US stocks ended mixed on the final trading day of September as rising Treasury yields offset relief from softer-than-expected inflation data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 443.87 points, or 0.86%, to 50,906.05, while the S&P 500 dropped 19.30 points, or 0.25%, to 7,651.54. The Nasdaq composite rose 63.52 points, or 0.24%, to 26,861.06. The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, the personal consumption expenditures price index (a measure of consumer inflation), rose 3.4% year-on-year in August, below the 3.7% market expectation. Core inflation, excluding food and energy, was 3%, also below forecasts, although both measures remained above the Fed's 2% target. ADP reported that private employers added 90,000 jobs in September, exceeding expectations of 68,000. Traders cut the implied probability of a quarter-point October rate increase to about 35% from 51% a day earlier, based on CME Group's FedWatch tool (a market-rate probability gauge). The benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield rose about 4.3 basis points to 5.306%, its highest level in 24 years. Investors are now focused on Friday's September employment report, where nonfarm payrolls are expected to rise by 84,000. European shares also declined as investors assessed Middle East developments, possible effects on energy prices and inflation, and elevated bond yields.