A single 0-to-100 score that gauges the dominant emotion of investors in the US equity market — from extreme fear to extreme greed. Treat it as a sentiment thermometer, not a buy or sell signal.
Today’s index value and its classification. Below 25 is extreme fear, above 75 is extreme greed, and 45–55 is the neutral zone.
37
Fear
Updated at 2026-07-17 20:29 UTC
The index history is available from September 2020.
The blue line is the Fear & Greed Index (0–100 scale, left axis) and the gold line is the S&P 500 (price in dollars, right axis). Put them side by side to see whether extreme emotion lined up with market peaks or troughs: deep fear often appears near lows and greed near highs.
The S&P 500 is the stock index that tracks roughly the 500 largest companies listed in the United States and serves as a benchmark for the whole US equity market.
The purple line is the VIX (left axis) and the gold line is the S&P 500 (price in dollars, right axis). They usually move in opposite directions: when the S&P 500 falls sharply the VIX rises, because investors expect bigger swings.
The VIX, nicknamed the “fear gauge”, measures the market’s expected volatility over the next 30 days, derived from the prices of S&P 500 options. Low readings (below ~15) point to calm markets, while high readings (above ~30) point to elevated fear and uncertainty.
updated 2026-07-17
The index measures the dominant emotion of investors in the US equity market — it blends seven market signals into a single 0-to-100 score, where low values mean fear and high values mean greed.
It is a contrarian sentiment gauge, not a buy or sell signal. Extreme fear often appears near market lows and extreme greed near highs, but the market can stay in one emotional state for a long time before it turns.
The history is daily, and the current score may update several times intraday as market conditions change. Use the recent values for context, not for precisely timing your trades.
This tool is for informational and educational purposes only and is not investment advice. Decisions remain your responsibility; always weigh other factors before you invest.
Learn to read the market’s emotions and make calmer decisions in our courses or in a one-on-one consultation.
The stock-market Fear & Greed Index distills the emotional state of investors in the US market into a single number between 0 and 100. A low score shows that fear dominates — investors sell defensively and seek safety. A high score shows greed — strong risk appetite and confidence. The core idea is that prices are driven not only by fundamentals but also by collective psychology, and this index turns that psychology into a value you can easily track day to day.
The final score is the average of seven distinct indicators: market momentum, stock price strength, stock price breadth, the put/call options ratio, market volatility (VIX), safe-haven demand and junk-bond demand. Each component is normalized on a 0-to-100 scale and measures a different facet of investor behavior — from price direction and market participation to risk appetite and the flight to safety. Taken together they paint a more balanced picture than any single indicator alone.
Many traders use it as a contrarian tool: extreme fear can signal that pessimism has gone too far, while extreme greed can signal that optimism is excessive. Even so, sentiment can stay extreme for long stretches, so the index works best alongside technical and fundamental analysis, as an extra layer of context rather than a standalone trade trigger. Compare the current value with recent levels to see whether sentiment is deteriorating or improving.
