U.S. stocks finished off their best month in a year on Friday, with the Dow and S&P 500 clinching fresh record closing highs to cap off a blockbuster November. The Russell 2000 finished Friday just shy of what would have been its first record close since November 2021.

November was the best month of the year for S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the best since May for the Nasdaq Composite.

Stocks closed with solid gains as Wall Street put the finishing touches on one of its best months of the year.

Traders shouldn’t bet on another year of double-digit gains for U.S. stocks in 2025, analyst warns.

Stocks opened Friday in positive territory and stayed there through the early close. Volume was understandably light on Black Friday, but those who did show up for the abbreviated session were in the mood to buy tech stocks,

U.S. stocks posted their biggest monthly gains this year in November, after Donald Trump’s election victory ignited a market rally. On Friday, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at record highs,

"There were some warning signs from Target, but if you look at personal income and retail sales, they have been strong all year," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities, in an interview. "That suggests the consumer has buying power."

Indeed, November marked the best month of 2024 for both the Dow and S&P 500. Both of the indexes also notched new all-time intraday and closing highs in Friday's shortened trading