The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index decreased in September, following a slight decline in August. The Index now stands at 125.1 (1985=100), down from 134.2 in August. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—decreased from 176.0 to 169.0. The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions—declined from 106.4 last month to 95.8 this month.

Tuesday, the Dow lost 142.22 points (0.53%) to finish at 26,807.77, the NASDAQ closed 118.84 points (1.46%) lower at 7,993.63, and the S&P 500 decreased 25.18 points (0.84%) to 2,966.60. The Russell 2000 was down 24.66 points (1.58%) at 1,533.59, and the Wilshire 5000 fell 304.12 points (0.99%) to 30,302.38.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note increased 7/32, bringing its yield down to 1.650%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond climbed 1 27/32, decreasing its yield to 2.105%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1513, the Pacific Ocean was discovered by Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa when he crossed the Isthmus of Panama. He named the body of water the South Sea. In 1789, the first U.S. Congress adopted 12 amendments to the Constitution. Ten of the amendments became the Bill of Rights. In 1847, during the Mexican-American War, U.S. forces led by General Zachary Taylor captured Monterrey Mexico. In 1890, the Sequoia National Park was established as a U.S. National Park in Central California. In 1890, Mormon President Wilford Woodruff issued a Manifesto in which the practice of polygamy was renounced. In 1978, Melissa Ludtke, a writer for “Sports Illustrated”, filed a suit in U.S. District Court. The result was that Major League Baseball could not bar female writers from the locker room after the game. In 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1995, Ross Perot announced that he would form the Independence Party. In 2012, China launched its first aircraft carrier into service.

WEDNESDAY WISDOM: “Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.”—Carl Sandburg, poet