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.

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

The S&P 500 (SPX) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average both closed out November at record highs, with the Dow topping 45,000 in trading on Friday before ending the session just shy of that milestone.

Stocks rallied and yields plunged as markets cheered Scott Bessent as Trump's pick to run the Treasury. The Dow and the Russell 2000 hit fresh records.

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,

Shares are mostly higher in Europe and Asia, tracking last week's gains on Wall Street. Analysts said investors were viewing President-elect Donald Trump's choice of billionaire investor Scott Bessent as his nominee for Treasury secretary as a relatively market-friendly choice.