Investors Head Into December After a Volatile Month for Stocks

Stocks rose modestly in Friday’s abbreviated U.S. trading session. But in a remarkable comeback, the Dow Jones Industrial Average managed to close November with a win: squeezing out a gain of 0.3% for the month after being down 3.8% month-to-date just a week earlier. The S&P 500 had almost the same about-face, with a gain for the month after being down 4.4% as of Nov.20.