10/01/2026
Monthly Market Update
We know history is simply a guide and not absolute, but September is often a struggle for stocks. It has historically been far and away the worst month of the year and it is the only month that has seen the market close lower more often than higher. We came into the month with the S&P 500 more than 12% higher for the year and with the likelihood of a Fed rate increase during the month it seemed like a logical place to expect some type of pullback. The war with Iran continued to grab headlines during the month, but it was the unrelenting rise in interest rates, to levels not seen in decades, that posed the biggest threat to the market. Stocks do not tend to perform well in a rising interest rate environment, but the selling was muted by the belief the rise in oil and interest rates is war-related and temporary. At month end the S&P 500 was down .4% and is now up 11.8% for the year. However, technology names helped that index while the equal weighted S&P 500 lost 5.2%. As we mentioned, interest rates are the big story and the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury is now 27% above where it was when the year began. Oil jumped above $100 a barrel during the month but ended the month at $90.50. Gold was down over 6% in September.
The month began on a Tuesday with the Iran war in the headlines, pushing oil and interest rates higher. Mid-week oil and interest rates stabilized and on Friday we learned a much stronger than expected 162,000 new jobs were created in August. The market tends to rally ahead of a 3-day weekend and ended the week with the S&P 500 up .4%. Coming off the long Labor Day weekend the market was focused on volatile oil prices that sent the market higher one day only to move lower the next. The holiday shortened week ended with the S&P 500 down .8%. We began the first full trading week of the month with news Iran had attacked a Saudi Arabian oil pipeline which sent the price of oil higher, interest rates to a 20-year high and stocks lower. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve Open market committee did raise short-term rates by 25 basis points, which was their first increase in 3-years. At week’s end oil retreated, which helped the S&P 500 close with a loss of just 10 basis points. The last full week of the month saw oil prices and interest rates continue to rise, but investors were focused on a resurgence of AI related names helping the market recoup losses from earlier in the month. On the final trading day, we learned the Fed’s favorite inflation gauge was up a less than expected .3% in August.
October has historically been a positive month for stocks, but the gains have been more modest than most other months. The month has a bad reputation because it has been the home of 3 of the worst market crashes in history. There is currently a battle going on between excitement about the AI Supercycle and rising interest rates. We know from experience the market will struggle to move higher if interest rates continue to move higher. We are going to need some relief from the inflationary pressure and that likely starts with oil. If oil prices were to decline by 15-20% we would expect inflationary pressure to ease and interest rates to start moving lower. We believe we need downward pressure on interest rates to get the market moving again.
If you know someone who would be interested in learning more about Greenberg Financial Group or taking advantage of our complementary financial plan, please contact us at 520-544-4909, or visit our website at www.greenbergfinancial.com. As always, the key to successful investing is to have a portfolio that is consistent with your investment objectives and risk tolerance. We invite you to listen to our weekly Money Matters radio show which airs every Sunday Morning from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM on KNST AM 790. Previous shows are available on the iHeart app, our website, or your favorite podcast platform. Simply type “Money Matters with Dean Greenberg”.