These charts show how volatile the last quarter was for stocks and bonds

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) during morning trading on Aug. 24, 2026 in New York City.Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty ImagesThe three months to September — the second full quarter of trading since the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran started — brought more volatility for stocks.Traders closely monitored headlines around developments in the Middle East, with the conflict lapsing into a standoff as U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to wreak "Economic D-Day" on Tehran and reportedly rejected an Iranian ceasefire proposal.Stock rally faltersThe Strait of Hormuz remained blocked, fueling fears for energy markets and of inflation, but equities broadly notched returns in the third quarter. There was, however, a notable slowdown.Wall Street's major averages ended the third quarter in mixed territory. The S&P 500 index added 2.03%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.9% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ended the quarter 2.2% higher.The average change across the three indexes was just 0.6%, marking a slowdown in the rally that saw double-digit gains in the previous quarter.The slowdown was amid a pivot away from AI, with the sector experiencing b...