Dow Dips Over 200 Points: Investor Sentiment Declines, Fear & Greed Index Remains In 'Neutral' Zone

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

U.S. stocks settled lower on Thursday, with the Dow Jones index falling more than 200 points during the session. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also retreated from record highs on Thursday.

Corporate earnings provided a few bright spots. Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE:DAL) jumped 4.3% after reporting third quarter 2025 net income of $1.42 billion and adjusted EPS of $1.71, beating estimates. PepsiCo Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) also gained 4.2% after posting adjusted EPS of $2.29, slightly above expectations, though down 2% from a year earlier.

U.S. natural-gas stocks rose 80 billion cubic feet during the week that ended Oct. 3, versus market estimates of a 76 billion cubic feet gain.

Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a negative note, with industrials, materials and energy 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 243 points to 46,358.42 on Thursday. The S&P 500 fell 0.28% to 6,735.11, while the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.08% at 23,024.62 during Wednesday's session.

What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

At a current reading of 48.8, the index remained in the “Neutral” zone on Thursday, versus a prior reading of 52.1.

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.

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