BTC Fear & Greed Index Definition

BTC Fear & Greed Index is a market data metric used in Bitcoin treasury analysis.A 0–100 composite sentiment gauge for Bitcoin; lower values indicate fear, higher values greed. The score blends inputs such as price volatility and drawdowns, market momentum/volume, social media trends, BTC dominance and search interest.

What is BTC Fear & Greed Index?: A 0–100 composite sentiment gauge for Bitcoin; lower values indicate fear, higher values greed. The score blends inputs such as price volatility and drawdowns, market momentum/volume, social media trends, BTC dominance and search interest.
BTC Fear & Greed Index Definition: A 0–100 composite sentiment gauge for Bitcoin; lower values indicate fear, higher values greed. The score blends inputs such as price volatility and drawdowns, market momentum/volume, social media trends, BTC dominance and search interest.
BTC Fear & Greed Index Meaning: A 0–100 composite sentiment gauge for Bitcoin; lower values indicate fear, higher values greed. The score blends inputs such as price volatility and drawdowns, market momentum/volume, social media trends, BTC dominance and search interest.
How to calculate BTC Fear & Greed Index: Source: alternative.me. We ingest the latest published value and show freshness. Methodology (summarized): combines volatility/drawdown, momentum & volume, social sentiment, dominance and trend data into a single score.
Why does BTC Fear & Greed Index matter?: Treasury programs and boards tend to move more deliberately when markets are fearful and accelerate purchases when conditions show sustained improvement. Tracking this index helps frame whether corporate buyers are operating in risk‑off vs risk‑on conditions, which can influence pacing of treasury accumulation and market impact of large buys.
What does BTC Fear & Greed Index mean?: A 0–100 composite sentiment gauge for Bitcoin; lower values indicate fear, higher values greed. The score blends inputs such as price volatility and drawdowns, market momentum/volume, social media trends, BTC dominance and search interest.
BTC Fear & Greed Index explained: A 0–100 composite sentiment gauge for Bitcoin; lower values indicate fear, higher values greed. The score blends inputs such as price volatility and drawdowns, market momentum/volume, social media trends, BTC dominance and search interest.
BTC Fear & Greed Index formula: Source: alternative.me. We ingest the latest published value and show freshness. Methodology (summarized): combines volatility/drawdown, momentum & volume, social sentiment, dominance and trend data into a single score.
BTC Fear & Greed Index market data: A 0–100 composite sentiment gauge for Bitcoin; lower values indicate fear, higher values greed. The score blends inputs such as price volatility and drawdowns, market momentum/volume, social media trends, BTC dominance and search interest.

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Market Data

BTC Fear & Greed Index

A 0–100 composite sentiment gauge for Bitcoin; lower values indicate fear, higher values greed. The score blends inputs such as price volatility and drawdowns, market momentum/volume, social media trends, BTC dominance and search interest.

What the term means

The BTC Fear & Greed Index is a daily composite sentiment score for Bitcoin ranging from 0 (extreme fear) to 100 (extreme greed). Published by Alternative.me, it blends six weighted components to capture crowd psychology rather than predict price direction.

The weights are:

Volatility (25%) – compares current drawdowns vs. historical norms.
Market Momentum & Volume (25%) – gauges buying vs. selling pressure across spot and derivatives.
Social Media (15%) – tracks Bitcoin discussion velocity and sentiment, especially on X/Twitter.
Surveys (15%) – weekly polls of thousands of crypto participants.
Dominance (10%) – measures Bitcoin’s market-cap share relative to altcoins.
Google Trends (10%) – analyzes search interest in Bitcoin-related queries.

Readings update once per day: below 25 denotes capitulation, 25–45 fear, 45–55 neutral, 55–75 greed, and above 75 extreme greed. Dashboards, trading terminals, and treasury trackers surface the score as a real-time sentiment pulse.

Why the term matters for Bitcoin treasury companies

Capital-raising windows orbit greed phases

The treasury flywheel—issue equity or debt, buy BTC, lift BTC-per-share—only works when stocks trade at healthy premiums to mNAV. Extreme greed prints (75–100) align with peak premiums: top names tap ATMs, convertibles, or zero-coupon bonds within days, sometimes at 2–5× mNAV (smaller beta names 3–10×). A jump from 50 to 80 can unlock hundreds of millions in accretive capital almost overnight.

Fear capitulation compresses premiums

When scores sink below 25, treasury equities often sell off harder than BTC itself. Illiquid or levered issuers routinely gap to 0.6–0.8× mNAV, forcing pauses in stacking, pressuring BTC-backed credit lines, and flushing out weak hands. Elite operators like Strategy (MSTR) use those windows to accumulate aggressively, widening their lead over peers.

Retail and options flow amplifier

Greed phases ignite retail inflows and call buying; liquid options chains (especially MSTR) can trigger gamma squeezes with 20–50% single-day moves detached from BTC’s spot action. Fear phases flip the script: puts and shorts pile in, crushing premiums until sentiment resets.

Narrative momentum signal

Sustained readings above 70 validate the “corporate Bitcoin adoption” narrative, attracting new treasury entrants and justifying higher multiples. Extended stretches below 30 invite "treasury bubble" headlines, activist agitation, and takeover chatter for sub-1× mNAV names. The index frequently front-runs media cycles by one to three days.

Relative performance edge

Treasuries typically outperform BTC during fear-to-greed breakouts and underperform during greed-to-fear collapses. A 10% BTC move routinely becomes 30–100% in equity terms. Investors who buy on crosses above 70 or accumulate below 20 capture much of the leveraged upside while sidestepping prolonged drawdowns.

Risk management for leveraged stacks

Companies financing BTC with convertibles, preferreds, or BTC-backed loans must track sentiment daily. A plunge from 80 to 20 can trigger covenant haircuts, forced hedging, or capital calls, turning a routine correction into a liquidity crunch. Credit desks lending against treasuries treat the index as required monitoring.

Bottom line

The Fear & Greed Index is the emotional thermostat for treasury equities. Greed unlocks capital markets, expands premiums, and accelerates BTC-per-share growth; fear compresses multiples, stalls flywheels, and creates fire-sale opportunities for disciplined accumulators. No other single datapoint more reliably signals when to lean in versus when to conserve dry powder.

How BitcoinQuant incorporates it

Source: alternative.me. We ingest the latest published value and show freshness. Methodology (summarized): combines volatility/drawdown, momentum & volume, social sentiment, dominance and trend data into a single score.