Cyber Monday; GM overhaul; Ghosn ousted, again

Cyber Monday is expected to be the largest online shopping day in history, generating a whopping $7.8 billion in sales, an increase of more than 17% from the previous year, according to Adobe Analytics.

Deloitte says shoppers will on average spend $170 more each on Cyber Monday compared to any day of the prior Black Friday weekend.

The sales are especially important for struggling retailers. But with nearly every company spending big on incentives like free shipping, retailers have to be careful not to let discounting harm their bottom line.

The situation is especially dire at Sears (SHLD). The iconic retailer plans to emerge from bankruptcy much smaller and profitable. But by next year, there's a very good chance the company will have vanished.

2. GM overhaul: A Canadian union says it has been notified by General Motors that the carmaker "will make a major announcement tomorrow that will impact its global operations."

Unifor said in a statement on Sunday that GM (GM) plans to shutter its plant in Oshawa, Ontario, as part of the overhaul.

The factory has been in operation since 1953. It currently produces the Cadillac XTS and Chevrolet Impala, as well as pickup trucks for Chevrolet and GMC.

GM offered buyouts to more than a third of its white collar staff in the United States in late October, a move designed to help its transition to self-driving vehicles and other new technologies.

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3. Pound unmoved: The Brexit deal negotiated by Prime Minister Theresa May was approved by EU leaders on Sunday. But the pound is little changed at $1.28. That's because the tallest hurdle is yet to come.

May must still push her deal through a divided UK parliament. If she fails, potential alternatives include crashing out of the European Union without a deal, a second referendum or a general election in Britain.

Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics, said that it's unlikely that the deal approved this weekend in Brussels will be signed off by parliament.

"The fact that, with just four months to go until the United Kingdom is due to leave the European Union, there are at least five different ways in which Brexit could unfold, tells its own sorry story," he said.

4. Ghosn ousted: Mitsubishi Motors has followed Nissan in removing Carlos Ghosn as its chairman.

The Japanese carmaker's board of directors voted on Monday to oust the auto industry legend, who was arrested in Tokyo last week on suspicion of financial misconduct while serving as chairman of Nissan.

In a statement to the Tokyo stock exchange, Mitsubishi said that its board had appointed CEO Osamu Masuko as interim chairman.

The decision is the latest blow to an alliance Ghosn built between Mitsubishi (MMTOF), Nissan (NSANY) and France's Renault (RNSDF).

Ghosn retains his positions as CEO and chairman of Renault, but the French carmaker has asked other people to perform those roles on an interim basis.

5. Stocks rebound: Markets in Asia and Europe posted gains on Monday. Benchmark indexes in Hong Kong, London, Paris and Frankfurt each rose by more than 1% as US crude oil prices stabilized near $51.50.

US stock futures were also sharply higher, suggesting that markets will rebound from a thrashing last week that saw all three major US indexes tumble about 4%.

The price of bitcoin continues to swing wildly. At one point on Monday, the digital currency was trading below $3,500.

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6. Coming this week:
Monday — Cyber Monday
Tuesday — Cracker Barrel (CRBL) and Salesforce (CRM) earnings
Wednesday — J M Smucker (SJM), Box (BOX) and Tiffany (TIF) earnings; US GDP second estimate
Thursday — Dollar Tree (DLTR), Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) and HP (HPQ) earnings; Fed notes released
Friday — G20 begins in Argentina

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