Black Friday Crowds, Less Bargains 11/24/25
/
RSS Feed
Black Friday Crowds, Less Bargains 11/24/25
Key Stories:
- Record crowds are heading out for Black Friday shopping this year, with the National Retail Federation projecting nearly 187 million people will hit stores and online through Cyber Monday. That’s a new record, up from about 183 million last year. However, don’t expect a bargain bonanza. Retailers, facing tariff pressures, are rolling out fewer deep discounts. Despite the crowds, overall sales growth for November and December is forecast at around 4% to top $1 trillion for the first time ever, but that’s a slowdown from the nearly 5% rise we saw last year. Crucially, spending per person is actually expected to fall slightly, signaling a more cautious consumer environment. Read more
- Digging deeper into the holiday spending trends, consumers are clearly looking to stretch their dollars. We’re seeing a significant surge in “buy now, pay later” usage, with an estimated $2 billion worth of purchases expected to be made using this technology. This highlights consumers’ desire to get value and make purchases while managing upfront costs. Major retailers, including Walmart, the retail giant, which began its multi-phase promotions back on November 14th, and Amazon, the e-commerce titan, with its Black Friday deals week, have started their holiday sales much earlier. Department store chain Macy’s has also opened a dedicated Black Friday portal, indicating that many of the best deals might already be gone, making it harder for last-minute shoppers to snag those traditional doorbuster prices. Read more
- Shifting gears to individual stock movements, shares of global pharmaceutical company Merck, trading under the ticker MRK, jumped 4.1% in afternoon trading. This significant move came after analysts at Wells Fargo upgraded the stock. They moved their rating to “Overweight” from “Equal-Weight,” signaling increased confidence in the company’s future prospects. This upgrade reflects a positive outlook on Merck’s pipeline and strategic direction, giving a boost to the pharma giant’s market performance today. Read more
Keywords: Amazon, BNPL, Bargains, Biotech, Black Friday, Buy Now Pay Later, Consumer Spending, Cyber Monday, Healthcare, Holiday Shopping, MRK, Macy’s, Merck, National Retail Federation, Pharmaceutical, Retail Sales, Retailers, Stock Upgrade, Tariffs, Walmart, Wells Fargo