U.S. stocks remained higher in Wednesday's final hour of trading as investors looked past weaker-than-expected data from the Institute for Supply Management and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's remarks about taking a more cautious approach to lowering rates.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI) climbed 0.6%, or over 200 points, while the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC) added 0.3% on the heels of an all-time closing high. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC) gained around 0.5%.

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.

Stocks closed with solid gains as Wall Street put the finishing touches on one of its best months of the year.

The Dow rose 309 points, or 0.7%, and closed above 45,000 for the first time on record. The S&P 500, up 0.6%, and Nasdaq Composite, up 1.3%, each rose for their fourth trading day in a row and built on yesterday’s record closing highs.