Oct. 1--Local stocks ended a turbulent month of trading on an up note Tuesday, but not before the Trib 30 index of companies lost more than 10 percent of its value for September.

A record dozen local stocks -- from financials to utilities to heavy manufacturing -- sank to 52-week lows during the month. Losers swamped gainers by 4-to-1, with 24 stocks falling in value compared with just six rising.

On the other hand, seven local stocks managed to reach 52-week highs earlier in the month.

The Trib 30 ended September at 213.5, compared with 238.6 on Aug. 29, that month's last day of trading.

The local index's performance was its lowest close since April 2007, when the Trib 30 closed at 207.9.

The Trib 30 is an equal-weighted index of stocks of companies located or dominant in Western Pennsylvania. An investor who divided $100,000 equally among the 30 stocks on Dec. 31, 1999, had a portfolio worth $213,500 at the end of trading yesterday.

Yesterday could have made for a much worse September. Instead, the stock market was bolstered by reports that Congress will salvage a rescue plan for Wall Street. The news propelled the Dow Jones industrial average up 485 points -- its biggest one-day gain in six years.

That starkly contrasts with Monday, when Congress surprised the Street by voting to defeat the rescue plan hammered out over the weekend. The news sent the Dow tumbling 777 points that day -- worse than the crash of October 1987.

The pleasant surprise in the Trib 30 is that two of its seven issues to hit highs were financial stocks -- a sector badly battered in recent months. PNC reached a high of $87.99 amid reports its returns on investment were holding up well. First Commonwealth bounced to a high of $16.18 upon Fitch Ratings affirmed its ratings on the Indiana, Pa., bank.

Clothing chain retailer American Eagle Outfitters rose to a high of $26.45 on news of an analyst upgrade to "buy."

Four manufacturers scored highs in September. Calgon Carbon, the carbon products manufacturer, rose to $23.03 upon receiving upbeat marks from an analyst. H.J. Heinz hit $53 on reports the food sector was a good bet. Matthews International reached $58.55, and rail-industry player Wabtec hit $60.75, neither upon apparent market-moving news.

But new 52-week lows were more common among a dozen stocks in various sectors:

--Financials: BNY Mellon ($21.33), National City ($1.25), and Parkvale ($7.55)

--Utilities: Allegheny Energy ($33.94), Comcast ($9.20), Equitable Resources ($33.62), and Verizon ($30.25).

--High tech: iGate ($5.97)

--Manufacturing: Alcoa ($20.93), Allegheny Technologies ($26.60), L.B. Foster ($29.05), and U.S. Steel ($68.62).

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