Wall Street's Fear Index Rises on a Critical Day for Markets

Market pulses were elevated on Tuesday as Wall Street contended with surging oil prices amid renewed fighting in the Middle East and braced for key economic indicators from the Consumer Price Index and the Fed, and earnings from America's big banks. The Cboe Volatility Index, or Vix, rose 1% to 17.32. The widely watched gauge takes the temperature of Wall Street and any reading above 20 tends to indicate increased market volatility.