How the Crypto Fear & Greed Index Works
The Crypto Fear & Greed Index, published daily by Alternative.me, aggregates six market signals into a single 0–100 score: volatility (25%), market momentum and volume (25%), social media sentiment (15%), surveys (15%), Bitcoin dominance (10%), and search trends (10%). A score of 0 represents Extreme Fear — the market is panicking. A score of 100 represents Extreme Greed — the market is euphoric. The gauge updates once per day and reflects conditions as of the previous close.
Many traders use the index as a contrarian signal: buying during Extreme Fear (when everyone else is selling) and becoming cautious during Extreme Greed (when everyone expects prices to keep rising forever). The 30-day bar chart below the gauge helps you spot trend shifts — for example, a sustained move from Fear into Greed territory often marks the beginning of a meaningful rally. To see how BTC dominance correlates with sentiment, check the BTC Dominance Chart. For real-time price context, see the Price Alerts tool.