New York

IN the battle for holiday toy spending, the empire has the upper hand. At least that's the view in the stock market. Just ahead of Black Friday, short interest on Mattel Inc is hovering near an all-time high, reflecting scepticism that the toymaker will deliver this holiday season. After surging all year, bearish bets as a percentage of shares outstanding sit at about 21 per cent for the El Segundo, California-based manufacturer, just below a record of almost 22 per cent in October, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and Markit Ltd. The stock rose 1.8 per cent on Wednesday to close at a three-week high of US$24.81.

Pessimism is lingering even after Mattel, maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels toys, broke out of a downward price trend monitored by chart analysts and recently attracted a 9.1 million-share investment from hedge fund Jana Partners, led by frequent activist founder Barry Rosenstein.