Crypto
Fear &
Greed
Index
A single number that captures the emotional state of the entire crypto market — from panic selling to irrational exuberance. Used by traders worldwide as a contrarian signal.
“Be fearful when others are greedy — greedy when others are fearful.”
Warren Buffett's contrarian principle applies directly to crypto. The Fear & Greed Index condenses six market signals into one actionable score. Historically, buying during Extreme Fear and reducing exposure during Extreme Greed has outperformed passive holding.
Market panic — potential contrarian buying opportunity.
Bearish sentiment dominates — investors are cautious.
Balanced market — no strong directional signal.
Bullish momentum — risk appetite rising.
Peak FOMO — historically a risk warning signal.
Six signals.
One number.
The index is published daily by Alternative.me — the team that created and maintains it. CoinCoverage fetches and displays this data in real time, refreshing every 5 minutes.
View on Alternative.me ↗A contrarian tool — not a crystal ball.
Fear & Greed Index — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Crypto Fear & Greed Index?
The Crypto Fear & Greed Index is a daily sentiment indicator that measures the emotions and psychology of Bitcoin and crypto markets on a scale of 0 to 100. A score of 0–24 represents Extreme Fear, 25–44 represents Fear, 45–55 is Neutral, 56–75 is Greed, and 76–100 represents Extreme Greed. The index was created by Alternative.me and aggregates data from volatility, market momentum, social media, surveys, Bitcoin dominance, and Google Trends.
How is the Fear & Greed Index calculated?
The index combines six weighted data sources: Volatility (25%) — current Bitcoin volatility vs 30/90-day averages; Market Momentum/Volume (25%) — current trading volume vs recent averages; Social Media (15%) — sentiment analysis of crypto-related hashtags and posts; Surveys (15%) — weekly crypto sentiment polls; Bitcoin Dominance (10%) — rising BTC dominance signals fear; Google Trends (10%) — search volume for crypto-related queries.
How do investors use the Fear & Greed Index?
Warren Buffett's principle — "Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful" — applies directly here. Many investors use extreme fear readings (below 25) as potential buying opportunities, and extreme greed readings (above 75) as signals to take profits or reduce exposure. It's one indicator among many and should not be used in isolation.
What does Extreme Fear mean in crypto?
Extreme Fear (0–24) means the market is overly concerned — investors are selling, volatility is high, and sentiment is deeply negative. Historically, Extreme Fear readings have occurred during major market crashes such as the 2018 bear market, the March 2020 COVID crash, and the FTX collapse in November 2022.
What does Extreme Greed mean for Bitcoin?
Extreme Greed (76–100) means the market is euphoric — prices are rising rapidly, FOMO is high, and investors are overconfident. This can signal a market top or correction ahead. Extreme Greed readings often appear near Bitcoin all-time highs.
How often is the Fear & Greed Index updated?
The index is updated once per day, typically in the early morning UTC. Our page fetches the latest value every 5 minutes so you always see the most current reading. The 30-day chart shows the daily close value for each of the past 30 days.
What is the source of the Fear & Greed Index data?
The data is sourced from Alternative.me, the team that created and maintains the Crypto Fear & Greed Index. They compute the daily score by aggregating six data signals: Bitcoin price volatility, market volume momentum, social media sentiment (Twitter/Reddit), public surveys, Bitcoin dominance, and Google Trends data for crypto-related search queries. CoinCoverage fetches and displays this data in real time.
Is the Fear & Greed Index accurate?
The Fear & Greed Index is a useful sentiment indicator but not a price prediction tool. Its accuracy as a contrarian signal has been documented historically — Extreme Fear has often preceded recoveries, and Extreme Greed has often preceded corrections — but markets can remain irrational for extended periods. Always combine it with on-chain data, technical analysis, and fundamental research.