AAPL, DECK, HAS Poised for Robust Sales This Holiday Season

U.S. retail sales in November grew at the quickest clip in eight months as shoppers shelled out liberally for everything from clothes to cars.

Retail sales rose 0.7% last month, according to the U.S. Commerce Department retail sales report released today (Thursday). That was up from 0.5% in October and better than consensus estimates of 0.4%.

aaplExcluding autos, retail sales growth for November was 0.5% - the best month-over-month increase since June.

Auto sales climbed 1.7% in November, the strongest showing since August. Vehicles sold at an annualized rate of 17.2 million last month, a 4.6% increase year over year, according to Autodata Corp.

Thursday's better-than-expected data is indeed welcome after Black Friday sales reports came in on the soft side.

With a few weeks remaining in the holiday shopping season, retailers could still rake in strong sales during December's remaining key shopping days. That's because of this year's holiday present to consumers: tumbling oil prices...

Lower Oil Prices Give Households $1,100

This year's steep drop in oil prices is set to give the U.S. economy a $40 billion boost this holiday season, and a multibillion-dollar lift beyond.

The average national price of gasoline is $2.66 a gallon, according to AAA, $0.61 less than last year at this time. It's fallen every day since Sept. 26 and is expected to average $2.50 through at least the first few months of 2015.

"My numbers show the average American family has gotten an $1,100 bonus effectively from the fact that we have lower prices at the pump - and could have lower still," Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald said last week when he appeared on CNBC's "Closing Bell." "I think that takes a lot of pressure off the wallet."

And that's translating to these higher holiday spending projections...

The average shopper is expected to spend $1,299 on gifts this holiday season, according to consultancy firm Deloitte. That's a robust 13% increase year over year.

A lot of the spending will likely go to what is popular this year. That includes consumer electronics, boots, and toys - especially anything related to the movie "Frozen," according to Barron's.

Here's who's poised to benefit.

AAPL, DECK, and HAS Looking at a Robust Holiday Season

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) - Following record fiscal Q4 earnings in late October, which included sales figures for the biggest iPhone launch ever with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook gave an upbeat outlook. "We are heading into the holidays with Apple's strongest product lineup ever," Cook said. "We are also incredibly excited about Apple Watch and other great products and services in the pipeline for 2015." IPhones and iPads are expected to sell well this season, as are Apple iTunes gift cards - traditionally strong holiday sellers. Go here for our full Apple stock price outlook for 2015.

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Decker Outdoor Corp. (NYSE: DECK) - For the third consecutive year, "UGG" (the widely popular sheepskin boots) was the most searched term on Cyber Monday, securing the top spot among the 12 most sought-after items this holiday season, according to Experian. Landing again on Oprah's "Favorite Things" list, UGG boots have regularly remained one of the top items for holiday gift-giving. In addition to being Cyber Monday's top-searched item, UGG is the sole non-electronic brand to consistently acquire a spot in Experian's top-five list.

Hasbro Inc. (NYSE: HAS) - For the first time in more than a decade, Barbie has been "frozen" out of the top spot on the holiday wish lists of girls. Replacing the iconic Barbie doll is Elsa from Walt Disney Corp.'s blockbuster film "Frozen" - and Hasbro is the maker of Elsa dolls and accessories. The National Retail Federation Holiday Top Toys Survey found that one in five parents (20%) plan to buy "Frozen" merchandise for their daughters. That beats the 16.8% who plan to make a Barbie purchase.

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