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Stocks rose on Friday as traders wrapped up a strong week amid decreasing political uncertainty and positive vaccine news.
The Dow Jones Industrials regained 37.9 points to conclude a shortened session at 29,910.37.
The S&P 500 recovered 8.7 points to 3,638.35, notching a record closing high.
The NASDAQ raced 111.44 points to 12,205.85, and also closed at an all-time high.
U.S. markets were closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. Friday’s session closed at 1 p.m. EST.
The Dow gained 2.2%, and S&P 500 rose 2.3%, for the week. The NASDAQ, meanwhile, posted a weekly gain of nearly 3%. Earlier in the week, the Dow jumped to an all-time high, breaking above 30,000 for the first time and hit an all-time high.
Retailers led the early gains as investors bet on a strong holiday shopping season.
Etsy shares popped 10.7%, and Gamestop advanced 9%. Amazon shares gained 0.3%, and Shopify climbed 1.5% after Adobe Analytics said Thanksgiving Day online sales rose to a record $5.1 billion.
Also helping sentiment were comments from President Donald Trump, who said he would leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden.
Friday’s gains added to the market’s surge this month, which was sparked in part by a slew of positive coronavirus vaccine trial data.
Earlier In November, Pfizer and BioNTech said their vaccine was more than 90% effective. Moderna also said its drug was highly effective in a trial.
That data helped push the Dow up 12.9% in November, putting it on track for its biggest monthly gain since January 1987. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ are up 11.3% and 11.9%, respectively, in November
Also helping sentiment were comments from President Donald Trump, who said he would leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden.
Prices for the 10-Year Treasury climbed sharply, lowering yields to 0.84% from Wednesday’s 0.89%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices dropped 19 cents to $45.52 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices slumped $20.50 to $1,790.70 U.S.