S&P 500 Hits New Record High Amid Lebanon Ceasefire: Investor Sentiment Improves Further, Fear & Greed Index In 'Greed' Zone

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

U.S. stocks settled higher on Thursday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite surging to new all-time highs as peace-deal optimism over the Iran conflict kept buyers engaged.

President Donald Trump announced that Israeli and Lebanese leaders have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, calling it his potential tenth war resolved.

In earnings, PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) posted upbeat earnings for the first quarter on Thursday. Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX) reported better-than-expected financial results for the first quarter of 2026 after the market close on Thursday.

On the economic data front, U.S. initial jobless claims declined to 207,000 in the week ended April 11, versus a revised 218,000 in the previous week. The latest reading figure also came in below market estimates of 215,000. The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index rose to 26.7 in April from 18.1 in the previous month, recording its highest reading since January 2025. U.S. industrial production fell 0.5% month-over-month in March, compared to market estimates of a 0.1% gain and following a 0.7% growth in February.

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

The Dow Jones closed higher by around 115 points to 48,578.72 on Thursday. The S&P 500 surged 0.26% to 7,041.28, while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 0.36% at 24,102.70 during Tuesday's session.

Investors are awaiting earnings results from State Street Corp (NYSE:STT), Truist Financial Corp (NYSE:TFC) and Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB) today.

At a current reading of 62.2, the index remained in the “Greed” zone on Thursday, versus a prior reading of 57.6.

What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

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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