Weekend Linkfest

Updated from Nov. 25

There's no big linkfest this weekend due to holiday travel, but since there is such an enormous amount of discussion about retail sales and the health of the consumer, we gathered many of the key stories and meta-data right here:

Editor's note: To access some of these stories, registration or a subscription may be required. Please check the individual links for the site's policy.

OVERVIEW

New WSJ Blog: Holiday Sales Tracker.

News, Trends and Analysis for the Key Shopping Season.

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WHY SALES MATTER

Why the Economy Needs Consumers To Shop This Year. (WSJ)

Shoppers Flock to Stores, But Will It Be Enough? (WSJ)

Retail Sector Market Performance.

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HOW ARE SALES DOING?

Black Friday mall sales jump 6% year over year.

Web sales down on Black Friday. (Reuters)

Wal-Mart sounds ominous note for holiday season (Reuters)

Wal-Mart's Weak Sales Dampen Holiday Season Hopes. (Reuters)

Expanded Hours, Discounts Lure Shoppers. (AP)

U.S. Retailers Open Early, Discount to Kick Off Holiday Season. (Bloomberg)

Consumer Spending Is Holding Up? You Do the Math. (Bloomberg columnist Caroline Baum)

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RETAIL/TECH

iPod versus ?

Tivo is now Free.

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SHOPPING MAYHEM

Wal-Mart's Weak Sales Dampen Holiday Season Hopes. (Reuters)

Top Tips: Holiday shopping. (CNN.com)

Best Buy Doorbuster.

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ABOUT THOSE GIFT CARDS

Gift Cards Stay Popular, but Some Recipients Get Only Headaches. (WSJ)

The Fine Print on Giftcards. (WSJ)

Clicking With Cyber Monday. (WSJ)

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RETAIL & INFLATION

How Wal-Mart's Price Cutting Influences Both Rivals and Inflation. (WSJ)

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SHOPPING BLOGS

Delight.com: The Cult of Shopping

CoolHunting

Mighty Goods

ShoppingBlog.com

Yahoo Shopping

Cheap Stingy Bargains

Hunt and Gather Online

Popgadget

Thrifty Chick

About.com's Coupon / Bargains

Slave to Target

That's all for now. Happy shopping!

1 What would best describe your stance heading into the coming week of trading? Bullish Bearish Neutral 2 Which of these sectors do you think is set to move up in the coming week? --Choose One--Aerospace and DefenseAirlinesAutomobilesBeverages and Food ProductsBiotechnologyCommercial BanksComputers and PeripheralsConsumer NondurablesEnergy Equipment & ServicesHMOs and HospitalsHomebuildingInsuranceIntegrated OilInternet, Software ServicesInvestment Bankers and BrokersMediaMultiline RetailPharmaceuticalsPrecious MetalsSemis, Semi EquipmentTelecom EquipmentTobacco and AlcoholWireless CommunicationsUtilities 3 Which of these sectors do you think is set to move down in the coming week? --Choose One--Aerospace and DefenseAirlinesAutomobilesBeverages and Food ProductsBiotechnologyCommercial BanksComputers and PeripheralsConsumer NondurablesEnergy Equipment & ServicesHMOs and HospitalsHomebuildingInsuranceIntegrated OilInternet, Software ServicesInvestment Bankers and BrokersMediaMultiline RetailPharmaceuticalsPrecious MetalsSemis, Semi EquipmentTelecom EquipmentTobacco and AlcoholWireless CommunicationsUtilities View the results without voting