Investor Optimism Improves Ahead Of Key Inflation Data

The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed further improvement in the market sentiment among US investors.

US stocks closed higher on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq recording gains for the fourth straight session.

Investors are awaiting data on US consumer prices, due to be released today. Economists expect the CPI to show prices cooling by 0.1% from the previous month in December.

The Dow closed higher by 269 points to 33,973.01 on Wednesday. The S&P 500 rose 1.28% to 3,969.61, while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.76% to settle at 10,931.67 in the previous session.

Investors are awaiting earnings results from Infosys Limited INFY and Northern Technologies International Corporation NTIC today.

At a current reading of 55.0, the index remained in the "Neutral" zone, compared to a previous reading of 50.0.

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.

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