US OPEN: Wall Street opens higher after Thanksgiving

• US traders return from the Thanksgiving holiday for a shortened session.
• Disney (DIS.US) increases layoff plans to 32,000 employees

US inidices launched today's session higher although gains are likely to be limited with the market set to close early in the aftermath of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Dow Jones rose 0.3%, S&P 500 added 0.3% and the Nasdaq is trading 0.6% higher. Retailers are among the top performers amid hopes of strong Black Friday sales. Sentiment was also lifted by comments from President Trump, who said he would leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden. Major US stock indices rose over 10% this month as investors were encouraged by prospects that a coronavirus vaccine can be used soon and chances the Fed would raise asset purchases from the current pace of $120 billion a month. Also, over 108K coronavirus infections were recorded on Thursday, the lowest in near 2 weeks, however Thanksgiving holiday limited testing capability.

US100 - index recently bounced off the upward trendline and the upward move is being continued after US open. If the current sentiment prevails, the upward move could be extended to the 12 400 pts handle. However in case sellers will manage to break below the aforementioned trendline, downward impulse towards support at 12 023 pts could be launched. Source: xStation5.

Walt Disney (DIS.US) is planning to increase the number of layoffs to 32,000 from the previous 28,000 as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to slam its theme park and entertainment businesses. The company’s Disneyland theme park in California remains closed due to the pandemic, and its other theme parks have reopened but with capacity limits in place.

Disney (DIS.US) market reaction to the layoff news has been limited. As long as the price sits above the support at $147.03 further upside move is possible. However, if sellers will manage to break below it, then next support at $141.66 could be at risk. Source: xStation5

Facebook (FB.US) could launch its planned “Libra” cryptocurrency in a limited form in January, according to the Financial Times.

Pfizer's (PFE.US) - drug regulator Health Canada may approve Pfizer vaccine in December. The agency had previously said approval was likely to come during the first quarter of 2021.

AstraZeneca (AZN.US) is likely to run a new global trial of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, according to CEO Pascal Soriot. Bloomberg reported that the company may start a new study testing the vaccine at a lower dosage, rather than adding a test of the lower dosage to an ongoing U.S. trial.

According to a Reuters report, Apple's supplier (AAPL.US), Foxconn, will transfer part of the iPad and MacBook assembly operations from China to Vietnam. Foxconn is said to be doing this at Apple's request in hopes of minimizing the impact of US-China trade disputes.

Tesla (TSLA) - The National Highway Transport Safety Administration is investigating possible front suspension safety issues on some Tesla Model S and Model X cars. The probe covers approximately 115,000 vehicles.