Retail stocks, ho ho ho!

The word is in: 2009 Black Friday sales were sluggish, even as Cyber Monday sales were surprisingly brisk. So how will you be trading it?

If you’re looking to go long, Seeking Alpha bloggers like Best Buy (BBY) and Foot Locker (FL). Barron’s likes Target (TGT), Wal-Mart (WMT), Macy's (M), and Nordstrom (JWN).

Surprisingly, the bright spots aren’t concentrated on lower-rent retailers. Marketwatch reported before the holiday that Tiffany’s (TIF) and J. Crew (JCG) were two retail stocks with strong earnings and a good outlook on holiday sales.

If you’re shorting retail, Barron’s thinks The Gap (GPS), Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) and Saks (SKS) are all cruising for a price drop.

And however you’re trading, you’ll get a kick out of PNC’s Christmas Price Index. This made-up index tracks the cost of buying everything mentioned in the carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, versus the CPI for urban consumers (via Barry Ritholtz).

[image: Black Friday Pillage by gadgetdude on Flickr]
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