Market Recap for Sep 24, 2026: Indexes End Mixed as Nasdaq Holds Flat Gain

U.S. equities finished mixed on Sep. 24, 2026, with little conviction across the major benchmarks. The Nasdaq Composite edged up 0.01% to 26,939.373, while the S&P 500 slipped 0.02% to 7,704.13. The Dow Jones Industrial Average underperformed, falling 0.31% to 51,349.98, and the Russell 2000 lost 0.10% to 2,835.922. Meanwhile, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) rose 2.64% to 15.58, signaling a modest increase in caution even as the broader market held near unchanged levels.

Top Movers

Among the session's biggest gainers, several lower-priced names posted outsized percentage advances. NTRBW surged 237.47% to $2.50, while PDYNW jumped 175% to $0.0022. APUS climbed 114.85% to $4.92, SRZN gained 108.42% to $33.68, and SLND.WS advanced 93.28% to $0.023.

On the downside, JSPRW tumbled 84.62% to $0.0002. Other sharp decliners included ASTLW, down 61.54% to $0.005; BENF, off 50% to $1.45; MTEKW, lower by 45.02% to $0.0502; and TRT, which fell 36.59% to $7.26.

Most Active

Trading volume was concentrated in a handful of heavily exchanged names. DCX led the list with volume of 511,080,342 shares. It was followed by ATCH at 158,584,509, RETO at 158,360,029, GLND at 150,980,482, and ATYR at 128,166,399. The elevated turnover in these stocks stood out against an otherwise subdued index performance.

Most Talked About

News flow was led by broad-market proxy SPY, which drew 42 mentions, with coverage skewing mostly neutral at 26 neutral, alongside 11 negative and 5 positive articles. META was next with 29 mentions, showing a relatively balanced split of 9 positive, 10 negative, and 10 neutral.

Among other widely discussed names, GOOGL logged 17 mentions with sentiment leaning neutral-to-negative, while GOOG also had 17 mentions and a predominantly neutral tone. P drew 17 mentions and stood out with 11 positive articles against just 4 negative. OKTA posted one of the strongest sentiment profiles of the day, with 16 mentions including 13 positive and no negative articles. NVDA saw 15 mentions, mostly neutral, while MCD received 13 mentions with a notably negative tilt of 9 negative articles.

Earnings Watch

Several companies were on the earnings calendar. Costco Wholesale (COST) had an analyst EPS estimate of $6.48, and its stock fell 0.91% on the day. Darden Restaurants (DRI) was seen earning $2.06 per share, with the stock down 2.99%. BlackBerry (BB), with an EPS estimate of $0.03, rose 4.06%, while Endava (DAVA) carried an estimate of $0.05 and dropped 15.25%.

Elsewhere, Hub Group (HUBG) had an EPS estimate of $0.52 and fell 4.36%. LuxExperience (LUXE) was seen at -$0.15 per share and gained 3.03%. Scholastic (SCHL) had an estimate of -$3.42 and slipped 1.5%, while KNOT Offshore Partners (KNOP) was expected to post -$0.03 and declined 0.83%. VinFast Auto (VFS) and Uxin (UXIN) did not have EPS estimates listed; their shares moved -2.03% and +19.27%, respectively.

Market Sentiment

Overall news sentiment was broadly balanced. Of 748 articles tracked, 280 were neutral, 249 were positive, and 219 were negative. That mix points to a market narrative without a dominant bullish or bearish catalyst, consistent with the narrow moves across the major indexes and the modest rise in the VIX.

Looking ahead, investors appear to be navigating a market that remains near flat at the index level while stock-specific moves continue to drive action beneath the surface. With volatility ticking higher and earnings-related reactions still pronounced in individual names, traders may remain focused on incoming corporate updates and shifts in news flow for direction.