Markets Just Flashed Mixed Signals While You Were Shopping This Weekend

Black Friday and Cyber Monday just delivered numbers that matter. Americans spent $11.8 billion online on Black Friday alone. 

Consumers spent a total of  $14.25 billion  online for Cyber Monday, up 7.1% YoY,  with over $1 billion driven by buy now pay later.

What does this tell us? People are still opening their wallets despite all the inflation talk. Retail stocks like Amazon $AMZN ( ▼ 0.77% ) and Walmart $WMT ( ▼ 0.66% ) got a nice bump. 

But most of that spending went on credit cards. We'll see if that catches up with folks later.

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ADP reported that private companies cut 32,000 jobs in November. That's not what anyone wanted to see.

Manufacturing lost 18,000 positions. Tech shed 20,000. Small businesses got hit the hardest. This is the first contraction we've seen in months, and it's making people nervous.

The Fed meets next week to decide on interest rates. This jobs report just made their decision a lot more complicated. Markets are betting on a rate cut, but nothing's guaranteed.

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Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent is under discussion to also lead the National Economic Council. The role would be an addition to his current position, not a replacement.

This matters because it would centralize economic decision-making. One person calling shots on Treasury policy, trade deals, and tariffs. Markets like Bessent. He's seen as pragmatic and understands how Wall Street works.

But running both roles at once? That's a lot of power concentrated in one spot. It could speed up decisions or create bottlenecks depending on how it plays out.

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Costco, Revlon, and Kawasaki just sued the Trump administration. They want refunds on tariffs they've already paid.

These companies argue they shouldn't have to pay extra taxes on imports when the rules keep changing. It's a test case that could open the door for hundreds of other businesses to demand their money back.

If they win, it could cost the government billions. If they lose, expect more companies to just pass those costs onto you.

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Meta plans to cut its metaverse budget after burning through tens of billions with little to show for it. They also just hired Apple's top designer, Alan Dye.

At the same time, the European Commission opened a new probe into Meta's WhatsApp AI features. Regulators think Meta might be blocking other AI companies from accessing WhatsApp users. 

For investors, this means Meta is trying to spend smarter. But Europe isn't making it easy.

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Natural gas just spiked 60% from October lows. It's now at levels we haven't seen since 2022.

Two big reasons: Cold weather is driving up demand for heating, and the U.S. is exporting record amounts of LNG overseas. In November alone, we shipped 10.7 million tons to other countries, 40% more than last year.

Less gas staying here means higher prices at home. Companies like Coterra Energy and Expand Energy are the winners. Your utility bill? That's going up too.

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The Trump administration scrapped stricter fuel standards that would have forced carmakers to hit higher miles-per-gallon targets. Kevin Hassett, NEC Director, said pushing everyone into electric cars too fast would have been an "economic disruption."

Ford, GM, and Stellantis can keep making profitable trucks and SUVs without penalty.

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Elon Musk went on record this week saying he regrets getting involved in government work. 

He mentioned tariffs and regulations are slowing down innovation in tech and robotics. When the richest guy in the room starts complaining about politics getting in the way, that's worth noting.

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