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 S&P 500 ( ^GSPC) edged up roughly 0.2%, coming off a record close, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI) slipped 0.3% from its recent all-time closing high. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC) popped 0.9%, with Apple ( AAPL) shares also touching a record.

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There was a 3.4% year-over-year increase in US retail sales on Black Friday, with online sales driving the bulk of the gains, according to Mastercard

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 rose 0.6% while the Dow Jones