{"id":53858,"date":"2025-09-30T16:08:35","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T20:08:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/major-indices-post-strong-september-and-q3-gains-berkshire-hathaway-nears-10-billion-oxychem-deal\/53858\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T16:08:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T20:08:35","slug":"major-indices-post-strong-september-and-q3-gains-berkshire-hathaway-nears-10-billion-oxychem-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/major-indices-post-strong-september-and-q3-gains-berkshire-hathaway-nears-10-billion-oxychem-deal\/53858\/","title":{"rendered":"Major Indices Post Strong September and Q3 Gains; Berkshire Hathaway Nears $10 Billion OxyChem Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/indices\/sp500\/today\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"snp500 today\">S&amp;P 500<\/a><\/strong> posted its biggest September percentage gain since 2010, rising <strong>3.53%<\/strong> for the month and <strong>7.79%<\/strong> for the quarter, while the <strong>Dow Industrials<\/strong> saw its best September since 2019, climbing <strong>1.87%<\/strong> in September and <strong>5.22%<\/strong> in Q3.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Berkshire Hathaway<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/BRK.A\">BRK.A<\/a>, <a href=\"\/stock\/BRK.B\">BRK.B<\/a>) is reportedly in talks to acquire <strong>Occidental Petroleum&#39;s<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/OXY\">OXY<\/a>) petrochemical unit, <strong>OxyChem<\/strong>, for approximately <strong>$10 billion<\/strong>, marking <strong>Warren Buffett&#39;s<\/strong> largest deal since 2022.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>Nasdaq<\/strong> led quarterly gains, surging <strong>11.24%<\/strong> in Q3 and <strong>5.61%<\/strong> in September, reflecting broad strength across technology and growth sectors.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>municipal-bond market<\/strong> is set to deliver its best monthly performance in nearly two years, while the <strong>FTC<\/strong> has filed an antitrust lawsuit against <strong>Zillow<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/ZG\">ZG<\/a>, <a href=\"\/stock\/Z\">Z<\/a>) and <strong>Redfin<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/RDFN\">RDFN<\/a>) over online rental listings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Market Performance Highlights<\/h2>\n<p>U.S. equity markets concluded September and the third quarter of 2025 with significant gains, with the <strong>S&amp;P 500<\/strong> and <strong>Dow Industrials<\/strong> recording their strongest September performances in over a decade. The <strong>S&amp;P 500<\/strong> closed up <strong>28.47 points<\/strong> (<strong>0.43%<\/strong>) at <strong>6,689.68<\/strong>, contributing to its <strong>3.53%<\/strong> gain for September and a robust <strong>7.79%<\/strong> rise for the quarter.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/indices\/dowjones\/today\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Dow Jones Today\">Dow Jones<\/a> Industrial Average<\/strong> advanced <strong>84.25 points<\/strong> (<strong>0.18%<\/strong>) to <strong>46,400.32<\/strong>, marking its best September percentage gain since 2019. For the month, the Dow climbed <strong>1.87%<\/strong>, and it posted a <strong>5.22%<\/strong> increase for the quarter.<\/p>\n<p>The technology-heavy <strong>Nasdaq Composite<\/strong> also saw substantial growth, closing up <strong>72.89 points<\/strong> (<strong>0.32%<\/strong>) at <strong>22,664.04<\/strong>. The Nasdaq led the major indices in quarterly performance, surging <strong>11.24%<\/strong> in Q3, and gained <strong>5.61%<\/strong> in September.<\/p>\n<h2>Corporate Developments<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Berkshire Hathaway<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/BRK.A\">BRK.A<\/a>, <a href=\"\/stock\/BRK.B\">BRK.B<\/a>) is reportedly in advanced discussions to acquire <strong>Occidental Petroleum&#39;s<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/OXY\">OXY<\/a>) petrochemical division, <strong>OxyChem<\/strong>, in a deal valued at approximately <strong>$10 billion<\/strong>. This potential acquisition would represent <strong>Warren Buffett&#39;s<\/strong> largest transaction since 2022, with OxyChem having generated nearly <strong>$5 billion<\/strong> in sales over the past year.<\/p>\n<p>In other corporate news, the <strong>Federal Trade Commission (FTC)<\/strong> has filed a lawsuit against real estate technology companies <strong>Zillow<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/ZG\">ZG<\/a>, <a href=\"\/stock\/Z\">Z<\/a>) and <strong>Redfin<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/RDFN\">RDFN<\/a>), alleging antitrust violations related to their online rental listings. Meanwhile, former President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> is expected to announce a deal with <strong>Pfizer<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/PFE\">PFE<\/a>) aimed at lowering drug prices.<\/p>\n<h2>Economic and Political Landscape<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>municipal-bond market<\/strong> is poised to achieve its strongest monthly performance in nearly two years, indicating renewed investor interest and stability in the sector. However, independent trading houses in the massive <strong>$9.6 trillion-per-day foreign exchange market<\/strong> are facing significant challenges in competing with more established banks, according to a new report.<\/p>\n<p>On the political front, the Senate is scheduled to hold votes around 5:30 PM ET on procedural motions to overcome filibusters for both Democratic and Republican government funding bills. Democratic leader <strong>Chuck Schumer<\/strong> is reportedly threatening a government shutdown in opposition to <strong>Donald Trump&#39;s<\/strong> policies. Internationally, Germany&#39;s <strong>Lufthansa<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/LHA.DE\">LHA.DE<\/a>) could face a pilot strike after its pilots&#39; union, VC, voted in favor of a walkout due to an ongoing dispute over pensions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways The S&amp;P 500 posted its biggest September percentage gain since 2010, rising 3.53% for the month and 7.79% 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