US stocks fall across the board; optical communication and cryptocurrency sectors slump

The three major US stock indices closed lower on September 1, 2026. The Dow fell 0.79%, the Nasdaq dropped 1.03%, and the S&P 500 lost 0.71%. Cryptocurrency-related stocks led the decline, with Circle, Coinbase, and Strategy each falling over 6%. Optical communication stocks also fell broadly, with Lumentum down over 5% and AAOI nearly 4%. The pharmaceutical sector bucked the trend, with Moderna rising nearly 10%, Novavax up 8%, and Novartis gaining over 6%.