S&P Hits Record High At The End Of Q2: Investor Sentiment Improves, Fear Index Remains In 'Greed' Zone

The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed further improvement in the overall market sentiment, while the index remained in the “Greed” zone on Monday.

U.S. stocks settled higher on Monday, with the S&P 500 hitting another record close.

President Donald Trump signaled openness to extending the July 9 deadline for reinstating reciprocal tariffs, adding that he remained optimistic about reaching key agreements in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Canada’s withdrawal of its digital services tax helped improve the outlook for U.S. tech firms and reignited momentum in trade negotiations with Washington.

On the economic front, the Chicago PMI fell to 40.4 for June from 40.5 in May, and compared to market estimates of 42.7. The Dallas Fed’s general business activity index for Texas manufacturing climbed to a reading of -12.7 in June compared to -15.3 in the previous month.

Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Co. HPE and Juniper Networks Inc. JNPR reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Saturday.

Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a positive note, with information technology, financial and real estate stocks recording the biggest gains on Monday. However, energy and consumer discretionary stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session lower.

The Dow Jones closed higher by around 275 points to 44,094.77 on Monday. The S&P 500 rose 0.52% to 6,204.95, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.47% to 20,369.73 during Monday's session.

Investors are awaiting earnings results MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. MSM, Constellation Brands Inc. STZ and The Greenbrier Companies Inc. GBX today.

What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

At a current reading of 66.9, the index remained in the “Greed” zone on Monday, versus a prior reading of 63.8.

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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