US benchmark equity indices ended Wednesday’s session, September 30, in mostly negative territory after a wave of volatility swept through Wall Street in the final hour of trading, erasing much of the day’s earlier gains.
The S&P 500 fell 0.25% to 7,651.54 points, the Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated 0.86% to 50,906.05 points, while the Nasdaq Composite managed a modest advance of 0.24% to 26,861.06 points.
The session was defined by the release of US inflation data that came in below analyst forecasts. The Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index — the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge — rose 0.3% in August compared with the previous month, following a downwardly revised increase of 0.1% in July. The reading came in below the 0.4% rise expected by economists polled by Reuters.
Core PCE, which strips out food and energy and is the Fed’s favoured inflation indicator, advanced 0.2% in August, undershooting the 0.3% projected by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The softer reading helped ease market expectations that the Federal Reserve would resume interest rate increases at its October meeting.
Yields on ten-year US Treasury bonds fell approximately 2.5 basis points to around 5.2%, while 30-year Treasury yields declined roughly three basis points to 5.6%.
In commodity markets, WTI crude oil rose 1.16% to $90.42 per barrel. Brent crude for November delivery settled higher by 0.92% at $103.53 per barrel on the London futures market, closing out September with a monthly gain of 14.43%. The North Sea benchmark traded 94 cents above Tuesday’s closing price of $102.59.
Brent prices were supported by the impasse in peace negotiations between the United States and Iran. Investors continue to lean toward a scenario in which no significant diplomatic breakthrough emerges before the US midterm elections on November 3.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/10/01/mercados/mercados-mercados/wall-street-fecha-mista-apos-volatilidade-na-ultima-hora-pce-abaixo-do-esperado-alivia-pressao-sobre-a-fed/
