Stocks end strong week with small dip in short session The S&P ended a strong week on a bit of a down note following a shortened Black Friday session. Indications of a strong kick-off to the critical holiday selling season for retailers were balanced by worries about President Trump signing the "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019," which could anger China and be a sticking point to locking up the "phase one" trade deal that has been promised. However, The Wall Street Journal reported that China has held off from retaliating against the U.S. thus far and that Chinese officials said that trade negotiations are still on track and as long as the U.S. president doesn't implement any of the law's measures. ECONOMIC EVENTS: In the U.S., no economic data of note was reported. WTI crude oil prices tumbled amid indications that OPEC members will not agree to fresh output cuts at their meeting next week. COMPANY NEWS: A stampede at physical stores may not be evident this holiday season as activity shifts to online retailers, but a Wall Street Journal article that cited research from Adobe Analytics said online sales on Thanksgiving Day were up 20% from a year ago. Raymond James analyst Matthew McClintock said his checks on Thursday evening indicate that physical store traffic was strong at both Best Buy (BBY) and Target (TGT), which he thinks "should be viewed as even more impressive than initial indications that e-commerce sales have been stronger than expected." Meanwhile, Lauren Thomas of CNBC reported Costco (COST) and Home Depot (HD) both experienced outages amidst the rise in website traffic during Thanksgiving. Tech Data (TECD) shares gained 12.3% after the company announced after the market close on Wednesday that it has amended its previously announced agreement in which an affiliate of funds managed by Apollo Global Management (APO) will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Tech Data common stock. The amendment provides that the consideration to be received by holders of Tech Data common stock has been increased to $145 per share in cash from $130 per share in cash, among certain other changes. The increased offer came after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) also got involved in bidding for Tech Data, according to CNBC's Becky Quick. Buffett has no plans to raise Berkshire's offer further, Quick noted in her report. MAJOR MOVERS: Among the noteworthy gainers was SORL Auto Parts (SORL), which rose 30% after announcing a "go private" agreement with Ruili International, which will buy the company for $4.72 per share in cash. Among the notable losers was U.S. Steel (X), which fell 5.8% after a report that the company's Gary Works steel mill was flooded after a water pipe break on Wednesday that forced the company to shut down its blast furnaces and steel-making operations as a safety precaution. INDEXES: The Dow slid 112.59, or 0.40%, to 28,051.41, the Nasdaq fell 39.70, or 0.46%, to 8,665.47, and the S&P 500 declined 12.65, or 0.40%, to 3,140.98. Symbols: $TECD $BRK.A $APO $TGT $BBY $COST $HD $X $SORLSource: (thefly.com) Disclosure: I may trade in the ticker symbols mentioned, both long or short. My articles represent my personal opinion and analysis and should not be taken as investment advice. Readers should do their own research before making decisions to buy or sell securities. Trading and investing include risks, including loss of principal. If you liked this article, please click the LIKE (thumbs up) button. Feel free to leave any comments, question, or opinions. (Sign-up if you haven't already done so). Follow us/bookmark us and check back occasionally for additional articles or comments on our page... Wild Tiger Trading - start/main page.