THANKSGIVING

Bank of America Corp's CEO search could last until Thanksgiving, the New York Post reported on Friday.

Bank of America Corp's CEO search could last until Thanksgiving, the New York Post reported on Friday.

U.S. shoppers, come out, come out, wherever you are. Super Saturday, the last Saturday before Christmas, is often the biggest shopping day of the holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation.

The holiday shopping home stretch run starts this weekend, and U.S. retailers hope that dilly-dallying shoppers are ready to open up their wallets and get serious about spending. The 10 days before Christmas are the busiest of the season, with as much as 40 percent of total holiday sales coming then, according to analysts from the Telsey Advisory Group.

Some retailers reported stronger-than-expected November sales on Thursday, helped by a post-Thanksgiving rush and holiday discounts, but notable misses by others and a shift in the retail calendar left an unclear picture of the strength of the key holiday season.

The holiday tug-of-war is under way. U.S. retailers want to rack up sales now, not later. Consumers, however, are resisting, playing the waiting game for bigger discounts closer to Christmas. To win the battle, many retailers are enticing shoppers with so-called limited-time sales, hoping a deadline will convince them to spend money now -- and help stores avoid profit-crunching price cuts later in the season.

U.S stocks declined on Monday after turbulent Monday trading as financial sector woes deflated holiday sentiment entering the post Thanksgiving week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 237.44 points, or 1.83 percent, to close at 12,743.44, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index was down 55.61 points, or 2.14 percent, at 2,540.99.

Stocks rebounded on Friday in an abbreviated session as the start of holiday shopping lifted retail stocks, while progress in a plan to relieve the credit market's strain aided bank shares. Shares of JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup all rose more than 2 percent. The three banks, spearheading an effort to establish a superfund to ease problems in the credit market, are expected to seek support from others in the industry.

Eager shoppers stormed malls and stores across the country on Friday to snap up the early-bird specials that mark Black Friday, the first official day of the U.S. holiday shopping season. While shoppers were looking for giveaways and discounts, analysts and investors were watching for signs of consumer strength or weakness.

The 2007 holiday shopping season kicked off on Friday with crowds of shoppers, many braving the bitter cold, snagging early bargains on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Analysts expected moderate sales this year as consumers struggle with the slumping housing market, a credit crunch, rising food and fuel costs and uncertainty about their jobs.

The holiday shopping season kicked off on Thursday even before the turkey was carved, as retailers, worried that gift buying may slow this year, posted special deals on their Web sites on Thanksgiving day. Numerous retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc, Best Buy Co Inc and Circuit City Stores Inc, are offering special deals online.

The cost of Thanksgiving is soaring, according to investment bank Merrill Lynch & Co, which may help explain the gloom among U.S. consumers as they head into the holiday season.

FOX was the winner in the adults 18-49 demographics category for the week ending Sunday, making it the first time it won before Thanksgiving since 1998, Nielsen Media Research said Tuesday.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, the financial experts at Goldman Sachs -- who earned a Wall Street record profit of $9.34 billion in 2006-- are setting up a charity fund which they expect to grow to more than $1 billion within the next few years.

U.S. airlines were dogged more by anxiety than by operational glitches on Wednesday as the Thanksgiving travel rush began in earnest with scattered delays and no major problems.

US stocks fell to the lowest its been in three-months on Wednesday, following the growing unease over the economic outlook and weakening credit markets.

Talks between striking screenwriters and Hollywood studios will resume after Thanksgiving after beginning on November 5.

Let the holiday shopping madness begin ... please? That is the silent plea coming from U.S. retailers, which are gearing up for Black Friday, the chaotic and competitive day after Thanksgiving (November 22) when stores offer eye-popping, limited-time deals to kick off the holiday shopping season.

US President Bush announced steps to tackle air traffic congestion and reduce passenger delays over the Thanksgiving period starting late next week, the White House said on Thursday.

Wal-Mart's lawyers have an early holiday message for Web sites that post Black Friday ads ahead of their official release date: Don't do it.

Retailers are touting holiday deals and discounts earlier than ever this year, but the efforts may fall flat as consumers expect to start shopping for this crucial season later than ever, according to a survey released on Tuesday by NPD Group.