Friday, September 4, 2026 delivered a mixed but mostly cautious session on Wall Street, with the large-cap indices finishing in the red while growth-oriented benchmarks eked out modest gains. The S&P 500 slipped 0.39% to close at 7,709.6, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.53% to 53,071.53, as selling pressure in select blue-chip and consumer names kept the session subdued heading into the long Labor Day weekend.
The Nasdaq Composite managed to buck the trend, finishing up 0.18% at 26,098.25, buoyed largely by strength in Meta Platforms, which rose 1.00% to $616.77. The Russell 2000 also posted a quiet but positive session, gaining 0.28% to 2,948.26, suggesting some rotation into smaller-cap names even as large-cap sentiment softened.
The session's most dramatic move belonged to Tesla, which cratered 5.92% to $354.08, acting as a significant drag on both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. The sell-off reflected growing investor unease around the EV maker's pricing strategy and near-term delivery outlook.
Gold continued to shine as a haven asset, settling at $4,441.93, underscoring a broader undercurrent of caution among investors unwilling to take on excess risk ahead of the holiday weekend.