Cyber Monday was better for online retailers than most expected. But consumers were only interested in heavily-discounted goods. That’s why Andrew Snyder thinks eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) is well placed to turn a profit this Christmas. It not only attracts bargain hunters, but also sellers desperate to raise cash. And better still, it has a balance sheet that most companies dream of these days.

Early indicators suggest that there is still some life left in the American consumer. The hordes were back out for the Thanksgiving weekend, though mega discounts means retailers will still struggle to break even. Martin Denholm says investors should stick with bargain-oriented retailers like Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) and TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX).

The outlook is bleak for retailers, says Adam Lass. As job losses mount, households are cutting back on all non-essential spending. And massive government bailouts won’t reach the high street in the near future. Adam says investors should continue to short the retail sector.

The weight of the global economy rests on the American consumer, says J. Christoph Amberger. That’s who all these government bailouts are trying to reach. And unless shoppers throw caution to the wind this Christmas, we could be in for a rough ride.

Adam Lass says it’s not too late to make profits in the retail sector. As an “anxious” holiday season approaches some stocks could be cut in half again. Adam says put options on the most vulnerable retailers can yield triple-digit gains. An alternative is to buy a put contract on a retail sector ETF (NYSE:XLY).

We have to wait until Thursday this week for the economic calendar to get underway, and even then there isn’t too much going on outside of the Retail Sector.

Shares for Under Armour (NYSE:UA) jumped 26% yesterday. The retail company’s third quarter results exceeded expectations on the same day as the market posted a major rally. But Andrew Snyder says this is down to marketing hype.

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