Dow Tumbles 450 Points As Walmart Shares Plunge: Investor Sentiment Declines, Fear & Greed Index In 'Neutral' Zone

The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed a decline in the overall market sentiment, while the index remained in the “Neutral” zone on Thursday.

U.S. stocks settled lower on Thursday, with the Dow Jones index falling around 450 points during the session.

Walmart Inc. WMT shares fell around 6.5% on Thursday following the release of quarterly results. Walmart said it sees first-quarter FY26 sales growth of 3% – 4% in CC and adjusted EPS of $0.57 – $0.58 against an estimate of $0.64. For FY26 Walmart expects sales to grow 3% – 4% in CC and an adjusted EPS of $2.50 – $2.60, below the $2.76 estimate.

On the economic data front, initial jobless claims increased by 5,000 from the prior week to 219,000 in the week ending Feb. 15, versus estimates of 215,000. The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index fell to 18.1 in February from 44.3 in the previous month

Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a negative note, with financial, consumer discretionary and consumer staples stocks recording losses on Thursday. However, energy and real estate stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session higher.

The Dow Jones closed lower by over 450 points to 44,176.65 on Thursday. The S&P 500 fell 0.43% to 6,117.52, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.47% at 19,962.36 during Thursday's session.

Investors are awaiting earnings results from Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. TDS, United States Cellular Corp. USM, and Brady Corp. BRC today.

What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

At a current reading of 45.1, the index remained in the “Neutral” zone on Thursday, versus a prior reading of 46.7.

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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