The Week Ahead | Calamatta Cuschieri

Black Friday boosts retailers

In the abbreviated session of Black Friday, the S&P 500 index reached +0.21% closing with an all-time high since 1998.

The Nasdaq Composite Index also ended at a new all-time peak at 6,889.16, while the Dow Jones closed up 0.1%.

A big focus for investors in the week ahead will be the changing of the guard at the Federal Reserve. Markets will be hyper-focused on whatever Powell may say about monetary policy, low inflation and what might be done about it.

Stock market investors will be looking for early returns on the start of the holiday shopping season, and the results of the Cyber Monday shopping day.

Mobile transactions are hitting record highs

Shoppers amassed at retailers across the country to shop deep discounts on Black Friday, but many stuck to the sofa and shopped deals from their smartphones.

Adobe Insights, which measures 80 percent of online transactions at 100 major U.S. retailers, declared that mobile transactions are increasing in this holiday season.

Amazon hit a record high closing at 2.58%.

Customers looking for discounts find it easy and fast to close a deal through a smartphone and tablet.

E-commerce transactions were boosted by the sheer convenience and ease of accessing a global market whilst on the go.

Bitcoin approaches 5-digit territory

Bitcoin starts the week with a bang, shooting into record territory and looking to break through the USD 10,000 barrier. The rapid appreciation has made it difficult for bullish analysts and investors to keep their predictions up to date.

The price of the largest cryptocurrency by market value is soaring as it gains greater mainstream attention despite warnings of a bubble in what not everyone agrees is an asset. Bitcoin has risen about 45 percent over the past two weeks. By comparison, it took the S&P 500 Index since February 2014 to achieve a similar increase.

Virtual currencies are unregulated investments that bypass traditional banking systems. Their growth is of increasing concern to international regulators.

Disclaimer

This article was issued by Linda De Luca, Trader at Calamatta Cuschieri. For more information visit, www.cc.com.mt. The information, view and opinions provided in this article is being provided solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be construed as investment advice, advice concerning particular investments or investment decisions, or tax or legal advice. Calamatta Cuschieri Investment Services Ltd has not verified and consequently neither warrants the accuracy nor the veracity of any information, views or opinions appearing on this website.