Fear & Greed Index:
30 — Fear Zone
Crypto markets are under pressure today. Bitcoin fell ~2% to around $73,460 following geopolitical tension in the Strait of Hormuz and a six-day streak of Bitcoin ETF outflows totaling $1.26 billion. Sentiment is in the Fear zone, down from Greed just one week ago.
7-Day Sentiment History
Source: alternative.me / coinstats.appIndex Components Breakdown
How today's score of 30 is builtToday's Market Context
What's driving sentiment on May 28, 2026Why Is Crypto in Fear Today?
Bitcoin is trading around $73,460, down approximately 2% from Wednesday's open, as geopolitical risk roils global markets. Reports that the U.S. military struck Iranian positions in the Strait of Hormuz have investors pulling out of risk assets across the board — stocks, commodities, and crypto alike.
The Fear & Greed Index drop from 58 (Greed) last week to 30 (Fear) today reflects a rapid sentiment shift. This 28-point swing in seven days is significant but not historically unprecedented — similar reversals occurred in November 2022 (FTX collapse) and March 2020 (COVID selloff).
"Bitcoin ETFs have seen $1.26 billion in net outflows over six consecutive trading days in May 2026, reversing the $2.44 billion of inflows recorded in April."
— Swissblock Data / CoinDesk, May 27, 2026Structural vs. Emotional Fear
Analysts distinguish between structural fear (driven by fundamental deterioration: regulatory crackdowns, exchange collapses) and emotional fear (sentiment overreaction to macro events that don't directly impair crypto's value proposition). Today's reading appears primarily emotional — Bitcoin's underlying network metrics remain healthy, with the block reward at 3.13 BTC (post-halving) and hash rate near all-time highs.
Long-term investors note that BTC has established technical support between $73,000–$75,000, and multiple price models project a potential recovery to $80,500 by end of May if macro conditions stabilize.
ETF Flow Dynamics
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs — led by BlackRock's IBIT — accumulated net positive flows of 4,500 BTC since the start of 2026, despite recent selling. The current outflow streak is being watched closely: sustained outflows beyond 10 days would signal institutional capitulation rather than profit-taking.
Trading Strategies by Index Zone
Not financial advice — educational reference only| Zone | Score | Market Psychology | Common Strategy | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme Fear 0–24 | 0–24 | Panic selling, capitulation, media fear. Max pessimism often signals bottom or near-bottom conditions. | DCA accumulation in tranches. Avoid leverage. Consider averaging into blue-chips (BTC, ETH) with 3–6 month horizon. | High short-term, lower long-term |
| Fear ◀ NOW | 25–49 | Caution dominates. Sellers outpacing buyers. Sentiment overhang from macro or crypto-specific events. | Start watchlist building. Small initial entries with defined stop-losses. Wait for stabilization signals (volume increases, RSI divergence). | Moderate–High |
| Neutral 45–55 | 45–55 | Balanced market. Neither euphoria nor panic. Often a consolidation or indecision phase between trends. | Focus on technicals. Review portfolio allocation. Monitor for breakout direction. Neither a strong buy nor sell signal alone. | Moderate |
| Greed 55–74 | 55–74 | Optimism rising. FOMO emerging. New retail buyers entering. Prices can run further but risk/reward worsening. | Trim partial positions into strength. Tighten stop-losses. Avoid chasing late breakouts. Prefer quality over speculative names. | Moderate–Low (entry risk rising) |
| Extreme Greed 75–100 | 75–100 | Euphoria and irrational exuberance. Everyone bullish. Media coverage peaks. Classic late-cycle indicator. | Strong profit-taking zone. Reduce leverage. Consider rotating to stable assets or cash. Historically precedes sharp corrections. | Very High (entry) |
Notable Historical Sentiment Readings
Major market events and corresponding index values| Date | Score | Zone | BTC Price (approx.) | Event | Outcome (3 months later) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2019 | 2 | Extreme Fear | $9,800 | Bitcoin crash from $13K peak | BTC recovered to $10,200 (+4%) |
| Mar 2020 | 8 | Extreme Fear | $4,800 | COVID-19 market crash ("Black Thursday") | BTC surged to $9,000 (+88%) |
| Oct 2021 | 84 | Extreme Greed | $62,000 | Bull market peak (pre-ATH run) | BTC fell to $40,000 (−35%) |
| Nov 2022 | 9 | Extreme Fear | $15,900 | FTX collapse and contagion | BTC recovered to $23,000 (+45%) |
| Jan 2023 | 19 | Extreme Fear | $16,600 | Post-FTX bear market trough | BTC rose to $29,000 (+75%) |
| Oct 2023 | 52 | Neutral | $27,000 | Spot ETF anticipation building | BTC surged to $44,000 (+63%) |
| Mar 2024 | 90 | Extreme Greed | $70,000 | Post-halving euphoria + ETF inflows | BTC corrected to $57,000 (−19%) |
| Oct 2025 | 88 | Extreme Greed | $107,000 | Bitcoin all-time high | BTC fell to ~$73,000 (−32%) |
| May 28, 2026 | 30 | Fear | $73,460 | ETF outflows + geopolitical risk | TBD |
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers sourced and fact-checked May 2026As of May 28, 2026, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index sits at 30 out of 100, indicating the market is in the Fear zone (25–49). Yesterday the index was 37 (Fear), and a week ago it read 58 (Greed). The sharp drop reflects Bitcoin's price decline to ~$73,460, Bitcoin ETF outflows of $1.26B over six consecutive days, and heightened geopolitical risk in the Middle East.
