According to preliminary data from Mastercard SpendingPulse, holiday retail sales climbed 8.5% Y/Y for the period spanning Nov. 1 to Dec. 24, 10.7% increase from the same period in 2019, before the pandemic hit.
This year, $Meta Platforms (FB.US)$ may be one of the biggest winners in Christmas. The app for its Oculus headset hits No. 1 in Apple's App Store. Its virtual reality headset: Oculus quest 2 was also one of the most popular technology gifts over the holidays.
This gives Meta more opportunity to show customers the possibilities of its vision for the metaverse.
Shares of $Meta Platforms (FB.US)$ traded up as much as 3.4% Monday. 
So how much did you spend on holiday shopping this year? What cool stuff did you buy?
It is okay if you spend too much on holiday shopping. 
Money never disappears. It just turns into the forms you like.
Source:
Facebook parent Meta rallies 3% as the app for its Oculus headset hits No. 1 in Apple's App Store

$Netflix (NFLX.US)$ posted the third quarter results, showing investors the streamer can continue to attract new subscribers.
Earnings per share (EPS): $3.19 vs $2.56 according to Refinitiv survey of analysts
Revenue: $7.48 billion vs $7.48 billion, according to Refinitiv
Global paid net subscriber additions: 4.4 million vs 3.84 million, according to StreetAccount
The company also gave a nod to the top show of the quarter, “Squid Game.” Netflix said the South Korean dystopian series has become its “biggest TV show ever.” The company said 142 million member households globally watched the show in its first four weeks.
The company also pointed to the cultural relevance of the show.
“Like some of our other big hits, Squid Game has also pierced the cultural zeitgeist, spawning a Saturday Night Live skit and memes/clips on TikTok with more than 42 billion views,” the company said.
Have you watched "Squid Game"?
What's expected and what's beyond your expectation after the earnings released?
Do you think NFLX can keep making hits like Squid Game and fly through the roof in Q4?
Here's the Netflix Q3 earnings replay
Source:
Netflix posts solid beats on earnings and new subscribers