Sales of new single-family houses in September were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 553,000, according to estimates released jointly by the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 5.5% below the revised August rate of 585,000 and is 13.2% below the September 2017 estimate of 637,000.

Wednesday, the Dow plummeted 608.01 points (2.41%) to 24,583.42, the NASDAQ took a 329.14-points (4.43%) dive to 7,108.40, and the S&P 500 dropped 84.59 points (3.09%) to finish at 2,656.10. The Russell 2000 fell 57.89 points (3.79%) to 1,468.70, and the Wilshire 5000 plunged 900.66 points (3.18%) to 27,378.97.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note increased 16/32, bringing its yield down to 3.110%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond climbed 19/32, decreasing its yield to 3.337%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1812, during the War of 1812, the U.S. frigate United States captured the British vessel Macedonian. In 1854, the Charge of the Light Brigade took place during the Crimean War. The British were winning the Battle of Balaclava when Lord James Cardigan received an order to attack the Russians. He took his troops into a valley and suffered 40% casualties. Later it was revealed that the order was the result of confusion and was not given intentionally. In 1951, in Panmunjom, peace talks concerning the Korean War resumed after 63 days. In 1955, the microwave oven, for home use, was introduced by The Tappan Company. In 1962, American author John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. In 1971, the U.N. General Assembly voted to expel Taiwan and admit mainland China. In 1983, U.S. troops and soldiers from six Caribbean nations invaded Grenada to restore order and provide protection to U.S. citizens after a recent coup within Grenada’s Communist (pro-Cuban) government.