Wall St Week Ahead: Black Friday puts consumer spending in focus

NEW YORK: The health of the US consumer and the retail sector will be in focus in the coming week, as Black Friday kicks off a holiday shopping season that could shed light on how buyers are grappling with higher prices. The benchmark S&P 500 rose 1.7% in the past week and approached all-time highs as investors digested the end of a solid third-quarter corporate reporting season.

Earnings are on pace to have climbed about 9% from a year earlier..