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 higher on Monday, with the S&P 500 gaining around 1% during the session after President Donald Trump claimed Iran was willing to make a deal.

Trump earlier vowed to block ship traffic tied to Iran in and out of the Strait of Hormuz after the Islamabad peace talks over the weekend without an agreement.

In earnings, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. ( GS ) reported better-than-expected earnings for the first quarter on Monday. shares of Fastenal Co. ( FAST ) fell around 7% on Monday after the company reported earnings for the first quarter.

On the economic data front, U.S. existing home sales declined by 3.6% month-over-month to an annualized rate of 3.98 million in March, missing market estimates of a decline to 4.06 million annual units.

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

The Dow Jones closed higher by around 302 points to 48,218.25 on Monday. The S&P 500 surged 1.02% to 6,886.24, while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.23% at 23,183.74 during Monday's session.

Investors are awaiting earnings results from Citigroup Inc. ( C/PN ) , Wells Fargo & Co. ( WFC ) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( JPM ) today.

What Is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

At a current reading of 41, the index remained in the “Fear” zone on Monday, versus a prior reading of 36.6.

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.