The S&P 500 Financials index returned 4.6% in September, outpacing the S&P 500's 1.9% gain. Of the 67 financial companies in the index, 55 closed the month in positive territory, with employee benefits company Unum Group leading the way with a 17.0% return.
State Street Corp. was not far behind, posting a return of 16.4%, followed by Lincoln National Corp. with a 14.1% gain.
MarketAxess Holdings Inc. turned in the worst performance for September with a negative 17.6% return. MSCI Inc. and S&P Global Inc. followed with losses of 7.2% and 5.8%, respectively.

