Major U.S. equity indices struggle through a historically weak September, with the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq facing significant headwinds from macroeconomic pressures and central bank policy uncertainty.
Dow recorded worst September start since 2008 amid broad market weakness and Fed rate-hike concerns.
S&P 500 posted worst 10-day September start since 2020 as headwinds from rates and oil weigh on risk assets.
Nasdaq Composite had worst 10-day September start since 2020, pressured by AI worries and higher yields.
Russell 2000 small caps are highlighted among indexes with negative historical September performance.
Rising oil prices are cited as a contributing factor to equity market weakness.
Wall Street faces a challenging September as major U.S. indices post their weakest 10-day starts in years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit its lowest early-month performance since 2008, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite recorded their worst starts since 2020, driven by rising oil prices, bond yields, and looming Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.
September is statistically the worst-performing month for major U.S. equity indices, often marked by seasonal volatility and negative average returns across the Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Russell 2000.