Market Mood Index
A 0-100 reading of fear and greed in US stocks, built from seven market indicators and updated after every close.
14 Extreme Fear
The seven indicators
Market momentum
5S&P 500 versus its 125-day moving average.
Stock price strength
9Net new 52-week highs as a share of S&P 1500 stocks.
Stock price breadth
39Share of S&P 1500 stocks above their 50-day moving average.
Advance/decline trend
4710-day average of advancing minus declining stocks.
Market volatility
1VIX versus its 50-day average (higher VIX = more fear).
Safe-haven demand
020-day return of stocks (SPY) minus long Treasuries (TLT).
Junk bond demand
020-day return of high-yield (HYG) minus investment-grade bonds (LQD).
Two-year history
How the index works
Each indicator is measured every trading day and scored from 0 to 100 by where today's reading ranks within its own last 252 trading days (about a year): 100 means the most greedy reading of the year, 0 the most fearful. Volatility is inverted, since a rising VIX signals fear. The index is the average of the indicator scores.
- 0–25: Extreme Fear
- 25–45: Fear
- 45–55: Neutral
- 55–75: Greed
- 75–100: Extreme Greed
Inputs are end-of-day prices for the S&P 500, the VIX, the SPY, TLT, HYG and LQD exchange-traded funds and every stock in the S&P Composite 1500. This is our own method and is not affiliated with any other fear-and-greed index. Sentiment gauges describe the crowd's mood; they are not timing signals. Not investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
What does a low Market Mood reading mean?
That several indicators — momentum, new highs, breadth, volatility, safe-haven and junk-bond demand — are near the fearful end of their range for the past year. Fearful markets have sometimes preceded rebounds and sometimes deeper declines; the gauge measures mood, not direction.
How often is it updated?
Once per trading day, after the US close, when end-of-day prices for all S&P 1500 stocks are in.
Why can the index read fear while stocks are near highs?
Each indicator is compared with its own past year. If stocks are rising on narrowing breadth, few new highs and a firm VIX, those components score low even when the index level is high.
Is the stock market in a correction? How far each index is from its record →