Stocks finished higher on Wednesday, but that's not all.
It was the end of the month AND the quarter. Phew.
September wasn't rosy for the market. The Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite all recorded losses, breaking a five-month winning streak and making it the first down-month since March!
For the quarter overall, things were a bit better: All three indexes ended higher, making it the second straight quarter that stocks rose following the abysmal first three months of the year.
Wednesday’s trading higher was likely influenced by the session being the last of September. But also boosting optimism was better-than-expected economic data and hopes that another push on stimulus negotiations might lead to a deal.
The Dow closed up 1.2%, or 329 points, while the S&P finished 0.8% higher. The Nasdaq closed up 0.7%.