Last updated September 30, 2009: 12:45 PM ET --- The major U.S. equity indices are trading lower Wednesday, the final day of the quarter, after a surprisingly good September. The Chicago purchasing manager's index's monthly fall to 46.1, from 50 in August, included a decline in new orders, which is considered a factor that doesn't give much hope for Q4 production. However, economists still expect a small increase in the national ISM index, which is being released tomorrow, and is considered less volatile than the Chicago PMI index. In corporate news, utilities and health-care shares fronted the market's broad decline. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 0.50% at 9,693.16, the S&P 500 is down 0.42% at 1,056.11, and the Nasdaq Composite is down 0.07% at 2,122.51.

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