Can the 2013 rally finish with a flourish?

THIS week is likely to decide whether the great 2013 rally finishes with a flourish.

Stocks finished last week at record highs, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average topping 16,100. As long as a standoff over Chinese airspace rights doesn't escalate, the critical factors for the stock market this week are obvious. Two data points will determine whether the Dow finishes the year closer to 16,000 or 17,000.

"You've got bookends for everything next week," said Joe Kinahan, chief derivatives strategist at TD Ameritrade. "Monday, holiday sales lead off the week and employment finishes the week."

Traditionally, the Friday after Thanksgiving sets the pace for the winter holiday sales; winter-holiday sales, in turn, make or bre…