Carts, cuts, and celluloid collisions filled Wall Street's newswires this past week.
Ho, ho, ho
It's the holiday season. Now that retailers have collectively posted a respectable increase in comps for the month of November, we can turn our attention to their faster-growing online operations.
I did my part, keeping tabs on Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) to see what's selling, what isn't, and what's moving solely because of ridiculous discounts. I've already shared five things I learned from my addiction to Amazon's bestseller lists, but here are a few more observations I've subsequently made.
What's your guess for Amazon's top-selling toy? You're probably not even close, and that's a shame, because the hottest plaything is made by a small, publicly traded toymaker. Jakks Pacific's (NASDAQ:JAKK) EyeClops Bionic Eye has been on top for weeks. This digital microscope magnifies objects on your television screen. Amazon isn't marking it down significantly, the way it has for some of the other items on its best-sellers list, so you know it's a hit.
Beyond moving a ton of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) products, a lot of the Nokia (NYSE:NOK) tablets are creeping up the list in consumer electronics.
Seriously, do yourself a favor and start scouring Amazon's perpetually updated best-seller lists. It's the easy way to play Peter Lynch, without having to drag your kids to the mall to spot hot trends early.
In brief
It was a busy week, so let's dip briefly into a few of the intriguing financial headlines.
Stocks sold off on Tuesday, after the Fed came through with just a 0.25-basis-point cut in the federal fund rates. Investors were hoping for a deeper reduction. Can I get a price check on irony here? The Fed's conservative move hints that it doesn't feel that the economy is in deep trouble, so the market panics? My tip to the Federal Reserve: Next time, toss in a free set of Ginsu knives to really win them over.
Meanwhile, Blockbuster (NYSE:BBI) rarely beats Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) to the draw, so let's discuss Blockbuster's deal to be the exclusive rental provider for Viacom's (NYSE:VIA) Jackass 2.5. I realize that the franchise isn't everyone's cup of tea. I don't even enjoy typing the name of the movie. However, Blockbuster scored a major coup here. Even if the film targets a limited audience of rabid Johnny Knoxville fans, Blockbuster will get a lot of publicity by promoting something that's not available on Netflix. The only thing that would be wackier is if one of the film's stunts involves trying to fit someone dressed as a Netflix mailer through the postal service's automated sorter.
Until next week, I remain,
Rick Munarriz
