentals - again, earnings have consistently grown. The outfit may end up surprising a lot of folks when the holiday season's numbers have been tallied.
First Time in the GameIt's an interesting disparity really - jewelry stores are rocking and rolling again, suggesting carefree, indulgent spending is picking up steam. Yet, deep discounters like
Dollar Tree (Nasdaq:
DLTR) and
Family Dollar Stores (NYSE:
FDO) have also been drawing bigger and bigger cost-conscious crowds. Dollar Tree has posted improved year-over-year earnings in every quarter for nearly three years, and Family Dollar has managed the same.
Wal-Mart
The world's largest retailer tried to lured consumers to its doors first by kicking off Black Friday sales on Thursday. Its Cyber Monday sales are also beginning a day early.
Wal-Mart(WMT_) will begin its "Cyber Week" sales with deals on gadgets, toys and home goods. Shoppers will be able to scoop up 32-inch Toshiba LCD HDTVs for $249 and Xbox holiday gamer bundles for $319. Tramontina Dutch ovens will be offered for $35 and Hot Wheels Mega Garage Playsets will be $25. The site will offer free shipping on orders of more than $45 on qualifying products.
Toys "R" Us
The toy superstore planned to roll out discounts on thousands of items on its Web site starting at 6 p.m. Sunday. Shoppers will be able to get 60% off the cost of certain video game titles with the purchase of another game. Calico Critters' products will be 50% off, while certain Nerf products will be up to 40%. Perennial favorites such as Little Tikes Bouncers and Razor Scooters will be discounted by 30%. Prices on Easy-Bake Ovens and Power Rangers action figures will be cut by 20%. Barbie dolls will sell for $15 less, while Hot Wheels
cars will be offered for $10 off. Consumers will get free shipping on orders of at least $49.
Macy's
The department store plans to offer discounts on hundreds of items on its Web site. For the home, shoppers will find Dyson DC-17 Total Clean vacuums for $349.99 and 24-piece bedding sets for $99.99. The store will offer buy-one-get-one-free deals on certain women's sweaters and 50% off of select women's coats. In accessories, handbag prices will be cut by 25% to 40%, while Charter Club leather gloves and cashmere scarves will be 50% off.
Macy's(M_) will also lower its minimum order for free shipping to $75, using the
promotional code "CYBER."
Sam's Club
Sam's Club has some Cyber Monday deals to rival its sister store Wal-Mart. The shopping club has an Asus i5 Notebook for $479 with free shipping. The TV deals have been great this year at every retailer, and Sam's Club has a Magnavox 32-inch LCD HDTV for $248.88 with free shipping.
The same goes for
Dollar General (NYSE:
DG), which is expected to earn a record-breaking 81 cents per share for the Christmas quarter of 2011. That forecast may not fully reflect Dollar General's ace in the hole this time around though.
Read more:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2011/Top-Cyber-Monday-Winners-ZLC-NILE-DG-FDO-DLTR1125.aspx#ixzz1f0P1Vfje
| Smart picks from value managers | | |
|---|
| Company | Sector | Why buy? |
| Cooper Tire & Rubber (CTB 0.00%, news) | Rubber and plastics | Valuation, steady consumer demand |
| Wells Fargo (WFC 0.00%, news) | Financial services | Relatively safe bet in recovering industry |
| Sembcorp Marine (SMBMF 0.00%) | Shipbuilding and repair | Valuation |
| Pool (POOL 0.00%, news) | Swimming pool supplies | Dominant share of a steady market |
| Grupo Prisa (PRIS 0.00%, news) | Spanish-language media | Textbook division strong in emerging markets |
Online sales rose faster than expected in the US on Black Friday, according to surveys.
Internet sales totalled $816m (£524m), a 26% gain on last year, said Comscore. IBM Coremetrics put the rise at 24%.
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is treated by many retailers as the start of the Christmas shopping season. They offer one-off discounts to mark the occasion.
Analysts said heavy promotional activity helped drive demand.
By comparison, a report by Shoppertrak suggested that
in-store Black Friday sales were up by 7% on last year, at $11.4bn.
Beating the rush
Around 50 million
Americans visited online retail sites on Friday, according to Comscore.
It said Amazon was the most popular destination, with 50% more visitors than any other retailer.
Walmart, Best Buy, Target and Apple were next in line, said the analytics company.
"Despite some analysts' predictions that the flurry of brick-and-mortar retailers opening their doors early for Black Friday would pull dollars from online retail, we still saw a banner day for e-commerce," said Comscore's chairman, Gian Fulgoni.
