Copyright Benzinga
The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed further easing in the overall fear level, while the index remained in the “Fear” zone on Friday. U.S. stocks settled higher on Friday, with major indices surging to fresh all-time highs as a softer-than-expected inflation reading strengthened market conviction that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by 25 basis points at its Oct. 30 policy meeting. The annual headline inflation came in at 3% in September 2025, slightly up from August's 2.9% pace but below expectations of 3.1%. When excluding food and energy items, core inflation was cooler-than-expected, falling from 3.1% to 3% year-over-year. Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) was the top-performing large-cap stock of the day, soaring 12% in its best session since 2022, after the company posted stronger-than-expected third-quarter earnings. In the small-cap space, Inhibrx Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ:INBX) jumped 102% after announcing encouraging trial results for its cancer drug ozekibart. Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a positive note, with information technology, communication services and utilities stocks recording the biggest gains on Friday. However, energy and materials stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session lower. The Dow Jones closed higher by around 473 points to 47,207.12 on Friday. The S&P 500 rose 0.79% to 6,791.69, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.15% to 23,204.87 during Friday's session. Investors are awaiting earnings results from Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (NASDAQ:KDP), Nucor Corp. (NYSE:NUE) and Waste Management Inc. (NYSE:WM) today. What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index? At a current reading of 33.1, the index remained in the “Fear” zone on Friday, versus a prior reading of 28.6. 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. Read Next: Top 3 Real Estate Stocks That May Explode In Q4 Photo via Shutterstock
