The S&P 500 rose 5.5% in July and 7.0% in August. But September was a clunker, registering a 3.9% decline. It could have been worse -- and, in fact, was much worse around mid-month when the index was came within a whisker of a 10% correction from its 9/2/20 all-time peak.

Stocks fell on Friday morning dragged down by tech stocks. The consumer sentiment index rose to 78.0 in September, up from 74.1 in August. This was the best level since March. The Conference Board reported that the leading economic index rose 1.2% in August, compared to a revised 2% in July and a 3.1% rise in June. The Dow fell 0.7%, the S&P 1.1%, and the Nasdaq was down 1.7%. Crude oil traded near $41 per barrel, while gold rose $16 to $1966 per ounce.

L Brands Inc., based in Columbus, Ohio, sells lingerie, personal care and beauty products, apparel and accessories. The company has 2,619 specialty stores in the U.S. and 90 stores internationally in Canada, the United Kingdom and China. It also sells its products through franchises in over 700 locations worldwide. The company's brands include Victoria's Secret, Pink, Bath & Body Works, and White Barn Candle Co.

Stocks fell sharply on Thursday morning amid concerns about rising coronavirus cases in many states and a bleak economic outlook from the Federal Reserve. First-time jobless claims totaled 1.542 million for the week ended June 6, down from the prior week and below the Reuters consensus of 1.55 million. The Dow fell 3.2%, the S&P 3.4%, and the Nasdaq 1.7%. Crude oil fell nearly 7% to $37 per barrel, while gold rose $29 to $1750 per ounce.