Wednesday--Quarter End

Today, stocks wrapped up a banner quarter with a lackluster session after a grim report on a Chicago factory activity raised concerns that other data could show lingering weakness in the broader economy. The Dow has its best quarterly gain since the fourth quarter of 1998, and its best third quarter since 1939. Over the past two quarters, the Dow has risen 27.6%, its best two-quarter gain since the period ending in March 1987. Stocks also defied tradition and clocked gains for September, historically a bad month on the market. Traders are paying closer attention to every data point as they try to determine whether the market's rally can be sustained. DJIA -29.92 S&P 500 -3.53 NASDAQ -1.62