Moat Investing Rises Above Magnificent Seven Dominance

Once again, September lived up to its historical standing as the worst month of the year for markets, with U.S. equities seeing one of their biggest monthly pullbacks of 2023. Investors faced a long list of worries during the month, including a more hawkish than expected tone from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, soaring oil prices, narrow equity market leadership of mega-cap tech, and the United Auto Workers union strike. Then on the final trading day of the month, concerns about a government shutdown weighed on the market even further.