S&P 500 Settles At New High As Apple Shares Gain: Fear Index Remains In 'Greed' Zone – Benzinga

The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed almost no change in the overall market sentiment, while the index remained in the “Greed” zone on Friday.
U.S. stocks settled mixed on Friday, with the S&P 500 settling at a fresh record high level during the session.
Crude oil prices fell on Friday as Iran routed a fresh Hormuz reopening proposal through Pakistani mediators.
On the economic data front, the ISM manufacturing PMI came in unchanged at 52.7 in April, down from market expectations of 53.0. The S&P Global manufacturing PMI was revised higher to 54.5 in April, versus a preliminary reading of 54.0.
Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a negative note, with utilities, energy and industrials stocks recording the biggest losses on Friday. However, information technology and consumer discretionary stocks closed the session higher.
The Dow Jones closed lower by around 153 points to 49,499.27 on Friday. The S&P 500 rose 0.29% to 7,230.12, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.89% at 25,114.44 during Friday's session.
The S&P 500 jumped 10.4% in April, recording its best month since November 2020, while the Nasdaq climbed 15.3% to record its strongest monthly performance since April 2020. The Dow climbed 7.1% last month, notching its best month since November 2024.
At a current reading of 66.6, the index remained in the “Greed” zone on Thursday, versus a prior reading of 66.7.
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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