The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed some improvement in the overall market sentiment, while the index remained in the “Neutral” zone on Wednesday.

U.S. stocks settled higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones index gaining around 150 points during the session following the release of PPI data.

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) gained around 3% each, while Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) surged to a new all-time high on Wednesday.

On the earnings front, Aehr Test Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:AEHR) shares jumped 22% on Wednesday after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter financial results and issued FY27 sales guidance above estimates. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reported upbeat earnings for the second quarter on Wednesday.

On the economic data front, headline producer prices dropped 0.3% in June versus expectations for no change, with the annual rate cooling to 5.5% from 6.2%, while core PPI rose a smaller-than-expected 0.2%.

The print echoed Tuesday’s soft CPI report and further trimmed the risk that the Federal Reserve raises rates at its upcoming meeting.

Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a positive note, with consumer discretionary, financial and communication services stocks recording the biggest gains on Wednesday. However, utilities and energy stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session lower.

The Dow Jones closed higher by around 150 points to 52,658.64 on Wednesday. The S&P 500 rose 0.38% to 7,572.40, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.62% to 26,269.23 during Wednesday’s session.

Investors are awaiting earnings results from UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH), Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) and GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) today.

What Is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

At a current reading of 46.3, the index remained in the “Neutral” zone on Wednesday, versus a prior reading of 45.4.

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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