The major indexes jumped across the board, boosted mostly by positive retail sentiments. Today is known as "Black Friday," and is generally considered to be one of the busiest days of the year for retail shopping. Stores and malls across the country have prepared for scores of holiday shoppers, all eagerly anticipating so-called bargains.

Whether or not Black Friday will accurately predict the final economic moments of 2007 for the U.S., today was a positive day for the markets. Retailers led the way, with Target (TGT | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) and Macy's (M | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) both closing higher by more than 5%.

The financial sector also managed a rebound, following a tough week. Lehman Brothers (LEH | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) rose just under 5%, while Bear Stearns (BSC | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) jumped over 3%.

Despite an up day in the equity markets, many traders had the day off today, and volume was light on account of the half day. Many are waiting to see what happens on Monday, and into next week, which will see a number of key economic reports from the U.S.

The dollar hit fresh lows against the euro today, and crude also inched back towards all-time records nearing $100 a barrel.