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

U.S. stocks settled mostly higher on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 settling at a record high level during the session after President Donald Trump announced a new trade agreement with Vietnam.

On the economic front, the ADP National Employment Report showed private employers shed 33,000 jobs in June 2025 — the first monthly contraction since March 2023. The sharp miss reinforced market bets that the Fed may ease policy sooner than expected. Economists now expect Friday’s official nonfarm payrolls report to show a slowdown from 139,000 to 110,000 jobs.

Rate cut odds rose sharply. Markets now see a 25% chance of a July cut and fully price in a reduction by September. A second cut by December is also fully priced in.

The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. ( GBX ) shares jumped 21% on Wednesday after the company posted stronger-than-expected results for the third quarter.

Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a positive note, with materials, information technology and energy stocks recording the biggest gains on Wednesday. However, health care and utilities stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session lower.

The Dow Jones closed lower by over 10 points to 44,484.42 on Wednesday. The S&P 500 rose 0.47% to 6,227.42, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.94% to 20,393.13 during Wednesday's session.

What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

At a current reading of 63.2, the index remained in the “Greed” zone on Wednesday, versus a prior reading of 61.3.

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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