US Stocks Settle At Record Highs: Investor Sentiment Improves, Fear & Greed Index Remains In 'Neutral' Zone
U.S. stocks reached record highs on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones up 196 points, the S&P 500 rising 0.27%, and the Nasdaq gaining 0.37%. The CNN Money Fear and Greed index improved slightly to 51.3, remaining in the 'Neutral' zone. The Bureau of Labor Statistics revised nonfarm payrolls down by 911,000, suggesting a cooling labor market, which may prompt the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. UnitedHealth Inc. surged over 8% after a positive outlook on its Medicare Advantage business, while some sectors like materials and industrials closed lower.
The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed some improvement in the overall market sentiment, but the index remained in the “Neutral” zone on Tuesday.
U.S. stocks settled higher on Tuesday, with all three major indices closing at record highs during the session.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics removed 911,000 nonfarm payroll jobs from its count between April 2024 and March 2025, indicating the labor market had been cooling far earlier than many on Wall Street had anticipated.
Markets briefly dipped in the wake of the data release. Yet, major U.S. equity indices showed some recovery by midday in New York as the sharp downward revision in payrolls further strengthens the case for the Federal Reserve to begin cutting interest rates.
UnitedHealth Inc. UNH jumped more than 8% on Tuesday after the health care giant offered an upbeat assessment of its Medicare Advantage business.
Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a positive note, with utilities, health care and communication services stocks recording the biggest gains on Tuesday. However, materials and industrials stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session lower.
The Dow Jones closed higher by around 196 points to 45,711.34 on Tuesday. The S&P 500 rose 0.27% to 6,512.61, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.37% to 21,879.49 during Tuesday's session.
Investors are awaiting earnings results from Chewy Inc. CHWY, Daktronics Inc. DAKT and Oxford Industries Inc. OXM today.
What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?
At a current reading of 51.3, the index remained in the “Neutral” zone on Tuesday, versus a prior reading of 50.2.
The Fear & Greed Index is a measure of the current market sentiment. It is based on the premise that higher fear exerts pressure on stock prices, while higher greed has the opposite effect. The index is calculated based on seven equal-weighted indicators. The index ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 represents maximum fear and 100 signals maximum greediness.
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