Fear & Greed Index

Sentiment gauges measuring whether investors are driven by fear or greed. Extreme fear can signal buying opportunities; extreme greed may indicate an overheated market.

Stock Market CNN

Now

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Source: CNN Fear & Greed Index. ~1 year rolling history. Updated in near real-time during market hours.

📐 How It's Measured

CNN's index combines 7 equally-weighted indicators, each scored 0–100 and averaged into a single composite score.

Market Momentum — S&P 500 vs its 125-day moving average.

Stock Price Strength — 52-week highs vs lows on the NYSE.

Stock Price Breadth — McClellan Volume Summation Index (advancing vs declining volume).

Put & Call Options — Put/call ratio; high puts = fear, high calls = greed.

Market Volatility — VIX level vs its 50-day average; elevated VIX = fear.

Junk Bond Demand — Yield spread between high-yield and investment-grade bonds.

Safe Haven Demand — Relative return of stocks vs Treasuries over 20 trading days.

💡 Why It Matters

Markets are driven as much by emotion as fundamentals. Sentiment extremes tend to be mean-reverting — when everyone is fearful, prices are often depressed below fair value; when everyone is greedy, prices may be stretched.

Warren Buffett's maxim applies directly: "Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful."

The index is best used as a contrarian timing signal rather than a standalone buy/sell trigger. Combine it with valuation indicators (CAPE, Buffett) for stronger conviction.

It is not a reliable short-term predictor — sentiment can stay extreme for weeks or months.

🎯 What to Consider

0–25 · Extreme Fear	Historically strong buying opportunity. Consider increasing equity exposure or deploying cash. Market is pricing in significant pessimism.
26–45 · Fear	Market is cautious. Good time to review watchlist and consider gradual accumulation in quality names.
46–55 · Neutral	Balanced sentiment. No strong contrarian signal — focus on fundamentals and individual stock valuation.
56–75 · Greed	Optimism is elevated. Consider trimming overweight positions and tightening stop-losses on speculative holdings.
76–100 · Extreme Greed	Risk of short-term correction is elevated. Consider raising cash, reducing leverage, and avoiding chasing momentum.

Crypto Market alternative.me

Today

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Source: alternative.me Crypto Fear & Greed Index. Daily data since February 2018.

📐 How It's Measured

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index by alternative.me is a composite of 5–6 data sources, updated daily, scored 0–100.

Volatility (25%) — Current Bitcoin volatility and max drawdowns compared to 30- and 90-day averages. Unusual volatility signals fear.

Market Momentum / Volume (25%) — Current trading volume and market momentum vs the 30/90-day averages.

Social Media (15%) — Twitter/Reddit hashtag counts, engagement rates, and sentiment on crypto-related posts.

Dominance (10%) — Bitcoin dominance. Rising BTC dominance often signals fear (flight to relative safety); falling dominance signals greed (altcoin speculation).

Trends (10%) — Google Trends data for Bitcoin-related searches (e.g. "Bitcoin crash" spikes = extreme fear).

Surveys (15%) — Weekly polls (currently paused). Remaining weight redistributed across other factors.

💡 Why It Matters

Crypto markets are significantly more volatile than equities and highly sentiment-driven — retail participation is proportionally larger, and there is no earnings anchor to pull valuations back to fundamentals quickly.

Historically, extreme fear in crypto has coincided with major cycle bottoms (e.g. mid-2018, March 2020, June–December 2022), while extreme greed has appeared near local peaks (late 2017, late 2020, early 2021).

The index is most useful over multi-week horizons. A single day of extreme fear is not a reliable signal; sustained readings below 20 for 2+ weeks have historically been strong long-term entry points.

🎯 What to Consider

0–25 · Extreme Fear	Historically one of the best long-term entry windows in crypto. Consider DCA (dollar-cost averaging) into high-conviction positions. Avoid using leverage.
26–45 · Fear	Market is cautious. Good time for steady accumulation. Sentiment is negative but not yet at capitulation levels.
46–55 · Neutral	Balanced market. No strong directional signal from sentiment alone — assess on-chain data and macro context.
56–75 · Greed	Euphoria building. Consider taking partial profits on large gainers. Be selective about new entries — risk/reward is deteriorating.
76–100 · Extreme Greed	Historically precedes sharp corrections. Consider significant profit-taking, reducing position sizes, and moving a portion to stablecoins or fiat.