Black Friday retail

.Investors should note: (1) CME Group futures halted due to a Chicago data‑center cooling issue, with full trading resuming at 8:30 a.m. ET and markets poised to end November in the red. (2) Black Friday’s in‑store relevance is fading as online sales dominate; retailers are spreading promotions and focusing on omnichannel logistics. (3) Alphabet’s AI surge lifts it 13% this month, though competition from Nvidia, Microsoft and Chinese firms intensifies. (4) AI‑driven hardware battles heat up, with Alibaba’s smart glasses challenging Meta and Apple overtaking Samsung in smartphone shipments. (5) U.S. K‑beauty sales top $2 billion, driving retailer expansion and supply‑chain upgrades.