The CNN Money Fear and Greed Index was unchanged at 35 on Wednesday, keeping overall market sentiment in the Fear zone. U.S. stocks declined as Treasury yields rose, with the Nasdaq Composite falling 1.13% to 26,936.04, the S&P 500 slipping 0.75% to 7,706.03 and the Dow Jones losing about 352 points to 51,511.60. Alphabet fell 3.8% and Amazon dropped 2.2% amid renewed scrutiny of AI-hyperscaler debt issuance. Most S&P 500 sectors ended lower, led by communication services, utilities and consumer discretionary, while energy stocks advanced. Hopes that U.S.-Iran talks in New York could produce a breakthrough briefly pushed crude below $100 a barrel, but officials indicated the discussions did not yield a deal. Cintas reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter earnings and raised its FY2027 guidance, while General Mills also beat first-quarter earnings expectations. Mortgage applications fell 1.5% in the third week of September, compared with a 4.1% decline in the previous period. Investors were awaiting results from Darden Restaurants, TD Synnex and Costco Wholesale. The index measures market sentiment using seven equally weighted indicators on a scale from 0 to 100, with 0 representing maximum fear and 100 maximum greed.