Will Black Friday Be Bloody?

DONALD M. SELKIN, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, NATIONAL SECURITIES, AND PROVIDER OF CNBC’S “FAIR MARKET VALUE” REPORT

With consumer confidence flagging, decreased spending, plunging markets, mass layoffs, and potential auto industry bailouts dominating the headlines, what will the dire economic news mean for “Black Friday?” Traditionally the busiest retail shopping day of the year, as well as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season, Black Friday sales figures have long been a gauge for determining the health of year-end quarters.

“Poor performance of retail stocks and the October drop in the Consumer Price Index do not bode well for November 28,” says Don Selkin, Chief Market Strategist of National Securities, the third-fastest growing independent broker-dealer in the United States, and provider of CNBC’s “Fair Market Value” report. “If Black Friday sales are as grim as some analysts are anticipating, it will be particularly interesting to see how the markets react.”

Will there be shoulder-to-shoulder crowds at 5AM or will America’s shopping malls look like ghost towns? For those covering Black Friday financial news, National Holdings Corporation makes available Donald M. Selkin to discuss the following talking points:

• What can we expect in the retail space this Black Friday?
• What will October’s 1% drop of the Consumer Price Index, the steepest single-month drop in the sixty-one-year history of the pricing survey, mean for Black Friday?
• What measures will retailers take, such as deep discounts and extended hours, to try to boost holiday sales?
• Will lower gas prices effectively act as a “tax cut” for consumers this holiday spending season?
• Will consumers counteract tightened budgets with homemade gifts? “Group” gifts for entire families?
• When can we expect a rebound in consumer confidence?
• Will the U.S. government intervene with another bailout for the flagging U.S. auto industry?
• What will a new presidential administration mean for Wall Street and Main Street?
• Will the Federal Reserve cut interest rates to record lows?
• Have we hit the floor on the financial repercussions stemming from the housing mortgage crisis?

Biography of Expert - Donald M. Selkin, Chief Market Strategist of National Securities
Educated at City University of New York, where he earned his BA and MA, Donald M. Selkin taught economics at his alma mater prior to entering the securities industry as a managed futures advisor at Merrill Lynch in 1976. From 1982 through 1997, Mr. Selkin was head of stock index futures research at Prudential Securities. Following his tenure at Prudential, Mr. Selkin served as Market Strategist for Joseph Gunnar, LLC from 1997 to 2002, enjoying that role at Joseph Stevens & Co. from 2002 until April 2008, when he joined National Securities in the same capacity. Frequently quoted in financial media including Bloomberg, CNN/FN, and CBSMarketwatch websites, Newsday, Quick Nikkei News, and Asia Market News, Mr. Selkin has provided CNBC’s “Fair Market Report” for the past twenty-six years.

About National Holdings Corporation
National Holdings Corporation is a holding company for National Securities Corporation, vFinance Investments, Inc., EquityStation, Inc., National Asset Management, Inc., and National Insurance Corporation. National Securities, vFinance and EquityStation are broker-dealers registered with the SEC, and members of FINRA and SIPC. vFinance is also a member of the NFA. The three principal lines of business of the broker-dealers are offering full service retail brokerage; providing investment banking, merger, acquisition and advisory services to micro, small and mid-cap high growth companies; and trading securities, including making markets in over 4,000 micro- and small-cap stock, distributing direct market access platforms, and providing liquidity in the United States Treasury marketplace. National Asset Management is a federally registered investment advisor. National Insurance provides a full array of fixed insurance products to its clients. For more information, please visit our websites at http://www.nationalsecurities.com and http://www.vfinance.com.