The main US stock indices grew moderately on Friday, with the Nasdaq and S & P 500 reaching record highs, helped by higher commodity prices, as well as by the fact that retailers' stocks began to strengthen signs of a strong start to the holiday season.

Certain pressure on the course of trading was provided by preliminary data from Markit Economics, which showed that business activity in the US private sector continued to expand in November, but the growth rate slowed somewhat. Composite index PMI, which estimates the change in activity in the production and services sectors, fell in November to 54.6 points from 55.2 points in October. As a result, the last reading indicated the slowest expansion of private sector activity since July. However, despite the slowdown, the study pointed to a steady, and stronger, increase in new orders in November.

Quotes of WTI crude oil jumped by more than 1.5%, reaching the highest level in more than two years, as the supply of oil to storage facilities continued to decline due to the shutdown of the Keystone pipeline in North America. Meanwhile, the price of Brent crude rose by about 0.5%. Due to the oil spill on November 16, deliveries through the Keystone pipeline, linking Alberta's oil sands with US refineries and normally pumping 590,000 barrels per day to the US refinery, declined, and the reserves in the Cushing's store, Oklahoma, fell.

Most components of the DOW index finished trading in positive territory (21 out of 30). Leader of growth were shares of Visa Inc. (V, + 1.04%). Outsider were shares of Caterpillar Inc. (CAT, -0.45%).

All sectors of S & P recorded a rise. The technological sector grew most (+ 0.6%).

At closing:

Dow + 0.14% 23.557.99 +31.81

Nasdaq + 0.32% 6,889.16 +21.80

S & P + 0.21% 2,602.42 +5.34

U.S. stock-index futures were higher on Friday, a day after the Thanksgiving holiday, advancing with oil prices and with retail stocks in focus as Black Friday kicks off the holiday shopping season.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei 22,550.85 +27.70 +0.12%

Hang Seng 29,866.32 +158.38 +0.53%

Shanghai 3,353.82 +1.90 +0.06%

S&P/ASX 5,982.55 -3.64 -0.06%

FTSE 7,417.86 +0.62 +0.01%

CAC 5,406.63 +27.09 +0.50%

DAX 13,115.07 +106.52 +0.82%

Crude $58.75 (+1.26%)

Gold $1,287.50 (-0.36%)

(company / ticker / price / change ($/%) / volume)

Deere (DE) target raised to $155 at RBC Capital Mkts

Merck (MRK) target lowered to $59 from $62 at Deutsche Bank

A broad gauge of European stocks steadied at the end of trade Thursday, after spending the session struggling to find firm direction. But French blue-chip shares climbed after data showed the country led the strengthening in the eurozone economy this month. How key gauges moved: The Stoxx Europe 600 SXXP, +0.02% closed up less than 1 point at 387.12 after a topsy-turvy session for European equities. The index had risen as much as 0.2% and lost as much as 0.6% intraday.

U.S. stock futures were struggling to make much headway on Thursday, as traders steered away from making any big trading bets and instead focused on Thanksgiving Day feasting. The global backdrop for equities was mostly weaker, with Chinese stocks dropping sharply and European stocks largely sluggish except for French blue chips.

More new regulations and investors' preference for larger-cap companies whacked Chinese stocks, while activity was muted elsewhere in Asia. Thursday is a holiday in Japan and the U.S. The Shenzhen Composite 399106, -0.49% closed down 2.9% and the startup-heavy ChiNext gauge 399102, -0.27% slid 2.8% as Beijing took steps to halt the proliferation of small online lenders, days after saying it plans to streamline oversight of asset-management products sold by financial institutions.

(index / closing price / change items /% change)

FTSE 7417.24 -1.78 -0.02%

DAX 13008.55 -6.49 -0.05%

CAC 5379.54 +26.78 +0.50%

STOXX600 387.12 +0.06 +0.02%

SHANGHAI 3352.99 -77.48 -2.26%

KOSPI 2537.15 -3.36 -0.13%

ASX 200 5986.19 -0.22 0%

SHENZHEN 534.82 -16.84 -3.05%