US stocks rise at close, notch monthly, quarterly gains

US stocks rose at the close of the final September session, overcoming the risk of a government shutdown amid partisan disputes over a temporary budget bill, while investors assessed data that strengthened expectations of further Federal Reserve rate cuts.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit an all-time high, rising 0.18%, or 81 points, to close at a record 46,397. The index gained 1.87% for the month and 5.22% for the quarter.

The S&P 500 advanced 0.41%, or 27 points, to 6,688, recording monthly gains of 3.53% and quarterly gains of 7.8% in Q3 2025.

The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.31%, or 68 points, to 22,660, extending its monthly gains to 5.61% and quarterly gains to 11.24%.

In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600 edged up 0.5% to 558.18, posting monthly and quarterly gains of 1.45% and 3.1%, respectively.

Germany’s DAX added 0.55% to 23,880, France’s CAC 40 inched up 0.2% to 7,895, while the UK’s FTSE 100 gained 0.55% to 9,350.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 lost 0.25% to 44,932, trimming its monthly gains to 5.2%. Meanwhile, the broader Topix index rose 0.2% to 3,137 points, pushing its gains since the beginning of September to 2%.

In oil markets, Brent crude futures for November delivery, which expire today, fell 1.4%, or 95 cents, to $67.02 a barrel, posting monthly and quarterly losses of 1.6% and 0.9%, respectively.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for November delivery dropped 1.7%, or $1.08, to $62.37 a barrel, deepening its monthly losses to 2.56% and recording a quarterly decline of 4.2%.

Meanwhile, gold futures for December delivery climbed 0.46%, or $18, to $3,873.2 an ounce, marking a record high and logging monthly and quarterly gains of 10.15% and 15.17%, respectively.

Official data released today showed that US job openings remained steady in August. However, a survey conducted by the Conference Board revealed that consumer confidence fell in September to a five-month low, amid growing concerns over a potential slowdown in the labor market.