Wall St looks for pre-holiday direction Salesforce.com shares rallied after the largest maker of online customer-management software reported quarterly results following the market close on Tuesday. Revenues and profits beat analysts" estimates, while the outlook for the next quarter was in line with Wall Street estimates. The company plans to use its recent acquisitions, such as Rypple and Buddy Media, to expand into human resources and social media marketing. Shares rose 6.3 per cent to $155.16 in mid-morning trade on Wednesday, having gained more than 50 per cent since beginning of the year. Analysts at Nomura Equity Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating with the price target of $160, citing another "good quarter and high growth in billings." Overall, US markets looked for direction a day before the Thanksgiving holiday when they will be closed. After opening slightly higher amid optimistic economic data, indices struggled to hang on to modest gains. The benchmark S&P 500 was little changed at 1387.81. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked up 0.1 per cent to 12806.53 while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite was marginally higher at 2918.11. In economic news, initial jobless claims last week fell and were in line with market expectations; however, they remain elevated on increased filings after superstorm Sandy. Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at PMA Datanote, wrote: "Sandy has had a substantial effect on the labour market in the affected areas, and that hit will be visible in the November national payroll report." The jobless claims come on the heels of encouraging housing data released earlier this week, which showed the market improving. Deere & Co reported quarterly results, with a 3 per cent rise in profits coming in below analysts" estimates. Shares in the company fell 2.8 per cent to $83.58. Intel shares continued to fall after the company on Monday announced that Paul Otellini, chief executive, will retire in May, leaving no clear successor in place for the first time in its history. The world's biggest chipmaker is struggling amid declining PC sales and without much market share in the fast-growing smartphones and tablets industry. Shares fell 0.8 per cent to $19.36 and are down 4 per cent since Monday. Chipotle Mexican Grill shares rose 2.6 per cent after the fast-food restaurant chain announced an additional $100m stock buyback programme. Scholastic plummeted 19.6 per cent after the children's publisher cut its earnings guidance for fiscal 2013. It said tighter school district resources amid uncertainty over the federal budget would dent profits at its high-margin education unit.