FX.co ★ Caution Prevails on Wall Street as Q3 Wraps Up

On Tuesday, U.S. stock markets remained largely unchanged as the three main indices lingered near neutral territory. Investors took a cautious approach amid the looming threat of a government shutdown, which could potentially disrupt the release of crucial labor data later in the week. The government faces the prospect of a shutdown by tomorrow if Democrats and Republicans cannot finalize an agreement today, placing Friday's payroll report in jeopardy. Additionally, traders were on the alert for the JOLTS job openings data expected later in the day. Sector-wise, energy and communication services saw the weakest performance, while utilities showed resilience. Major tech firms such as Microsoft (-0.6%), Amazon (-0.9%), Alphabet (-1.1%), Meta (-1.4%), and Tesla (-0.9%) experienced declines. On a brighter note, the S&P 500 has risen over 3% for September, setting pace for the best performance in this month in 15 years, while the Dow Jones increased by 1.7%, and the Nasdaq climbed 5.3%. During the entire third quarter, the S&P 500 gained 7.4%, the Dow advanced by 1.7%, and the Nasdaq soared nearly 11%.