{
  "id": 15397769,
  "title": "2 Retail Stocks to Buy Before the Holiday Shopping Season",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/2-retail-stocks-to-buy-before-the-holiday-shopping-season",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-18T10:19:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Motley Fool",
    "slug": "motley-fool",
    "url": "https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/10/18/2-retail-stocks-to-buy-before-the-holiday-shopping-season/?source=iedfolrf0000001"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As Thanksgiving falls on November 26, the retail world braces for the crucial weeks that follow, known as the holiday shopping season. For heavyweight retailers like Amazon and Costco, this period can significantly impact their annual performance.\n\nAmazon, with its vast online marketplace, has consistently reported robust sales during this time. Last year, the e-commerce giant saw a 18% increase in fourth-quarter sales compared to the previous quarter. Two retailers stand out before the holiday frenzy: Amazon (AMZN) and Costco Wholesale (COST).\n\nBoth companies have shown consistent sales growth this year. However, their stocks have taken different paths. Amazon's shares remain below the record high they reached in early August, while Costco's stock has climbed about 8% so far in October, nearing $1,000.\n\nAmazon's fourth quarter is particularly important. In 2025, the company's net sales soared to $213.4 billion, a 14% increase from the previous year and a sharp contrast to the third quarter's $180.2 billion. Operating income in Amazon's North America segment, which includes most of its store sales, rose by around 24% year over year to $11.5 billion in last year's fourth quarter.\n\nCostco's fiscal first quarter spans 12 weeks, ending just before Thanksgiving, which makes its monthly sales reports the first public indication of the holiday season's impact. Last year, Costco's holiday quarter (fiscal second quarter of 2026) saw a 9.1% year-over-year increase in net sales to around $68.2 billion, with comparable sales (excluding gas price and foreign exchange fluctuations) growing by 6.7%.",
  "summary": "Black Friday is around six weeks away. Which two retailers look worth owning before the rush?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Nasdaq Markets",
        "title": "2 Retail Stocks to Buy Before the Holiday Shopping Season",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/2-retail-stocks-to-buy-before-the-holiday-shopping-season-15398845",
        "published": "2026-10-18T10:39:01.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}