• Thanksgiving falls much later than last year, leaving only 25 days between Black Friday and Christmas. Due to the delay (six shopping days less than last year), consumers can expect to see holiday deals beginning earlier, before Thanksgiving feasts and the famous holiday-shopping kick-off, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• Since the banking crisis, bankers have reduced the number of loans being given to small businesses. As a result, the popularity of “shadow lenders,” or alternate lending institutions such as high-end pawnshops, has grown substantially, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• “Ender’s Game,” earning $28 million in ticket sales over the past weekend, took the top slot at the box office. The futuristic film tells the story of two children selected to battle an enemy race, according to Reuters.
• Amazon.com Inc. is using data mined from users viewing 20 pilot episodes for potential original TV shows to decide which to create and what viewers are most interested in seeing in a television show. The first series to be created is a comedy about four politicians called, “Alpha House,” according to the Wall Street Journal. 
• American automotive companies General Motors and Ford topped their foreign competitors in October sales as the popularity of large SUVs and trucks increased. The change in Americans’ taste is largely due to the decline in gas prices, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• Now that it is legal in all 50 states to carry a concealed weapon (if one obeys the varying restrictions), firearms companies, such as Remington Arms Co., are producing a clothing line catered to those who choose to carry firearms. Examples include the “Smoothbore Field Coat” ($1,295) and the “Double Derringer Leather Vest” ($300), according to Reuters.
• While Manhattan apartments remain out of most Americans’ pricerange, luxury apartments in New York are considerably cheaper than comparable apartments in other international cities such as London. The result is an increased number of international buyers in the New York real estate market, according to the New York Times.
• Growing demand for locally grown and organic foods has sparked a new group of businesses specializing in renting out hens. Families can now, for a price, receive a coop, feed, necessary tools and several egg-laying hens to keep for a summer. The rental program represents an option for families not looking to make the large commitment of raising hens all year and from the time they are chicks, according to the New York Times.
