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

U.S. stocks settled lower on Thursday, with the Nasdaq Composite dipping around 6% during the session following the announcement of new trade tariffs by President Donald Trump.

Apple Inc. ( AAPL ) shares dipped around 9.3%, recording their worst day since March 2020. Nvidia Corp. ( NVDA ) tumbled 7.8%, while Amazon.com Inc. ( AMZN ) dropped 9% on Thursday.

Lamb Weston Holdings Inc. ( LW ) (NYS E: LW) shares, however, gained 10% after the company reported better-than-expected third-quarter financial results and issued FY25 sales guidance above estimates.

On the economic data front, U.S. initial jobless claims fell by 6,000 to 219,000 in the week ending March 29, compared to market estimates of 225,000. The U.S. trade deficit shrank to $122.7 billion in February compared to $130.7 billion in the previous month and versus market estimates of a $123.5 billion gap. The ISM services PMI dipped to 50.8 in March versus a reading of 53.5 in February, and down from market estimates of 53.

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

The Dow Jones closed lower by around 1,679 points to 40,545.93 on Thursday. The S&P 500 dipped 4.84% to 5,396.52, while the Nasdaq Composite tumbled 5.97% to 16,550.61 during Thursday's session.

Investors are awaiting earnings results from American Shared Hospital Services ( AMS ) today.

What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

At a current reading of 7.7, the index remained in the “Extreme Fear” zone on Thursday, versus a prior reading of 18.6.

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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