All eyes on retail figures, with Opec the wild card

US STOCKS finished at record highs last week as traders bet on benefits from "Trumpenomics", higher interest rates, and a strong opening to holiday-shopping season.

This week, investors will see tallies from the traditional kick-off weekend for the shopping season, jobs data and, possibly, an international oil-production deal.

Once, the biggest day of the year for American shops was Black Friday; but, now, the day after Thanksgiving is only part of a four-day bargain-hunting blitz that peaks on Cyber Monday. A survey by trade group the National Retail Federation (NRF) suggests that 137.4 million Americans will shop online or in stores over the four days of sales, up from 135.8 million last year, according to a survey released last Friday by NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics.