FactSet(US:FDS) Benzingaยท2025-09-18 07:52Market Sentiment - The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed a slight decline in overall market sentiment, moving to a reading of 57.3, indicating a "Greed" zone, down from 57.5 [6] - U.S. stocks settled mixed, with the Dow Jones index gaining over 250 points during the session as the Federal Reserve implemented its first interest rate cut of the year [1][2] Federal Reserve Actions - The Federal Reserve delivered a 25-basis-point rate cut, with Chair Jerome Powell indicating that more easing could be forthcoming due to a cooling labor market and increasing downside risks to employment [2] Company Performance - General Mills Inc. reported fiscal 2026 first-quarter results that slightly exceeded Wall Street expectations [2] - Manchester United plc shares fell over 6% after the company reported mixed fourth-quarter financial results [2] Economic Indicators - U.S. housing starts decreased by 8.5% month-over-month to an annual rate of 1.307 million units in August, down from a revised 1.429 million in the previous month and below market estimates of 1.37 million [3] - Building permits also declined by 3.7% to an annualized rate of 1.312 million in August [3] Sector Performance - Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed positively, with consumer staples, financial, and materials stocks recording the largest gains, while information technology and industrials stocks closed lower [4] - The Dow Jones closed higher by approximately 260 points to 46,018.32, while the S&P 500 fell 0.10% to 6,600.35 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.33% to 22,261.33 during Monday's session [4] Upcoming Earnings - Investors are awaiting earnings results from Darden Restaurants Inc., Factset Research Systems Inc., and FedEx Corp [5]