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.

The 30-stock Dow popped more than 440 points, or about 1%, to a new record close during regular trading. The S&P 500 gained 0.3% to notch a new all-time intraday high, while Nasdaq Composite edged up about 0.3%. The Russell 2000 hit a new intraday high — its first record since 2021 — as investors piled into small caps.

Stocks posted solid gains as Wall Street put the finishing touches on one of its best months of the year. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.4%. Both indexes closed out November with their best monthly performances of the year.

China Nov Factory Activity Expands For Second MonthChina's factory activity expanded modestly for a second straight month in November, an official survey showed, adding to a string of recent data suggesting a blitz of stimulus is finally trickling through the world's second-largest