Fear & Greed Index Remains In 'Neutral' Zone Ahead Of Fed Decision

The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed some improvement in overall sentiment among U.S. investors on Tuesday.

The Dow Jones closed lower by over 100 points on Tuesday ahead of Federal Reserve interest-rate decision. Markets are expecting the U.S. central bank to hold rates. The Fed will also issue economic projections on Wednesday.

On the economic data front, housing starts in the U.S. fell 11.3% month-over-month to an annualized rate of 1.283 million in August, recording the lowest level since June 2020. Building permits rose 6.9% to an annual rate of 1.543 million in August, notching the highest level in 10 months.

The Walt Disney Company DIS shares fell 3.6% on Tuesday after the company shared plans to double its capital expenditures at its Disney Parks, Experiences and Products ("DPEP") segment to $60 billion over the next decade.

Majority of sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a negative note, with energy and consumer discretionary stocks recording the biggest losses on Monday. However, health care and communication services stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing slightly higher during the session.

The Dow Jones closed lower by around 107 points to 34,517.73 on Tuesday. The S&P 500 fell 0.22% at 4,443.95, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.23% at 13,678.19 during the session.

Investors are awaiting earnings results from FedEx Corporation FDX, General Mills, Inc. GIS and KB Home KBH today.

At a current reading of 48.8, the index remained in the "Neutral" zone on Tuesday, compared to a previous reading of 48.6.

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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