The CNN Money Fear and Greed Index showed some improvement in the overall market sentiment, while the index remained in the “Greed” zone on Wednesday.
U.S. stocks settled higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones index gaining more than 100 points during the session as the Treasury’s decision to double its long-dated debt buybacks pulled benchmark yields off 20-month highs.
On the economic data front, the volume of mortgage applications fell by 0.4% in the second week of August.
On the earnings front, Lowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE:LOW) reported mixed second-quarter 2026 results and narrowed its full-year outlook below Wall Street estimates. Target Corp. (NYSE:TGT) reported better-than-expected earnings for the second quarter on Wednesday.
Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA) shares jumped 177% on Wednesday after the company and Merck announced topline results from the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial met its primary and a key secondary endpoint.
Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a positive note, with health care, consumer discretionary and materials stocks recording the biggest gains on Wednesday. However, industrials and information technology stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session lower.
The Dow Jones closed higher by around 120 points to 53,463.05 on Wednesday. The S&P 500 rose 0.21% to 7,707.98, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.16% at 26,331.09 during Wednesday’s session.
Investors are awaiting earnings results from Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT), Deere & Co (NYSE:DE) and Advance Auto Parts Inc (NYSE:AAP) today.
What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?
At a current reading of 56, the index remained in the “Greed” zone on Wednesday, versus a prior reading of 55.
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 greed.
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