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Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index May Signal Prolonged Market Anxiety
Investor sentiment has remained at "fear" levels for a week as bitcoin consolidates, hinting at potential market exhaustion.
Updated Oct 22, 2025, 1:35 p.m. Published Oct 22, 2025, 9:47 a.m.
What to know:
- The Fear and Greed Index has stayed in fear territory for seven consecutive days, a pattern that has historically preceded local bottoms.
- On-chain data shows elevated choppiness levels, suggesting the market may continue to consolidate before making its next major move.
The Fear and Greed Index has been stuck on "fear" for seven consecutive days, a state that — coupled with a bitcoin price constrained between between $103,000 and $115,000 for almost two weeks — may indicate a period of prolonged crypto market anxiety.
The index measures market sentiment on a scale from 0 (extreme fear) to 100 (extreme greed), reflecting investors’ emotions that often drive irrational behavior: fear during declines and greed during rallies. The current reading is 24, according to Coinglass data.
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Historically, prolonged periods of fear often coincide with local bottoms as sellers become exhausted, while excessive greed tends to precede market corrections. Over the past 30 days, the market has been in greed territory for only seven days, which coincided with bitcoin’s all-time high of $126,000 in the first week of October.
The market has been in a state of fear since Oct. 11, the day after the largest liquidation event in crypto history.
The last extended fear period occurred in March and April during President Donald Trump's tariffs episode, when bitcoin bottomed around $76,000. For most of 2025, bitcoin has been consolidating around $100,000, fluctuating roughly 20% above or below that level.
Data from Checkonchain supports this consolidation view, showing the choppiness index at 60 on a weekly basis. That is among one of the highest readings historically, and high readings are indicative of a period of sideways movement followed by a strong directional move.
The monthly index is at 55, with previous peaks above 60 marking the November 2021 and 2024 highs. This suggests current fear and consolidation may persist before the next significant move.
AI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy.
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