Nasdaq Settles Higher As Nvidia, AMD Rally: Investor Sentiment Improves, Fear Index Remains In 'Greed' Zone

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 mixed on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones index falling more than 100 points during the session.At a NATO meeting in the Netherlands, President Donald Trump said that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran remains in place and that the United States will continue exerting pressure on Tehran. He clarified that while sanctions remain, Iran is currently allowed to sell oil to China.Advanced Micro Devices Inc. AMD led chipmaker gains, rising 3.6% and reaching its highest level since early December 2024. NVIDIA Corporation NVDA shares jumped 4.3% on Wednesday.On the economic front, sales of new single-family homes in the U.S. dipped by 13.7% from the previous month to an annualized rate of 623,000 units in May. U.S. building permits declined by 2% to an annualized rate of 1.394 million in May.Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a negative note, with real estate, consumer staples and utilities stocks recording the biggest losses on Wednesday. However, information technology and communication services stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session higher.The Dow Jones closed lower by around 107 points to 42,982.43 on Wednesday. The S&P 500 fell 0.02 points to 6,092.16, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.31% at 19,973.55 during Wednesday's session.Investors are awaiting earnings results from Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. WBA, Acuity Inc. AYI and NIKE, Inc. NKE today.What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?At a current reading of 58.8, the index remained in the “Greed” zone on Wednesday, versus a prior reading of 57.1.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. Top 2 Utilities Stocks That May Fall Off A Cliff In Q2 Photo courtesy: Shutterstock