As September drew to a close, many major global stock markets ended the month in negative territory. During the final trading days of Q3, some European markets were boosted as data indicated the UK's economy grew in Q2 and inflation across the eurozone is cooling.
In the US, the latest consumer confidence and home sales reports fuelled economic concerns and weighed on markets. The Dow Jones Index closed the month down 3.50% on 33,507.50, while the tech-orientated NASDAQ closed the month down 5.81% on 13,219.32.
In the UK, the FTSE 100 closed the month on 7,608.08, a gain of 2.27%, while the mid cap focused FTSE 250 closed down 1.75% on 18,279.42. The FTSE AIM closed September on 726.18, a loss during the month of 2.12%. On the continent, the Euro Stoxx 50 closed on 4,174.66, a loss of 2.85%.
In Asia, ongoing weakness in China’s property sector continues to weigh on the region. The Japanese Nikkei 225 closed the month on 31,857.62 down 2.34%.
On the foreign exchanges, the euro closed the month at €1.15 against sterling. The US dollar closed at $1.21 against sterling and at $1.05 against the euro.
Brent crude closed September trading at around $92, a gain over the month of 6.89%. Russia’s announcement of a temporary ban on gasoline and diesel exports to most countries is bringing uncertainty into the market. Gold closed the month trading at around $1,870 a troy ounce, a monthly loss of around 3.70%.