Crypto Fear and Greed Index Today
See today's Bitcoin sentiment score from Alternative.me, browse the full history since 2018 and test what buying during extreme fear would have returned.
Alternative.me Index
Sentiment scale
0 means extreme fear, 100 means extreme greed.
Use sentiment with price, volume and risk management.
Yesterday
32
Last Week
50
Last Month
57
All Time High
95
All Time Low
5
Fear & Greed with Bitcoin Price
Current Streak
6 days in Fear
Days in the same sentiment zone
This Year Breakdown
All Time Records
Lowest Reading
5
Aug 22, 2019
Highest Reading
95
Feb 17, 2021
Longest Extreme Fear Streak
74 days
Longest Extreme Greed Streak
77 days
Test Your Strategy
See what would have happened if you bought Bitcoin when sentiment hit extreme fear.
Try the Backtest ToolWhat Is the Crypto Fear and Greed Index?
The Crypto Fear and Greed Index is a daily score from 0 to 100 that measures the mood of the crypto market. A score near 0 means investors are fearful and selling. A score near 100 means investors are greedy and buying aggressively.
The index was created by Alternative.me in February 2018, based on CNN's Fear and Greed Index for the stock market. It focuses on Bitcoin and is free to view.
This page shows today's reading, explains how it is built, and lets you test what has actually happened to Bitcoin's price after fear and greed extremes, using real historical data.
Why This Page Is Different
Most fear and greed pages show one number and a gauge. That tells you today's mood, but not what it means. We built this page to answer the questions people actually ask:
- Does the index actually work? Our What Happened Next table shows median and average Bitcoin returns 7, 30, 90 and 365 days after each zone, based on every day since 2018.
- What would I have made? The Fear and Greed DCA Backtest lets you test buying Bitcoin only during extreme fear, compared with regular DCA.
- How unusual is today? Streaks, records and yearly zone averages put today's reading in context.
- Can I check a past day? Every notable date has its own page, such as the FTX collapse.
We don't create our own sentiment score or give buy and sell signals. We take the published index and show the history behind it, so you can judge the number yourself.
How to Read the Fear and Greed Index
| Score | Zone | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 24 | Extreme Fear | Heavy selling, panic, negative news dominating |
| 25 to 44 | Fear | Caution, weak confidence, prices often falling |
| 45 to 55 | Neutral | No strong emotional lean either way |
| 56 to 74 | Greed | Optimism, rising prices, growing risk appetite |
| 75 to 100 | Extreme Greed | Euphoria, FOMO, prices often stretched |
The extremes carry the most information. Readings in the middle of the scale change often and say little on their own. A single day's reading matters less than how long the market stays in a zone, which is why we track streaks.
How Is the Fear and Greed Index Calculated?
Alternative.me Fear and Greed Index
Alternative.me's index focuses on Bitcoin and uses six published inputs:
- Volatility (25%): current volatility and drawdowns compared with 30 and 90 day averages. Unusually high volatility is read as fear.
- Market momentum and volume (25%): high buying volume in a rising market is read as greed.
- Social media (15%): the speed and volume of interactions on Bitcoin related posts.
- Surveys (15%): weekly polls. This component is currently paused.
- Bitcoin dominance (10%): rising dominance suggests money is moving to safety, which is read as fear. You can track it with the Bitcoin dominance calculator.
- Google Trends (10%): changes in Bitcoin related search terms.
It updates once a day at 00:00 UTC.
What Happened Next: Bitcoin Returns After Each Zone
Median and average Bitcoin return after every day in each zone since 2018, plus how often the result was positive.
| Zone | Days | 7 days later | 30 days later | 90 days later | 365 days later |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme Fear | 679 | +1.0%avg +0.9%, 56% up | +1.9%avg +3.3%, 60% up | -3.8%avg +2.7%, 46% up | +35.0%avg +97.7%, 60% up |
| Fear | 927 | -0.5%avg -0.3%, 46% up | -0.9%avg +0.3%, 48% up | +2.5%avg +9.1%, 52% up | +41.8%avg +81.3%, 67% up |
| Neutral | 508 | +0.0%avg +0.6%, 50% up | +4.3%avg +4.2%, 54% up | +7.7%avg +19.5%, 60% up | +96.1%avg +98.7%, 71% up |
| Greed | 757 | +0.6%avg +1.3%, 55% up | +1.9%avg +5.2%, 56% up | +4.8%avg +17.0%, 59% up | +41.1%avg +52.9%, 61% up |
| Extreme Greed | 331 | +1.4%avg +3.2%, 56% up | +3.7%avg +11.0%, 55% up | +11.5%avg +36.0%, 59% up | +17.1%avg +66.5%, 64% up |
Look at the median, not just the average, because a few large moves can skew averages. Overlapping days share the same later price, so treat each row as a guide to what happened, not a forecast.
