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.

Even in an age of instant communication and live financial data, investors have had to wait days to take ownership of the stocks they purchased or to receive payment for the stocks they sold. No longer.

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