Dow Tumbles Again as Fear Index Remains in Cautionary Zone

The Dow Jones index closed lower for the third straight session, settling at around 51,349.98 on Thursday. The S&P 500 slipped just 0.02% to 7,704.13 during the same period.

Despite this decline, market sentiment improved slightly according to the CNN Money Fear and Greed index, which remained in the 'Fear' zone at a reading of 36. This is up from its prior reading of 33.

The index measures current market sentiment based on seven equal-weighted indicators, ranging from 0 (maximum fear) to 100 (maximum greed). Its current reading suggests that investors are still cautious but not overly pessimistic about the market's prospects.