The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed some easing in the overall fear level, while the index remained in the “Fear” zone on Monday.

U.S. stocks settled mostly higher on Monday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite recording back-to-back gains during the session.

Chip stocks were among the top gainers of the session after Foxconn disclosed record revenue for the fourth quarter. Nvidia Corp. ( NVDA ) shares gained 3.4%, while Micron Technology Inc. ( MU ) jumped 10.5% on Monday.

Among Monday's notable headlines, The Washington Post reported Donald Trump's economic team is exploring a more targeted version of its universal tariff plan, aiming to apply tariffs to specific sectors rather than implementing a broad measure on all imports.

On the economic data front, the S&P Global services PMI was revised downward to 56.8 in December compared to a preliminary reading of 58.5, and versus a reading of 56.1 in November.

Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a negative note, with consumer staples, utilities, and real estate stocks recording the biggest losses on Monday. However, communication services and information technology stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session higher.

The Dow Jones closed lower by around 26 points to 42,706.56 on Monday. The S&P 500 gained 0.55% to 5,975.38, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.24% at 19,864.98 during Monday's session.

Investors are awaiting earnings results from RPM International Inc. ( RPM ) , AAR Corp. ( AIR ) , and Cal-Maine Foods Inc. ( CALM ) today.

What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

At a current reading of 36.7, the index remained in the “Fear” zone on Monday, versus a prior reading of 33.3.

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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