Thanksgiving Week Market Focus: Retail and Sports Betting in Spotlight

Thanksgiving week has historically been a bullish period for U.S. equities, with the S&P 500 posting gains roughly 75% of the time since 1961. The holiday-shortened trading week typically sees a 0.3% average return, fueled by seasonal Optimism and lighter volumes. This year, attention centers on retail giants Amazon and Walmart as analysts project a record-breaking $1 trillion in holiday sales.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving consistently emerges as the strongest trading day, while Black Friday's retail momentum often extends gains into the weekend. DraftKings enters the spotlight as Thanksgiving football games drive expected engagement in sports betting platforms.

Market participants attribute the seasonal strength to converging factors: institutional window-dressing, retail investor participation, and the psychological tailwind of holiday spending. The Black Friday through Cyber Monday period now serves as a bellwether for consumer discretionary performance heading into year-end.