Dow Soars as Oil Retreats, but Market Sentiment Remains Tense

The US stock market experienced a sharp rise on Friday as crude oil retreated and investor sentiment improved. The Dow Jones index recorded gains of around 479 points to close at 51,828.62, while the S&P 500 gained 0.51% to reach 7,743.41.

Major indices also saw increases last week, with the Dow adding 0.3% and the S&P 500 adding 1.2%. The Nasdaq rose by 2% during the period.

The CNN Money Fear and Greed Index showed some improvement in overall market sentiment, but remained in the 'Fear' zone on Friday at a reading of 37. This index is calculated based on seven equally weighted indicators and ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 represents maximum fear and 100 signals maximum greediness.