Fear & Greed Index
The Crypto Fear & Greed Index (0-100) measures market sentiment using volatility, market momentum, social media, surveys, dominance, and trends. Readings below 25 mark extreme fear, above 75 extreme greed. Both extremes can persist for months.
What is it?
The Fear & Greed Index is a composite sentiment indicator created by Alternative.me in 2018. It synthesizes 6 factors: volatility (25%, compared to 30/90-day averages), momentum/volume (25%, compared to averages), social media (15%, crypto mentions and engagement), surveys (15%, weekly polls), BTC dominance (10%, higher dominance = more fear mode), and Google trends (10%, crypto searches). The resulting 0-100 score is published daily and measures collective market psychology. Since crypto markets are highly emotional, sentiment can oscillate violently between panic and euphoria, creating opportunities for disciplined investors.
How to read
0-25: Extreme Fear - market is panicking, capitulation possible. Historically interesting buying zones. 25-45: Fear - negative sentiment, caution. 45-55: Neutral - no clear directional indicator. 55-75: Greed - growing optimism, watch for overheating signs. 75-100: Extreme Greed - euphoria, widespread FOMO. Historically distribution/selling zones.
Key zones
The index fell below 10 in June 2022 (Terra/LUNA collapse) and March 2020 (COVID crash). It exceeded 90 in February 2021 and November 2021 ($69K ATH). Sustained 'Extreme Fear' phases (<20 for several consecutive weeks) have historically preceded structural market troughs.
What to observe
Price/sentiment divergence is the most powerful indicator: when price rises but F&G stays low, buyers are hesitant (healthy accumulation). When price drops but F&G stays high, the market is complacent (danger). Also observe duration in extremes: F&G < 20 for 3+ consecutive weeks has historically preceded major rebounds.
Historical context
Since its creation in February 2018, the F&G has traversed 2 complete bear markets (2018-2019, 2022-2023) and 2 bull markets (2020-2021, 2024-2025). Troughs below 10 lasted only a few days each time, except in June 2022 (2 weeks below 10 after Terra). The historical peak of 95 was reached in November 2021, 2 days before the price top.
Expert notes
The F&G is a lagging indicator - it measures CURRENT sentiment, not future. The volatility and momentum components (50% of total weight) are the most reactive. Social media and survey components are noisier and less reliable individually. The weighting hasn't been modified since creation, which may be problematic in a structurally different market (e.g., spot ETFs in 2024). Use in confluence with pure on-chain indicators (MVRV, NUPL) to confirm.
Common mistakes to avoid
'Extreme Fear = buy indicator' is a dangerous simplification. Extreme fear can last months (2018-2019) and price can keep falling. The index does NOT predict direction - it measures emotional state. A F&G of 10 at the start of a bear market ≠ a F&G of 10 after 12 months of decline. Macro context (rates, liquidity) and on-chain indicators must confirm.
Programmatic access
REST API
curl -sS \
'https://api.trinityinsights.io/api/v1/onchain/fear-greed-index/history?days=90' \
-H 'X-API-Key: $TRINITY_API_KEY'MCP server
{
"tool": "get_chart_value",
"metric_id": "fear-greed-index",
"timeframe": "1y"
}Required tier: free. See the pricing grid for the tier list and the MCP documentation for multi-client configuration.
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Institutional disclaimer
Trinity Insights is an educational and analytical tool. The metric above does not constitute investment advice. Trinity Insights is not a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) registered under MiCA Regulation (EU) 2023/1114. See the full disclaimer.