although the fact that the market's not down is definitely a positive sign," said Neil Massa, senior trader at John Hancock Funds. Shares of department stores and apparel retailers were among the winners on "Black Friday," called that as it once marked the day retailers got out of the red. The hope is that consumers will be in the mood to dig deep into their wallets before Christmas. The S&P retailing index nudged up 0.21 percent. Department store company Saks Inc shot 6 percent higher, up 85 cents at $14.64, while Gap Inc. gained 22 cents to $23.04. Apple Computer Inc., maker of the iPod music device, extended Friday's gains, rising 50 cents to $64.55. Earlier in the week, Piper Jaffray raised its price target on the stock to $100 from $52. "Today is the big day for retail -- although you won't see any numbers today in terms of traffic through the doors." said Christopher Johnson, director of quantitative analysis at Schaeffer's Investment Research. --More 2230 Local Time 1930 GMT