Mobile shopping
IBM Coremetrics also noted a trend towards
It said Black Friday purchases made on mobile devices had accounted for 9.8% of all online sales, compared with 3.2% last year.
| Symbol | Company name | Overall rating | Core rating | Last | Change | %Change | Volume | Market cap. | P/E | Dividend | Dividend yield | 6 mo expected return  | Market cap. market prefs | Sector market prefs | Growth/value market prefs | Fundamental grade | Valuation grade | Technical grade | Ownership grade |
|---|
| 1 | AFAM | Almost Family Inc | 9 | 10 | 12.53 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 117.37 Mil | 5.20 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | B | A | A | C |
| 2 | HALO | Halozyme Therapeutics Inc | 9 | 10 | 8.10 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 839.90 Mil | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | A | B | B | A |
| 3 | HITK | Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co Inc | 9 | 10 | 38.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 484.99 Mil | 10.20 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | B | A | A | C |
| 4 | JAZZ | Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc | 9 | 10 | 35.77 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 1.51 Bil | 14.70 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | A | A | C | B |
| 5 | KBR | KBR Inc | 9 | 10 | 25.02 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 3.72 Bil | 8.10 | 0.20 | 0.80% | 11.98% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | A | B | B | C |
| 6 | KSU | Kansas City Southern | 9 | 10 | 62.81 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 100 | 6.90 Bil | 23.90 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | A | A | A | C |
| 7 | KWR | Quaker Chemical Corp | 9 | 10 | 32.27 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 415.48 Mil | 9.70 | 0.96 | 2.97% | 11.98% | In favor | In favor | Neutral | A | A | C | B |
| 8 | MASC | Material Sciences Corp | 9 | 10 | 8.02 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 86.71 Mil | 8.80 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | In favor | In favor | Neutral | B | B | A | C |
| 9 | NARA | Nara Bancorp Inc | 9 | 10 | 8.41 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 393.76 Mil | 13.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | A | C | A | B |
| 10 | OIS | Oil States International Inc | 9 | 10 | 63.38 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 3.25 Bil | 12.80 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | Neutral | In favor | Neutral | A | B | B | C |
| 11 | OPK | OPKO Health Inc | 9 | 10 | 4.82 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 1.40 Bil | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | B | B | B | A |
| 12 | PCBK | Pacific Continental Corp | 9 | 10 | 8.56 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 157.80 Mil | 21.40 | 0.20 | 2.34% | 11.98% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | A | C | A | C |
| 13 | REXX | Rex Energy Corp | 9 | 10 | 14.22 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 631.38 Mil | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | In favor | In favor | Neutral | A | B | C | A |
| 14 | RNOW | RightNow Technologies Inc | 9 | 10 | 42.86 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 1.42 Bil | 60.10 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | A | A | B | C |
| 15 | SCCO | Southern Copper Corp | 9 | 10 | 27.64 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 700 | 23.24 Bil | 10.20 | 2.46 | 8.90% | 11.98% | Neutral | In favor | Neutral | A | A | C | C |
| 16 | SFE | Safeguard Scientifics Inc | 9 | 10 | 14.02 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 290.54 Mil | 1.90 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | In favor | Neutral | N/A | A | A | C | C |
| 17 | SLXP | Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd | 9 | 10 | 35.14 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 2.08 Bil | 27.60 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | B | A | A | C |
| 18 | SPW | SPX Corp | 9 | 10 | 56.71 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 2.89 Bil | 15.80 | 1.00 | 1.76% | 11.98% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | A | C | A | C |
| 19 | TNH | Terra Nitrogen Co LP | 9 | 10 | 159.28 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 2.95 Bil | 11.30 | 13.91 | 8.73% | 11.98% | Neutral | In favor | Neutral | | A | B | C |
| 20 | TSRA | Tessera Technologies Inc | 9 | 10 | 15.59 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 803.39 Mil | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | A | B | B | C |
| 21 | WRC | Warnaco Group Inc | 9 | 10 | 45.77 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 1.85 Bil | 12.30 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | A | A | C | C |
| 22 | XRIT | X Rite Inc | 9 | 10 | 4.50 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 33,565 | 387.13 Mil | 48.20 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | A | C | A | C |
| 23 | ZIXI | Zix Corp | 9 | 10 | 2.49 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 164.34 Mil | 3.80 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.98% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | B | A | B | C |
| 24 | ABX | Barrick Gold Corp | 9 | 9 | 47.59 | 0.15 | 0.32% | 2,502 | 47.82 Bil | 10.90 | 0.60 | 1.26% | 11.90% | Neutral | In favor | Neutral | C | A | B | C |
| 25 | AUY | Yamana Gold Inc | 9 | 9 | 14.65 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 100 | 10.93 Bil | 17.60 | 0.20 | 1.37% | 11.90% | Neutral | In favor | Neutral | C | A | B | C |
