Fear & Greed Index

Glossary · Macro & Cycles

The Fear & Greed Index scores crypto market sentiment from 0 (extreme fear) to 100 (extreme greed), blending volatility, momentum and volume, social media activity, Bitcoin dominance, and search trends. It's a contrarian gauge: extreme fear has historically lined up with better buying zones than extreme greed. It measures crowd emotion, not price direction.

"Under 20 is when the patient get paid; over 80 is when you're probably someone's exit liquidity."

The crypto version (alternative.me) blends volatility (25%), market momentum and volume (25%), social media (15%), surveys (15%), BTC dominance (10%), and search trends (10%) into one 0-100 print. Extremes are the signal: it hit single digits in June 2022 near the cycle low and sat above 90 in early 2021 as the top formed. Mid-range readings — 40 to 60 — tell you close to nothing.

The trap: extreme fear is a condition, not a trigger. The index can sit under 20 for weeks while price keeps bleeding — 2022 proved that repeatedly — so buying every fear print catches knives. It works better for sizing than timing: scale in through extreme fear with a plan instead of one all-in stab, and get suspicious of your own genius when it's pinned above 80. The index measures the crowd, and the crowd includes you unless you check.

Today's Fear & Greed reading, on the home page

Related jargon

Questions

What is Fear & Greed Index in crypto trading?

The Fear & Greed Index scores crypto market sentiment from 0 (extreme fear) to 100 (extreme greed), blending volatility, momentum and volume, social media activity, Bitcoin dominance, and search trends. It's a contrarian gauge: extreme fear has historically lined up with better buying zones than extreme greed. It measures crowd emotion, not price direction.

How would a trader say it?

Under 20 is when the patient get paid; over 80 is when you're probably someone's exit liquidity.

Part of the Crypto Jargon glossary — every term, decoded the way a trader would say it.

Crypto Jargon

Live numbers load with JavaScript and refresh every few minutes; the text above is the page at build time.