This is positive news leading up to the Christmas sales, suggesting what could be better-than-expected sales and consumer confidence. The Nasdaq could be hurt today as fall-out over Dell continues.

Trading is relatively thin with the Christmas holidays and there are bits and pieces of news but not much positive.

The season's busiest days occurred on Dec. 12 and 13, but we've seen continued sales momentum as Christmas neared.

It's going to come down to how sales are pre-Christmas, what we hear from the retail sector, ... I would expect next week, while remaining positive, to have not as robust a move as we saw this week.

Sales of meat birds and egg-laying birds have fallen 25 to 30 percent since the news of the bird flu. There has also been a softening of prices of 10 to 12 percent.

You're getting quarterly reports and news about August sales this week, and retail stocks have also been beaten down, so you're seeing some strength in the sector. Retailers have managed their second half of the year well, which is positive for back-to-school and Christmas sales, both crucial for the sector.