Trading Day: Shrugging off a volatile September, markets shuffle into Q4

On Wednesday, the US stock market experienced fluctuations as mixed signals were exchanged. Inflation data suggesting a cooler-than-expected pace of increase lessened the expectation of a rate hike from the Federal Reserve, while data on GDP, consumer spending, and private payrolls highlighted the country's economic robustness. Nevertheless, the rise in crude prices continued to fuel inflation concerns, and long-term Treasury yields climbed for the seventh day consecutively.

Both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined over the week, yet the Nasdaq Composite Index gained. For the quarter, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq saw an increase, but the Dow ended the July-September period in the red.