May proved to be one of the best months for stocks in quite some time.

Wall Street in April generally ebbed and flowed in response to uncertainty over U.S. trade policy and the impact of tariffs.

Wall Street saw stocks tumble mostly lower in February after posting strong returns in January.

Stocks posted strong gains in January after losing ground in December.

Stocks posted strong gains for November, which saw the S&P and the Dow have their best months of the year.

Stocks closed lower in October as Wall Street couldn't maintain the momentum from September's strong showing after the Fed lowered interest rates.

Stocks closed mostly higher in August, buoyed by a strong close to the month. .

Stocks rebounded from a sour April, closing higher in May. Investors spent the month focused on job gains, gross domestic product, corporate earnings reports, and inflation data in an attempt to determine when the Federal Reserve might cut interest rates.

Stocks ended April lower, with each of the benchmark indexes enduring their first downturn in several months.