Dow Surges Over 250 Points Following Fed Decision: Investor Sentiment Improves, Fear Index In 'Greed' Zone

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

U.S. stocks settled higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones index gaining more than 250 points during the session following the interest-rate decision from the Federal Reserve.

The US central bank kept interest rates unchanged, but warned of macroeconomic dangers from President Donald Trump's tariff moves.

Uber Technologies Inc. UBER reported weaker-than-expected revenue for the first quarter on Wednesday. Walt Disney Co. DIS reported upbeat fiscal second-quarter 2025 results on Wednesday.

On the economic data front, U.S. mortgage application volumes climbed by 11% from the previous week during the week ending May 2.

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

The Dow Jones closed higher by around 285 points to 41,113.97 on Wednesday. The S&P 500 rose 0.43% to 5,631.28, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.27% to 17,738.16 during Wednesday's session.

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Investors are awaiting earnings results from US Foods Holding Corp. USFD, ConocoPhillips COP, and Coinbase Global Inc. COIN today.

What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

At a current reading of 56.4, the index was 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 greediness.

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