Listen to this article Equities Global markets struggled for direction as investors were hesitant to make big bets after U.S. markets were closed yesterday for Thanksgiving. U.S. stocks opened slightly higher, with Wall Street’s main indexes set for monthly gains as the holiday shopping season kicked off, putting retail companies in the spotlight. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.08 per cent to 44,760.05, the S&P 500 gained 0.09 per cent to 6,003.98​, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.14 per cent to 19,087.467 at the bell. Story continues below advertisement The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index opened 0.04 per cent lower at 25,532.84 as investors assessed GDP data that reinforced expectations of a Bank of Canada interest-rate cut next month. While early trading action was muted, sentiment was upbeat. “The U.S. economy remains resilient. Employment is strong, inflation is easing and interest rates are beginning to decline,” J.Stern & Co chief investment officer Christopher Rossbach said. Overseas, the pan-European STOXX 600 inched down 0.14 per cent in morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 slid 0.24 per cent, Germany’s DAX gained 0.19 per cent and France’s CAC 40 gave back 0.07 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.37 per cent lower, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.29 per cent. Story continues below advertisement