The index combines five data inputs: Volatility (25%) — comparing current BTC volatility to 30/90-day averages; Market Momentum & Volume (25%) — comparing current trading volume and momentum to averages; Social Media (15%) — sentiment analysis of Twitter/Reddit crypto posts; Surveys (15%) — weekly polling of crypto investors; Bitcoin Dominance (10%) — a rising dominance suggests fear-driven rotation from altcoins to BTC; and Google Trends (10%) — search volume for Bitcoin-related queries. Each component is normalized to 0–100 and combined into a single score.
Historically, extreme fear readings (0–24) have often preceded significant price recoveries — the March 2020 reading of 8 was followed by an 88% BTC rally within 90 days; the November 2022 reading of 9 (FTX collapse) preceded a 45% recovery. However, fear can persist for months during structural bear markets. Most advisors recommend dollar-cost averaging (DCA) rather than lump-sum buying based solely on the index. Always combine with fundamental research, technical analysis, and risk management.
The RSI (Relative Strength Index) is a pure price-momentum oscillator — it measures how fast prices have moved and only considers price history. The Fear & Greed Index is a multi-factor composite that includes social media, Google Trends, surveys, and dominance in addition to price data. They often align but can diverge: a stock might have a neutral RSI while social media sentiment is extremely fearful, which the Fear & Greed Index would capture but RSI wouldn't. Using both together provides a more complete picture.
The index is primarily calibrated around Bitcoin, as BTC's price is used as the core reference for volatility and momentum. However, because BTC drives overall market direction about 70–80% of the time, the index is a reasonable proxy for broad crypto market sentiment. During periods of altcoin season — when altcoins outperform BTC — the index may underrepresent positive altcoin sentiment. CoinMarketCap and other providers are developing alt-specific indices, but BTC-based versions remain the most widely cited.
Alternative.me (the original index) updates twice daily. CoinStats and CoinMarketCap update daily around midnight UTC. Milk Road and some other providers update in near real-time using live market data feeds. For intraday trading, the daily closing value is the standard reference, with intraday estimates used for active traders.
The all-time high was 95 out of 100, recorded in late October and early November 2021 during Bitcoin's peak bull run to ~$68,000 at the time. The all-time low was 2 out of 100, recorded in August 2019 following Bitcoin's correction from $13,800. For context, the October 2025 Bitcoin ATH near $107,000 saw a reading of approximately 88.
No single indicator reliably predicts crypto prices, and the Fear & Greed Index is no exception. Its primary value is as a contrarian sentiment gauge — identifying when the market may be emotionally overextended in either direction. Research suggests it works best over 3–12 month horizons: buying during extended extreme fear periods and reducing exposure during extreme greed has historically outperformed simple buy-and-hold for many metrics. However, short-term traders often find it too slow-moving. It is best used alongside on-chain data, macro analysis, and technical indicators.
About the Index & Methodology
How market sentiment is measuredThe Crypto Fear & Greed Index was first introduced by Alternative.me as an adaptation of CNN's traditional stock market Fear & Greed Index. The concept — that two emotions, fear and greed, are the primary drivers of asset prices — dates back to economist John Maynard Keynes in the 1930s, who described "animal spirits" as the force behind investment decisions.
The index is designed to answer a deceptively simple question: Is the market currently driven more by fear or by greed? A score close to 0 suggests investors are extremely fearful — often irrationally pessimistic — while a score near 100 indicates extreme optimism that may be unsustainable.
Warren Buffett's famous investing principle — "Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful" — is often cited as the philosophy underlying contrarian use of this index. However, market timing is notoriously difficult, and crypto markets can remain in extreme states far longer than traditional assets.