The market finally took a breath
Stocks spent Monday acting a little less dramatic after signs of an Iran-Israel ceasefire cooled some of the geopolitical heat. The Nasdaq rallied more than 200 points intraday, while the S&P 500 edged up and the Dow slipped a bit — because apparently even a peace headline can’t make this market agree on a direction.
Fear is still running the show
The CNN Money Fear and Greed index dipped to 40.1 from 42, which keeps it firmly in the “Fear” camp. Translation: investors are still side-eyeing the tape, even after the rebound. That fits with last week’s messy move, when the S&P 500 fell more than 2% and the Nasdaq dropped 4.7%.
A few names got the bounce
Micron was the day’s poster child, jumping almost 10% after getting battered in the prior session. Meanwhile, investors were also staring at upcoming earnings from Caseys General Stores, J.M. Smucker, and United Natural Foods, because nothing says “calm market” like waiting for three more reports to potentially stir the pot.
Big picture
The takeaway for investors is pretty simple: geopolitical headlines can still yank the market around, but the mood remains fragile. If the ceasefire holds, stocks may keep trying to climb out of the fear pit. If it doesn’t, the market will probably go right back to clutching its pearls.