Black Friday and Cyber Monday are relatively recent US exports that have become key dates for retailers and bargain-hungry shoppers. They are billed as the best days to pick up discounted gifts ahead of the festive period, as online retailers and high street stores slash their prices.

But Black Friday and Cyber Monday are no longer standalone days of sales; many major retailers launch big sales events weeks in advance in the hope that shoppers come out in force to kickstart the Christmas shopping season. To mark the upcoming weekend of hot deals, our experts pick out the stocks that could (with the emphasis on could) benefit from this year's sales.

Richard Hunter, head of markets: "Black Friday tends to create a rush to the entrance for electrical retailers in particular, so one beneficiary could be at the home of the 'Geek Squad', Currys. Part of the Dixons Carphone empire, a FTSE 250 company currently valued at £1.4 billion, the shares have been under pressure, dropping 23% over the past year.

"Dixons Carphone has, however, taken the clever approach of moving slower-moving lines of stock online so it can continue to transform its instore experience, where it is looking to develop services such as the rollout of 'Gaming Battlegrounds'. Any success from its Currys presence would be a welcome boost to its prospects.

"FTSE 100 supermarket Sainsbury has also been in the doldrums of late, having dipped 35% over the past year, mainly due to the failure of the Asda merger. However, the acquisition and integration of Argos has been a resounding success for the company. Having had some success in 2018, Argos has already started a 'Crazy Codes' sale and is promising a bumper announcement in the run-up to Black Friday. Again, any signs of success will be warmly welcomed by the parent company."

Richard Hunter is head of markets at interactive investor Keith Bowman, equity analyst: "In the US, shoppers are increasingly going online over the Black Friday shopping period.

"While shop visits fell by 9% from 2017 to 2018, Abobe Systems estimated that online sales rose by more than 20%. Global sales for online behemoth Amazon rose to a colossal $72.4 billion during its 2018 end-of-year holiday quarter. A current stock market value of $870 billion - close to the annual economic output (GDP) of the Netherlands, for example - suggests investors have not overlooked its success. But with the group's own devices such as the Echo Dot again likely to be a strong holiday consumer favourite, analyst consensus opinion continues to point to a buy."

Do the sales generated on both days have any real effect on stocks, though? Myron Jobson, personal finance campaigner, says: "From an investment perspective, the sales racked up on both days can provide a useful gauge on the overall health of the UK retail industry and individual stocks ahead of the busy festive period.

Good sales figures could indicate a rising sales trend, but the opposite could indicate a weaker-than-expected Christmas season.

"However, this is just one half of the festive sales story. The UK has strong traditions, such as the annual Boxing Day sales, and I expect that will continue. In addition, the picture is clouded by the change of our shopping habits - more of us are shopping online, with constant deal days held throughout the year.

"Although Black Friday and Cyber Monday are hardly game-changers for the stock market, there might be some stocks that warrant closer attention."

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Black Friday tends to create a rush to the entrance for electrical retailers in particular.

(c) 2019 City A.M., source Newspaper