From Cynthia Scott of OMC Financial Services:

Retailers enjoyed a great Black Friday but will consumers continue to spend this holiday season?

**Holiday shopping includes both Hanukkah and Christmas

**Consumers spending was up 6.6% from last year thanks to stores opening earlier  than normal

**Price is the biggest factor in how consumer spend for the holidays and the primary reason retailers began promotions earlier than last year

**The Internet is playing a larger role each year in consumer spending habits; online shopping was up 39% on Thanksgiving and 24% on Black Friday.

**Cyber Monday begins today and will be an additional barometer as to how much consumers will continue to spend

**Even though consumer confidence is low, there is an enormous amount of pent up demand

**Investing in retailing stocks for profit in the 4^th quarter of each year is becoming more and more challenging since it not only includes store sales, but online shopping as well