Shaddows - 4:45 pm on Nov 23, 2012 (gmt 0)

All algorithmic changes go straight to the bottom line

Its a common theme, hard to disprove, but unlikely. Not least because you can't predict how an algo change will affect your bottom line.

Much more likely is that user intent changes for the holiday season. Different user intent means different SERPs. Nothing to see here, move along.