Today's Headlines

Bloomberg:

• Catalan Leader Doubles Down on Independence Pledge. Puigdemont, who maintains he’s the legitimate regional president after being sacked by the central government, will lead a new platform under the banner of Together for Catalonia. He said on Saturday a victory at the polls on Dec. 21 would serve to ratify his mandate and send a signal to the European Union, which has repeatedly sided with the government of Mariano Rajoy against unilateral attempts for independence. “The people of Catalonia have shown the world we have the capacity and the will to become an independent state,” Puigdemont told an audience in Bruges, Belgium, where he’s been staying since declaring independence last month. “On Dec. 21, we must ratify that.”

• URGENT: The Latest: Survivors' Horrific Accounts of Egypt Attack. 

• Macron Unveils Measures to Combat Violence Against French Women. French President Emmanuel Macron proposed a series of measures including special police internet hotlines and a large public campaign to combat violence against women, an issue thrust into a public debate by revelations involving film producer Harvey Weinstein. In a speech in Paris, Macron said the fight against violence towards women would be "the great cause" of his five years in office, adding that France needed to "win this fight."

• Oil Options Are the Cheapest in Three Years With OPEC Meeting Approaching.

• Jeff Bezos’s Net Worth Just Broke $100 Billion.

• AirPods and Outerwear Start Out Strong This Holiday Shopping Season. Will this year’s Black Friday finally spark a sustained retail comeback? While the answer remains to be seen, the sellers of outerwear and gadgets such as Apple AirPods and the Sony Playstation VR have reason to be encouraged. Those were some of the hottest sellers so far during the Black Friday weekend, the traditional kickoff to the holiday season. In the toy category, L.O.L. Surprise, Hatchimals and Colleggtibles led the way, according to a report from Adobe Systems Inc. A survey from Deloitte & Touche, meanwhile, showed that shoppers were purchasing apparel, gift cards and electronics.

Wall Street Journal:

• What the NFL Teaches Corporate America. A tainted CEO quickly becomes the tail that wags every dog.

• Black Friday Kicks Off, With Upbeat Shoppers and Fewer Discounts. 

• Three Simple Ways to Kick Your Smartphone Addiction.

• YouTube Faces Fresh Backlash After Ads Appear Near Pedophile Comments. Mars, Adidas and Diageo are among the companies that have paused advertising on YouTube.

Barron's:

• Had bullish commentary on (BABA), (VMC),  (VZ), (AGU), (MOS), (BZUN), (HTHT) and (JD).

Fox News:

• Trump to visit GOP Senate in push to deliver tax 'Christmas present' to Americans.

CNBC:

• Egypt raises death toll in Sinai mosque attack to 305.

• Smartphones steal Black Friday dollars, as mobile sales break records.

• Mark Cuban: Only invest in bitcoin if you're prepared to lose your money.

• Black Friday boosts battered department stores, some of which are claiming a 'record' weekend.

• An increasing number of college students in California are turning to food stamps: San Francisco Gate.

Zero Hedge:

• Former Secret Service Agent Threatens To Reveal Details About Bill Clinton And Epstein's "Lolita Express".

• China's Corporate Debt Unexpectedly Rises At Fastest Pace In Four Years, As A New Risk Emerges.

• "Not Our Fault" - ECB Says "Fake Data" Is To Blame For The Coming "Manias And Panics". 

• Russia Responds: Putin Signs 'Foreign Agents' Media Bill Into Law.

• Welcome To 2030. I Own Nothing, Have No Privacy... And Life Has Never Been Better.

• Saturday Humor: A Millennial Job Interview.

• "He Can't Accept The Fact He Screwed Up" - Special Counsel Mueller's Surprisingly Flawed Past.

• Bitcoin, Ether Soar To New All-Time Highs; $10,000 In Sight.

• The Party's Over For Australia's $5.6 Trillion Housing Frenzy.

• "This Is A Paralyzed Market": Hedge Fund Turnover Drops To All Time Low.

•  Automation Nation: America's Largest Employer 'Secretly' Tests Self-Driving Floor-Scrubbers.

• George Soros' $18 Billion Tax Dodge Exposed.

• More Evidence BoJ Desperate To Steepen Yield Curve.

• How Colin Kaepernick 'Celebrated' Thanksgiving.

• Russian Anger Builds In Town Next To Leaking Nuclear Plant.

• FBI Warns Of Growing Threat Of Left-Wing Violence.

• Is $40 WTI Now More Realistic Than $60?

• Stocks Surge On Biggest Short Squeeze Since Election As Dollar Dumps To Worst Year Since 2009. (graph)

Business Insider:

• Stores were emptier than ever this Black Friday — but sales are soaring.

• The Model 3 is putting Tesla(TSLA) in dangerous territory.

• Uber is pinning its future on 'tens of thousands' of self-driving Volvo-Ubers.

• Walmart(WMT) is building a new empire by gobbling up smaller brands and letting them live in a 'free' marketplace. 

• Officials say the gunmen involved in Egypt's deadly mosque attack were linked to ISIS.

• The Tesla(TSLA) Semi will start at $150,000 and a longer-range version will sell for $180,000.

• Amazon(AMZN) seizes half of all online Black Friday sales in an 'eye-popping' show of dominance.

• Inside the rapid rise of Saudi Arabia's millennial crown prince who is now leading a TIME Magazine poll for its 2017 'Person of the Year'.