US stock indices gain ground as December opens up

US stock indices gained ground on Friday after a weak start, following solid gains in November.

US stock indices snapped three-month losing streak in November, with S&P 500 surging 8.9%, while NASDAQ gained 10.7%, the best performance since July 2022.

Dow Jones rose 8.75%, the best month since October 2022, hitting one-year highs on Thursday. 

Now investors await a speech by Fed Chair Jerome Powell later today in Atlanta to gather clues about the likely path ahead for monetary policies. 

US manufacturing PMI stabilized at 46.7 last month, below estimates of 47.9. 

On trading, Dow Jones rose 0.8% as of 17:55 GMT, or 290 points to 36,240, while S&P 500 rose 0.6%, or 28 points to 4,596, as NASDAQ rose 0.5%, or 75 points to 14,301.