The Investz Market Mood is a single number from 0 to 100 that summarizes whether recent market behavior looks fearful or greedy. It is the simple average of up to six indicators, each scored from 0 (fear) to 100 (greed), where 50 is neutral. You can see today’s reading on the home page.
It is our own calculation from the data available to us. It is not a copy of, or affiliated with, CNN’s Fear & Greed Index or any other published sentiment index, and readings will differ because other indexes use different inputs (options and VIX data, for example).
The six indicators
| Indicator | What it measures | How it is scored (0 to 100, clipped) |
|---|---|---|
| Momentum | S&P 500 (tracked through the SPY ETF) versus its own 125-day average price. | 50 plus 5 points for every 1% the index sits above the average (so +10% scores 100 and −10% scores 0). |
| Strength | Where each tracked large-cap stock sits inside its 52-week range, averaged across the stocks. | The average position, where 0 means at the 52-week low and 100 means at the high. |
| Breadth | The share of tracked large-cap stocks that are up today. | Percent of stocks up (60% up scores 60). |
| Volatility | The last 20 trading days of S&P 500 daily swings compared with the past year. | 50 minus 60 points for every 1.0x the recent swings exceed the one-year norm; calmer than usual scores higher (more greed). |
| Safe-haven demand | S&P 500 return versus long-term U.S. Treasury bonds (TLT) over 20 trading days. | 50 plus 5 points for every percentage point stocks beat Treasuries. |
| Junk-bond demand | High-yield bonds (HYG) versus investment-grade bonds (LQD) over 20 trading days. | 50 plus 25 points for every percentage point high-yield beats safer bonds. |
From score to label
The headline number is the average of the indicators that could be calculated at that moment, rounded to a whole number. If fewer than four indicators are available (for example when a data provider is down), we show nothing rather than a misleading number.
| Score | Label |
|---|---|
| 0 to 24 | Extreme Fear |
| 25 to 44 | Fear |
| 45 to 55 | Neutral |
| 56 to 75 | Greed |
| 76 to 100 | Extreme Greed |
Data and update schedule
Inputs come from the same third-party providers as the rest of Investz (see About). The S&P 500 is measured through the SPY ETF because index prices are not included in our data plans. The stock-based indicators use the large-cap stocks in our screener list, not the whole market. The gauge refreshes every few minutes while markets are open, and quotes can be delayed.
What it is not
- It is not a forecast, a trading signal or a recommendation to buy or sell anything.
- It uses simple equal weights and fixed scales that we chose for readability. They have not been fitted to past returns.
- It reflects a limited set of U.S. large-cap stocks and ETFs, so it can miss what is happening in small caps, other countries or crypto.
Related reading: bull vs bear markets, diversification, and our market data disclaimer. Investz is for education only and is not investment advice.