November by the Numbers

Close the books on November, a topsy-turvy month on Wall Street.

Investors had Hurricane Sandy fallout, a presidential election, uneven earnings, Black Friday and a fiscal cliff to contend with. No wonder it was such an up and down month for stocks.

For all its bravado, however, November went out with a whimper. The three major U.S. indices were virtually unchanged on the final day of the month.

Here are some other November numbers to consider as we head into the final month of the year:

• Despite the volatility, there was very little net movement in the markets. The benchmark S&P 500 gained only 0.27%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.57%. The Nasdaq was the month’s biggest mover, gaining 1.17%.

• The IPO market was light. Only six companies went public, in part due to a number of postponements after Hurricane Sandy. It was the third-lightest IPO month of the year, and lightest November since 2008.

• Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) and Abercrombie (NYSE: ANF) were two of the month’s biggest gainers. RIMM shares gained 45% in November. Abercrombie’s were up 50%.

• Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD) had the worst month of any mid or large-cap stock, declining 31%.

• Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) went on quite a rollercoaster ride, dropping 80 points before rallying late in the month to finish down just 1% in November.

• Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) bounced back in a major way, using a late run to finish up close to 30% for the month. At $28 a share, the social network’s stock is the highest it’s been since July 25.