| 26 | BGS | B&G Foods Inc | 9 | 9 | 20.62 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 983.58 Mil | 19.20 | 0.92 | 4.46% | 11.90% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | B | B | B | |
| 27 | CAT | Caterpillar Inc | 9 | 9 | 86.72 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 32,289 | 56.07 Bil | 13.30 | 1.84 | 2.12% | 11.90% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | A | B | C | C |
| 28 | CBS | CBS Corp | 9 | 9 | 23.55 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 800 | 15.43 Bil | 13.30 | 0.40 | 1.70% | 11.90% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | B | A | B | C |
| 29 | CECE | Ceco Environmental Corp | 9 | 9 | 5.96 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 86.24 Mil | 16.20 | 0.10 | 1.68% | 11.90% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | A | C | B | C |
| 30 | CSX | Csx Corp | 9 | 9 | 20.00 | 0.12 | 0.60% | 200 | 21.00 Bil | 12.30 | 0.48 | 2.40% | 11.90% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | B | A | C | C |
| 31 | CUZ | Cousins Properties Inc | 9 | 9 | 5.40 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 560.05 Mil | 0.00 | 0.18 | 3.33% | 11.90% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | A | B | C | C |
| 32 | DOV | Dover Corp | 9 | 9 | 50.26 | 0.31 | 0.63% | 0 | 9.32 Bil | 11.30 | 1.26 | 2.51% | 11.90% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | B | B | B | B |
| 33 | DOW | Dow Chemical Co | 9 | 9 | 24.47 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 100 | 28.92 Bil | 10.10 | 1.00 | 4.09% | 11.90% | Neutral | In favor | Neutral | A | B | C | C |
| 34 | EFSC | Enterprise Financial Services Corp | 9 | 9 | 13.19 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 234.12 Mil | 7.30 | 0.21 | 1.59% | 11.90% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | A | B | C | C |
| 35 | EGBN | Eagle Bancorp Inc | 9 | 9 | 13.45 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 267.82 Mil | 13.20 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.90% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | B | C | A | C |
| 36 | EGN | Energen Corp | 9 | 9 | 46.23 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 3.33 Bil | 10.30 | 0.54 | 1.17% | 11.90% | Neutral | In favor | Neutral | A | A | D | C |
| 37 | EXPE | Expedia Inc | 9 | 9 | 26.11 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 6.97 Bil | 15.40 | 0.28 | 1.07% | 11.90% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | A | A | B | D |
| 38 | FBIZ | First Business Financial Services Inc | 9 | 9 | 16.30 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 42.85 Mil | 6.40 | 0.28 | 1.72% | 11.90% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | A | B | C | C |
| 39 | FCFS | First Cash Financial Services Inc | 9 | 9 | 34.47 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 1.04 Bil | 16.10 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.90% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | B | A | C | C |
| 40 | GGP | General Growth Properties Inc | 9 | 9 | 12.99 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 12.15 Bil | 0.00 | 0.40 | 3.08% | 11.90% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | A | B | C | C |
| 41 | GOLD | Randgold Resources ADR Reptg 1 Ord Shs | 9 | 9 | 103.88 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 5,100 | 9.61 Bil | 32.90 | 0.20 | 0.19% | 11.90% | Neutral | In favor | Neutral | C | A | B | C |
| 42 | GUID | Guidance Software Inc | 9 | 9 | 5.90 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 150.56 Mil | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.90% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | A | B | C | C |
| 43 | GYRO | Gyrodyne Co of America Inc | 9 | 9 | 105.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 155.68 Mil | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.90% | In favor | In favor | Neutral | C | B | A | C |
| 44 | HNRG | Hallador Energy Co | 9 | 9 | 9.25 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 260.62 Mil | 8.40 | 0.10 | 1.08% | 11.90% | In favor | In favor | Neutral | D | A | B | A |
| 45 | HRB | H and R Block Inc | 9 | 9 | 14.41 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 4.41 Bil | 11.80 | 0.60 | 4.16% | 11.90% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | B | A | C | C |
| 46 | INFY | Infosys Ltd | 9 | 9 | 49.97 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 28.53 Bil | 17.90 | 0.74 | 1.49% | 11.90% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | B | A | C | C |
| 47 | ISH | International Shipholding Corp | 9 | 9 | 16.66 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 120.42 Mil | 3.10 | 1.50 | 9.00% | 11.90% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | B | A | C | C |
| 48 | KLAC | KLA-Tencor Corp | 9 | 9 | 42.08 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 7.01 Bil | 8.60 | 1.40 | 3.33% | 11.90% | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | B | A | C | C |
| 49 | LORL | Loral Space and Communications Inc | 9 | 9 | 59.30 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 1.82 Bil | 4.40 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.90% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | C | A | B | |
| 50 | MAPP | MAP Pharmaceuticals Inc | 9 | 9 | 12.27 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0 | 374.20 Mil | 75.00 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 11.90% | In favor | Neutral | Neutral | B | C | A | C |
IBM described mobile shoppers as having had a "laser focus" since they had been more likely to view a single page on a retailer's site rather than browse what else was for sale.
