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

U.S. stocks settled lower on Friday, with the Dow Jones index falling more than 300 points during the session after the White House confirmed that new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China would take effect on Saturday, escalating trade tensions with the country’s three largest suppliers.

Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) reported better-than-expected first-quarter financial results after the market closed on Thursday. Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings.

On the economic data front, U.S. personal income increased 0.4% month-over-month in December compared to a 0.3% gain in November. Personal spending climbed by 0.7% month-over-month to an annualized rate of $20.387 trillion in December. The core PCE price index in the US increased by 0.2% from the previous month for December.

Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a negative note, with energy, information technology, and materials stocks recording losses on Friday. However, communication services and consumer discretionary stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session higher.

The Dow Jones closed lower by around 337 points to 44,544.66 on Thursday. The S&P 500 fell 0.50% to 6,040.53, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.28% at 19,627.44 during Friday's session.

Investors are awaiting earnings results from Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE:TSN), Clorox Co. (NYSE:CLX), and NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) today.

What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

At a current reading of 45.8, the index remained in the “Neutral” zone on Friday, versus a prior reading of 49.4.

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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