{"id":52501,"date":"2025-08-31T16:49:36","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T20:49:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-sp-500-closes-lower-but-notches-fourth-straight-monthly-gain\/52501\/"},"modified":"2025-08-31T16:49:36","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T20:49:36","slug":"stock-market-today-sp-500-closes-lower-but-notches-fourth-straight-monthly-gain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-sp-500-closes-lower-but-notches-fourth-straight-monthly-gain\/52501\/","title":{"rendered":"Stock Market Today: S&#038;P 500 Closes Lower But Notches Fourth Straight Monthly Gain"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-sp-500-closes-lower-but-notches-fourth-straight-monthly-gain\/52501\/#Major_Indexes_Pull_Back_at_the_Market_Close\" >Major Indexes Pull Back at the Market Close<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-sp-500-closes-lower-but-notches-fourth-straight-monthly-gain\/52501\/#Inflation_Concerns_Weigh_on_Markets\" >Inflation Concerns Weigh on Markets<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-sp-500-closes-lower-but-notches-fourth-straight-monthly-gain\/52501\/#Tech_Sector_Leads_Decline\" >Tech Sector Leads Decline<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-sp-500-closes-lower-but-notches-fourth-straight-monthly-gain\/52501\/#Companies_Reporting_Earnings_After_Mondays_Close\" >Companies Reporting Earnings After Monday&#8217;s Close<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-sp-500-closes-lower-but-notches-fourth-straight-monthly-gain\/52501\/#Economic_Data_to_Watch\" >Economic Data to Watch<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-sp-500-closes-lower-but-notches-fourth-straight-monthly-gain\/52501\/#Market_Outlook\" >Market Outlook<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Major_Indexes_Pull_Back_at_the_Market_Close\"><\/span>Major Indexes Pull Back at the Market Close<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The major U.S. stock indexes retreated on Friday, August 29, 2025, as investors took profits ahead of the Labor Day weekend following a week that saw the <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/markets\/sp500\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"snp500 today\">S&#038;P 500<\/a> reach new record highs. Despite the day&#8217;s losses, the <b>S&#038;P 500 ended August with its fourth consecutive monthly gain<\/b>, rising nearly 2% for the month. The index finished at 6,460.26, down 0.64% at today&#8217;s market close.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__2\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/markets\/dowjones\/today.aspx\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Dow Jones Today\">Dow Jones<\/a> Industrial Average lost 92.02 points, or 0.20%, to settle at 45,544.88, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 1.15% to close at 21,455.55.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__2\"><\/cscitation> Despite Friday&#8217;s pullback, the Dow logged an impressive 3% advance for August, outperforming both the S&#038;P 500 and Nasdaq, which gained 1.6% for the month.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Inflation_Concerns_Weigh_on_Markets\"><\/span>Inflation Concerns Weigh on Markets<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Friday&#8217;s market decline came after the release of the Personal Consumption Expenditures (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=PCE\">PCE<\/a>) Price Index, a key inflation measure closely watched by the Federal Reserve. Core PCE, which excludes food and energy costs, increased 2.9% year-over-year in July, matching expectations but accelerating from the previous month to reach its highest level since February.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__2\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Fed opened the door to rate cuts, but the size of that opening is going to depend on whether labor-market weakness continues to look like a bigger risk than rising inflation,&#8221; said Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. &#8220;Today&#8217;s in-line PCE Price Index will keep the focus on the jobs market. For now, the odds still favor a September cut.&#8221;<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__2\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tech_Sector_Leads_Decline\"><\/span>Tech Sector Leads Decline<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Nvidia (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>) was among Friday&#8217;s key laggards, with shares falling more than 3% to close at $174.18, despite reporting strong 56% revenue growth in its recent quarterly report.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__1\"><\/cscitation> The decline came after The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=BABA\">BABA<\/a>) has created a more advanced chip as it looks to fill the gap left by Nvidia&#8217;s restrictions in selling chips to China. Alibaba&#8217;s U.S. shares surged about 13% on the news.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__2\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<p>Other major tech stocks also retreated at today&#8217;s market close, with Microsoft (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=MSFT\">MSFT<\/a>) falling 0.58% to $506.69, Apple (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>) dipping 0.18% to $232.14, Amazon (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=AMZN\">AMZN<\/a>) declining 1.12% to $229.00, and Meta (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=META\">META<\/a>) dropping 1.65% to $738.70.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__1\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Companies_Reporting_Earnings_After_Mondays_Close\"><\/span>Companies Reporting Earnings After Monday&#8217;s Close<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>With markets closed on Monday for Labor Day, investors are looking ahead to several notable earnings reports scheduled for after Tuesday&#8217;s close. Zscaler (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=ZS\">ZS<\/a>) is expected to report earnings of $0.80 per share when it releases its quarterly results.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_3__3\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<p>Later in the week, Salesforce (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=CRM\">CRM<\/a>) will report its fiscal 2026 second-quarter results after Wednesday&#8217;s close, with analysts expecting earnings of $2.78 per share, an 8.6% increase year-over-year, on revenue of $10.1 billion.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_3__3\"><\/cscitation> Other notable companies reporting on Wednesday include American Eagle (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=AEO\">AEO<\/a>), Asana (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=ASAN\">ASAN<\/a>), C3.ai (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=AI\">AI<\/a>), and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=HPE\">HPE<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Economic_Data_to_Watch\"><\/span>Economic Data to Watch<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Looking ahead to next week, markets will be closed on Monday, September 1, for Labor Day. When trading resumes on Tuesday, investors will focus on several key economic reports, including the ISM Manufacturing PMI and Manufacturing Prices data.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_4__1\"><\/cscitation> <\/p>\n<p>Wednesday will bring the Final Services PMI for both Europe and the UK, along with the closely watched JOLTS Job Openings report in the U.S., which could provide further insights into labor market conditions ahead of the Federal Reserve&#8217;s next policy meeting.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_4__1\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Market_Outlook\"><\/span>Market Outlook<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As markets enter September, historically the weakest month for stocks, investors remain cautious. According to The Stock Trader&#8217;s Almanac, September has been the biggest losing month for the S&#038;P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq since 1950, with the S&#038;P 500 averaging a 0.7% decline during the month over the past decade.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__2\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<p>Additionally, tariff concerns have resurfaced following some troubling corporate commentary. Caterpillar warned it could see a $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion hit this year from President Donald <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a>&#8217;s tariffs, sending its shares more than 3% lower on Friday. Gap also recently indicated that tariffs will weigh on profits.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__2\"><\/cscitation><\/p>\n<p>Despite these concerns, the U.S. stock market remains resilient, with the S&#038;P 500 up 14.37% compared to the same time last year, while the Nasdaq Composite has surged 19.62% over the same period.<cscitation citation_id=\"task_1__1\"><\/cscitation> As markets navigate the traditionally challenging September environment, investors will be closely watching upcoming economic data and corporate earnings for signs of continued economic strength or potential weakness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Major Indexes Pull Back at the Market Close The major U.S. stock indexes retreated on Friday, August 29, 2025, as 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