Sales of new single-family houses in September were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 593,000, according to estimates released jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 3.1% above the revised August rate of 575,000 and 29.8% above the September 2015 estimate of 457,000.

Wednesday, the Dow was up 30.06 points (0.17%) at 18,199.33, the NASDAQ closed 33.13 points (0.63%) lower at 5,250.27, and the S&P 500 was down 3.73 points (0.17%) at 2,139.43. The Russell 2000 lost 11.36 points (0.93%) to finish at 1,204.74, and the Wilshire 5000 decreased 64.79 points (0.29%) to 22,216.50. 

On the NYSE, 3.1 billion shares traded, with 1.8 declining issues for every advancing issue. On the NASDAQ, 2.8 billion shares changed hands, with a more than 2 to 1 lead for decliners.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note decreased 8/32, bringing its yield up to 1.789%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond fell 25/32, increasing its yield to 2.539%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1787, the first of the Federalist Papers were published in the New York Independent. The series of 85 essays, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, were published under the pen name “Publius.” In 1858, Roland Macy opened Macy’s Department Store in New York City. In 1904, the New York subway system officially opened. It was the first rapid-transit subway system in America. In 1925, Fred Waller received a patent for water skis. In 1927, the first newsreel featuring sound was released in New York. In 1938, Du Pont announced “nylon” as the new name for its new synthetic yarn. In 1954, the first Walt Disney television show “Disneyland” premiered on ABC. In 1978, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord. In 1997, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 554.26 points. The stock market was shut down for the first time since the 1981 assassination attempt on U.S. President Reagan. In 2002, the Anaheim Angels won their first World Series. They beat the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the series. In 2002, Emmitt Smith (Dallas Cowboys) became the all-time leading rusher in the NFL when he extended his career yardage to 16,743. He achieved the record in his 193rd game. He also scored his 150th career touchdown. In 2003, Bank of America Corp. announced it had agreed to buy FleetBoston Financial Corp. The deal created the second largest banking company in the U.S.