S&P 500 Closes at 7,678 as Growth Leads on Quarter-Open Day
As seen on the 24/7 Wall St. homepage on October 1, 2026.
- S&P 500+0.34%
- Dow Jones Industrial Average-0.10%
- Nasdaq Composite+0.23%
Money kept rotating toward growth on the first day of the quarter: the S&P 500 finished at 7,678.25 while the Dow ended red. That split is the setup to track as earnings season begins.
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The S&P 500 closed at 7,678.25, up about 0.34%, with the gain concentrated in growth names.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished slightly lower while the Nasdaq Composite edged higher, a sign investors favored higher-multiple names over the value-leaning stocks that anchor the Dow.
This was the first trading day of the quarter, when portfolio managers often rebalance into the areas they want to hold for the next three months, so a tilt toward growth can set the tone into earnings season.
The index traded negative for much of the day before recovering late, so the conviction behind the close is worth monitoring when trading resumes.