Don't be a Dead Duck on Black Friday!

Trading any names in the retail sector on Black Friday is like cheating on a spouse, it just shouldn't be done. Unfortunately, there will always be that guy (or woman) that thinks he (or she) is too cool for school and won't get caught and that home gamer that sees some good traffic outside a Best Buy opening and decides to buy their stock. Newsflash, investing in retail on Black Friday takes an information network, a large one in fact. No real-time information coming your way from store associates at Best Buys in New York and California? I say watch the party from the sidelines, using Black Friday and the weekend to build a solid foundation of information to invest in a particular name on Cyber Monday. The trades I have in mind given how I see things unfolding (been at this game for a while): •Gamestop (long): Stock sold off into latest earnings report on fear of the 4Q guidance. As it turns out, guidance was stated at a level that reeks of conservatism due to strong titles in the marketplace, among other firm-specific factors. •Cabela's (short): I don't think the company has a promotional mindset for the holidays, despite the entire sector really intensifying their traffic driving efforts. The company's comparable store sales declined in the recent quarter, no good compared to the performance of retail more broadly. No positions.