S&P 500 Notches Longest Win Streak In Over 2 Decades: Investor Sentiment Improves, Greed Index In 'Fear' Zone

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

U.S. stocks settled higher on Friday following the release of jobs data, with the S&P 500 recording gains for the ninth consecutive day to notch its longest winning streak since Nov. 2004.

All three major averages recorded gains for the second week, with the S&P 500 adding 2.9% and the Dow gaining 3% on the week. The Nasdaq, meanwhile, closed higher by 3.4% for the week.

On the economic data front, nonfarm payrolls rose by 177,000, beating expectations of 130,000 and easing concerns over tariff-related hiring slowdowns. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.2%, as expected. New orders for U.S.-manufactured goods, meanwhile, rose by 4.3% to $618.8 billion in March.

DuPont de Nemours Inc. DD shares rose on Friday after the company's first-quarter 2025 results topped Wall Street estimates.

Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a positive note, with financial, communication services, and industrials stocks recording the biggest gains on Friday. However, health care and consumer staples stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session lower.

The Dow Jones closed higher by around 564 points to 41,317.43 on Friday. The S&P 500 gained 1.47% to 5,686.67, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.51% to 17,977.73 during Friday's session.

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Investors are awaiting earnings results from Tyson Foods Inc. TSN, Cummins Inc. CMI, and Ford Motor Co. F today.

What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

At a current reading of 42.6, the index was in the “Fear” zone on Friday, versus a prior reading of 41.5.

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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