CNN Business's Fear & Greed Index edged up to 62 on Wednesday from 61, leaving overall market sentiment in the Greed zone as U.S. stocks finished mostly higher after fresh inflation data. The July consumer price index increased 0.1% month over month and 3.4% year over year, matching forecasts and marking a second straight annual slowdown from June's 3.5%. Core CPI, which strips out food and energy, rose 0.2% on the month and eased to 2.5% annually, its softest reading in five months. The S&P 500 gained 0.26% to 7,748.50 and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.54% to 26,588.49, while the Dow Jones closed down about 22 points at 53,770.27. Sector performance was broadly positive, led by information technology, real estate and utilities, while consumer discretionary and materials lagged. Among individual stocks, CoreWeave surged more than 19% after stronger-than-expected second-quarter results and higher FY26 sales guidance, while Performance Food Group fell around 6% after weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter results and first-quarter guidance below estimates. Investors are now awaiting earnings from Applied Materials, Applied Industrial Technologies and Dillard's.