Enter seven market indicators and get a composite 0-100 sentiment score, a signal breakdown, and practical ETF allocation guidance for the current market environment.
Enter Market DataUse current values from CBOE, your broker, financial terminals, or trusted market data sources. The calculator rescales every input into a 0-100 sentiment score and applies the stated weights.
Wall Street's fear gauge. Higher VIX readings point to fear; low readings show complacency.
Enter how far the S&P 500 is above or below its 125-day moving average.
More puts than calls indicate hedging and fear. Heavy call buying can signal greed.
Enter advancing stocks minus declining stocks as a percentage of the NYSE universe.
Sharp yield drops can signal flight-to-safety demand. Stable or rising yields often imply risk appetite.
Lower spreads imply strong junk bond demand. Wide spreads indicate credit stress and fear.
Enter the percentage of NYSE stocks hitting 52-week highs minus 52-week lows.
Fill in one or more indicator fields and press "Calculate Fear & Greed Score." The tool will normalize the available data and produce a weighted composite sentiment reading.
Use the score as a risk management framework, not as a precise market-timing signal.
Past patterns do not guarantee future returns, but extreme sentiment has often preceded unusually strong or weak 6-12 month outcomes.
| Date / Event | Score | Zone | S&P 500 next 12 months | Key Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2020 - COVID Crash | 3 | Extreme Fear | +75.2% | Pandemic panic, circuit breakers, forced selling |
| Dec 2018 - Fed Rate Fear | 8 | Extreme Fear | +31.5% | Aggressive tightening fears and yield curve stress |
| Oct 2022 - Bear Market Low | 15 | Extreme Fear | +24.8% | Peak inflation, rate hikes, energy pressure |
| Feb 2023 - Banking Stress | 32 | Fear | +18.4% | Bank failures, recession fears, defensive positioning |
| Jan 2022 - Pre-Correction | 76 | Greed | -19.4% | Speculation, stretched growth valuations, Fed pivot risk |
| Nov 2021 - Market Peak | 82 | Extreme Greed | -16.1% | Broad FOMO, crypto euphoria, dovish policy assumptions |
| Jan 2018 - Post-Tax Cut Euphoria | 95 | Extreme Greed | -9.8% | Tax reform optimism and volatility product unwind |
Each input is normalized to a 0-100 scale, then combined by weight. Lower volatility and tighter credit usually raise greed scores; stress signals lower the composite.
VIX reflects how much investors are paying for downside protection in S&P 500 options.
Price relative to its moving average captures medium-term trend and institutional positioning.
Elevated put demand points to hedging pressure; aggressive call demand can flag complacency.
Healthy rallies include many stocks. Weak breadth can reveal hidden fragility under index gains.
Falling yields during selloffs can show a rush into safe assets and confirm risk-off behavior.
Junk spreads and 52-week highs/lows help confirm whether sentiment is broad or isolated.
Market sentiment, measured through volatility, options positioning, breadth, credit spreads, and momentum, can give ETF investors a practical framework for understanding whether risk is being priced with panic, balance, or euphoria.
The Fear and Greed Index is not a perfect market-timing system. Its value is in risk management: it helps investors avoid adding risk during crowded optimism and recognize when broad fear may be creating long-term opportunity.
For diversified ETF investors, the key question is simple: are you buying when sentiment is already optimistic, or are you adding exposure when the market is pricing in fear? This calculator turns that question into a transparent, repeatable process.
