The Nasdaq Composite opened to record highs Friday morning as traders settled into a holiday-shortened session on Black Friday.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq rallied 0.53% in the opening minutes of trading, leading the major averages higher. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were higher by up 0.28% and 0.22%, respectively, and rermained just below their own record peaks.

Looking at stocks, stores are in focus as Black Friday shopping takes on a different tone this year because of COVID-19. Online retailers, meanwhile, are gearing up for Cyber Monday, which takes place in three days.

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AstraZeneca plc was moderately lower ahead of the opening bell after CEO Pascal Soriot told Bloomberg News that the company will likely conduct a new trial of its COVID-19 vaccine as some participants received incorrect dosages.

Slack Technologies Inc. shares were pointing to a drop of more than 4% at the open as traders digest a possible deal with Salesforce.com Inc. Slack shares soared 38% after news of advanced talks between the two companies broke on Wednesday. Read more at FOX Business