Wall Street Fear Index Plummets

Wall Street Fear Index Plummets

The most widely followed gauge of market fear and uncertainty was tumbling Monday after the Trump administration said technology goods including smartphones and personal computers would be exempt from some of its tariffs.

The Cboe Volatility Index, which tracks S&P 500 contracts and trades under the ticker VIX, fell 10.6% to just under 34 in early trading. Any level of above 20 tends to be seen as a sign of relatively high volatility, so the latest reading suggests investors remain on edge.

The list of tariff exemptions published late Friday appeared to boost sentiment, but uncertainty remains. Trump said over the weekend there were no exceptions to tariffs and no escape from them, adding to the confusion over seemingly conflicting information on carve-outs for some tech devices imported from China. He's set to provide an update about the exemptions on Monday.