IBM said Apple's iPhone and iPad had generated the most mobile internet visits to online stores, accounting for more than double the traffic originating from devices running Google's Android system.
The company also noted a jump in Black Friday related chatter on social networks. It recorded a 110% rise in discussion volumes after consumers had shared tips on how to secure products before they sold out and the best places to park.
Cyber Monday
Friday's internet sales are expected to be eclipsed today on what is referred to as Cyber Monday - which many experts believe will be the US's busiest online shopping day of the year.
Black Friday earned its name this year. Deals were everywhere, but consumers were so anxious to get their hands on discounted goods that many retailers — a good deal of them
Wal-Mart (NYSE:
WMT) stores — saw unheard of levels of violence.
Pepper spraying and shootings signal that it might be time for online commerce — and its Cyber Monday — to replace the brick-and-mortar rush of Black Friday.
Which, of course, it has. In the past, most retailers emphasized in-store-only deals, leaving online-only retailers like
Amazon (NASDAQ:
AMZN) to strike the following week on Cyber Monday. But over time, traditional businesses have joined the online rush. In addition to
offering deals both offline and online on Black Friday, many retailers have been quick to embrace another chance
Close to
123 million according to a survey commissioned by the US National Retail Federation, an industry lobby group. That would be a 15% increase on last year.
NRF said nearly eight in ten online retailers would run special promotions including "flash sales that last an hour" and "free shipping offers".
The federation also highlighted the shift to mobile devices, saying it expected 17.8 million Americans to use them to shop today, nearly five times the number in 2009.
The week ahead is not big on earnings reports.
Tiffany (
TIF 0.00%), due Tuesday, and
Toronto Dominion Bank (
TD 0.00%), due Thursday, may be the week's biggest.
But it is very important in terms of economic reports. The biggest will be Friday's unemployment and nonfarm payrolls report.
It was such a miserable week that none of the 30 Dow stocks showed a gain on the week.
Wal-Mart Stores (
WMT 0.00%) had the best performance, but it was down 0.6%.
Bank of America (
BAC 0.00%) fell the most -- 10.6%.
Only five stocks in the Nasdaq-100 Index showed gains, led by
Biogen Idec (
BIIB 0.00%), up 1.4%.
Netflix (
NFLX 0.00%) was the laggard, down 18.2%. Netflix was also the biggest loser among S&P 500 stocks and is down 79% since peaking in early July.
"Retailers have invested heavily in mobile apps and related content as the appetite for Cyber Monday shopping through smartphones and tablets continues to rise," said Vicki Cantrell, executive director of the NRF's website shop.org.
Cyber confusion
UK internet retailers said it was less clear which day will be the UK's busiest online shopping day this year.
"Over the last couple of years we have seen a fortnight of peak activity over the period corresponding to both this and next week," said Andy Mulcahy, a spokesman for the industry body Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG).
TICKERS IN THIS ARTICLE
| NAME | LAST | CHNG | % CHNG |
|---|
| # | SYY | 27.07 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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| # | LANC | 62.99 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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| # | $INX | 1,158.67 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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| # | JCI | 27.59 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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| # | EMR | 47.11 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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<><><>Dividends are back in style. Of course, for some companies they never stopped being a key way to return profits to shareholders. For example, when food distributor Sysco (SYY 0.00%, news) raised its dividend this quarter by 3.8%, it marked the company's 10th consecutive annual dividend increase. The 9% increase in its annual dividend declared on Nov. 21 by Lancaster Colony (LANC 0.00%, news), a manufacturer of candles and specialty foods, beat even that record of consistency. Lancaster Colony is one of only 16 U.S. companies to have increased cash dividends every year for 49 years or more. But I'm talking about something very different than those examples of dividend consistency. This quarter, I'm seeing companies that have been relative dividend tightwads decide not only to raise their payments but to raise them big time. "We expect £3.72bn will be spent online over the two week period." Mr Mulcahy said that although some retailers are trying to generate interest in the idea of Cyber Monday in the UK, they are split over which day to mark. MARKET TRENDS
He added that since many online retailers had been offering discounts of up to 70% for several months, customers might not have noticed a big difference in the level of promotional activity.
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