Fear Among US Investors Is Decreasing, Here's Why

The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed further easing in the fear level after US stocks surged on Tuesday, extending gains recorded during the prior session.

Markets recorded a strong start to the month, with the S&P 500 notching its biggest two-session surge since March 2020.

The number of job openings declined to 10.1 million in August from a revised 11.2 million in the earlier month, which increased prospects that the Federal Reserve could back off its aggressive monetary-policy tightening campaign earlier than projected.

Twitter, Inc. TWTR shares jumped 22% on Tuesday after Elon Musk agreed to buy the social media giant for $54.20 per share.

The Dow jumped 2.80% to close at 30,316.32 on Tuesday, while the S&P 500 rose 3.06% to 3,790.93. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 3.34% to settle at 11,176.41 in the previous session.

Investors are now awaiting earnings results from RPM International Inc. RPM, Helen of Troy Limited HELE and Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. LW, scheduled for release today.

At a current reading of 30.0, the index moved to the "fear" zone, following a previous reading of 23.0.

What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

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.