Small investors walked away from US stocks in September, but Citadel Securities — which handles about 35% of their trades — says they are about to return, according to BeInCrypto. "September was the reset. Q4 is the reload," Citadel Securities strategist Scott Rubner wrote to clients on Thursday. The call lands at an awkward moment, however, as US hiring slows sharply, borrowing costs top 5% and most stocks fell last month. Retail share trading dropped to 0.94 times its one-year average in September, the lowest of 2026 and 26% below June's peak, per Bloomberg, though retail activity has risen from September to October in each of the past four years, by about 8% on average. Companies are next: most cannot buy back shares before earnings, and those windows reopen October 15, while model-driven funds have cut their stock bets to the bottom fifth of their range since 2024.