The CNN Money Fear & Greed Index improved to 66 on Thursday from 63, keeping the market sentiment gauge in the "Greed" zone as U.S. equities ended higher. The S&P 500 closed at a new record high after July producer price data came in softer than expected, with headline PPI flat versus forecasts for a 0.2% increase and core PPI also undershooting estimates. That followed Wednesday’s cooler consumer inflation report, which showed the annual rate easing to 3.4%. The Dow Jones gained around 70 points to 53,839.99, the S&P 500 rose 0.65% to 7,798.99, and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.81% to 26,803.03. Initial jobless claims rose to 209,000 in the week ended Aug. 8, up 9,000 from the prior week. Among individual stocks, Sandisk Corp. jumped around 14% after outlining an upbeat roadmap at its investor day, while Cisco Systems Inc. fell more than 8% after reporting financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026. Information technology, real estate and communication services led S&P 500 sector gains, while energy and materials lagged. Investors are now awaiting results from Suncrete, Inc, Bally's Corp. and Outlook Therapeutics Inc. The Fear & Greed Index measures market sentiment using seven equal-weighted indicators on a 0-to-100 scale, where 0 signals maximum fear and 100 indicates maximum greed.