Does the Fear and Greed Index Work?
The index is a description of current mood, not a forecast. It doesn't tell you what price will do tomorrow. However, the historical data does let you see what has tended to happen after each zone.
Keep three things in mind:
- Extremes can last. The market can stay in Extreme Fear or Extreme Greed for weeks before turning.
- The sample is short. The index only goes back to 2018, which covers a limited number of market cycles.
- Past results don't repeat on schedule. Historical statistics describe what happened, not what will happen.
Fear and Greed Backtest: Buying Bitcoin in Extreme Fear
A popular idea is to be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Our backtest lets you test that idea with real Bitcoin prices instead of opinion. You can compare three approaches:
- Buy only in fear: invest a fixed amount every day the index is below your chosen level.
- Regular DCA: invest the same amount on a fixed schedule, regardless of sentiment.
- Sentiment-weighted DCA: invest more when fear is high and less, or nothing, when greed is high.
The tool shows total invested, Bitcoin accumulated, value today, ROI and average buy price for each strategy. Open the Fear and Greed DCA Backtest to run it, or use the Bitcoin DCA calculator for a plain schedule.
Limitations of the Fear and Greed Index
- Bitcoin focused: the Alternative.me index mainly reflects Bitcoin. Individual altcoins can move very differently, so check them with the coin comparison calculator.
- Daily updates: the index updates once a day, so it can lag fast intraday moves.
- Noisy social data: social media and search activity can be distorted by bots, news events or coordinated campaigns.
- Paused component: the survey input, worth 15% in the published method, is currently paused.
Use the index as context alongside price, volume and fundamentals, never as a standalone signal. Size up the market with the crypto market cap calculator or compare Bitcoin with other assets using the Bitcoin vs other assets calculator.
Crypto Fear and Greed Index FAQ
What is the crypto fear and greed index today?
Today's score from Alternative.me is shown at the top of this page, along with the change from yesterday, last week and last month. The index updates once a day.
What time does the fear and greed index update?
The Alternative.me Crypto Fear and Greed Index updates once a day at 00:00 UTC. The latest reading on this page refreshes within the hour after each update.
What is the lowest the fear and greed index has ever been?
The all time lowest and highest readings, with their dates, are shown in the All Time Records section above. They are calculated from the full history since February 2018.
Is extreme fear a good time to buy crypto?
Extreme fear has often appeared near market lows, but not always, and it can last for weeks. Use the What Happened Next table and the backtest to see the historical record. This page is for information only and is not financial advice.
Can I use the fear and greed index for altcoins?
The Alternative.me index is mainly based on Bitcoin, so it reflects Bitcoin and retail attention most closely. Altcoins and meme coins can move very differently from the index.
Why do other fear and greed indexes show a different number?
Each index uses different inputs and weights. Some focus only on Bitcoin, while others include more coins or options market data. A gap of 5 to 15 points between two indexes is common.
Where does the data on this page come from?
Fear and greed data comes from the Alternative.me Crypto Fear and Greed Index. Bitcoin price history comes from public daily price data. You can download the full history as a CSV using the button above.
Related Tools
- Fear and Greed DCA BacktestBacktest Bitcoin DCA strategies using historical crypto sentiment data.
- Bitcoin DCA CalculatorSee what regular Bitcoin purchases would be worth today, using real price history.
- Crypto DCA CalculatorPlan recurring purchases for Bitcoin, Ethereum and other listed cryptocurrencies.
- Bitcoin vs Other AssetsSee what 1 BTC would be worth if Bitcoin matched the market cap of gold, silver, Nvidia, Apple and more.
Sentiment data for information only. Not financial advice. See our disclaimer for more information.