U.S. stocks finished September with the S&P 500 in decline as the final quarter of 2026 begins Thursday. The Nasdaq Composite is up 15.6% year to date but 1.6% below its high, while the Russell 2000 has gained 12.7% and sits 9% below its August high. The S&P 500 is up 11.8% for the year and 2% below its high. The NYSE Composite has risen 6.8% and is 5.5% below its August high, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up almost 6% and 7% below its high. Nordic American Tankers CEO Herbjorn Hansson is scheduled to appear on CNBC TV’s Morning Call with Morgan Brennan at 5 a.m. Thursday; the stock has climbed almost 43% in three months but is 5% below a high reached earlier this month. McCormick is set to report earnings live on Squawk Box. Its shares have fallen about 8% in three months and 36% from their February high. Nike will report live on Closing Bell: Overtime after falling almost 14% since its last report; the stock is 4% below a high from a year ago and at a 52-week low. Deckers, Las Vegas Sands, McDonald’s, VICI Properties, SBA Communications and Crown Castle International are also well below recent highs. In contrast, CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks and Hewlett Packard Enterprise reached 52-week highs or posted strong recent gains, highlighting continued investor interest in cybersecurity-related stocks.