Crypto Fear & Greed Index Stuck in Extreme Fear at 13

TheNewsCryptoPublished on 2026-02-17Last updated on 2026-02-17

Abstract

The Crypto Fear and Greed Index remains in the "Extreme Fear" zone with a current score of 13, reflecting persistently negative market sentiment. This follows a yearly low of 5 on February 6, 2026. The prolonged fear is largely attributed to the "10/10" event on October 10, 2025, which triggered the largest liquidation event in crypto history—over $19 billion in leveraged positions across 1.6 million accounts were liquidated in a single day. Bitcoin fell 14%, and altcoins suffered even steeper losses, exposing structural vulnerabilities in derivatives markets, thin liquidity, and over-leverage. Despite this bleak retail sentiment, institutional players like BlackRock and Citadel continue to expand their involvement in DeFi and tokenization, creating a divergence between retail fear and institutional conviction. The index had previously reached an all-time high of 76 ("Extreme Greed") on May 23, 2025.

The Crypto Fear and Greed Index on CoinMarketCap has been witnessing an extreme fear situation since the beginning of this month. On February 6, 2026, it hit its yearly low, standing at a reading of 5 and in an extreme fear zone.

This indicates a market sentiment environment that has decreased heavily in the last few months. The index comprises a composite sentiment gauge that collects signals over volatility, market momentum, social media activity, dominance and search trends, pouring them into a single score between 0 and 100, showing extreme fear and extreme greed, respectively.

At the time of writing, the score is 13, which makes it still sit in an extreme fear zone. On May 23, 2025, the index hit its all-time high, standing at a whopping score of 76 and indicating an extreme greed situation.

The Prolonged Reason

The extended fall into the fear zone takes place for the major part of the events of October 10, 2025, commonly referred to as “10/10”. The events on that single day influenced the largest liquidation event in the history of the crypto industry, having more than $19 billion in leveraged positions shut within one day over 1.6 million accounts.

Bitcoin slipped about 14% on that day, and altcoins witnessed more tough exhaustion. The fall revealed structural vulnerabilities in crypto derivative markets, thin liquidity, over cross-margin leverage, and exchange infrastructure that fastened under the load, and sentiment hasn’t sufficiently recovered since then.

The latest reading is noteworthy because of its divergence from current institutional developments. Major traditional finance players such as BlackRock, Citadel and others carries on to intensify their engagement with DeFi and tokenisation, and wider real-world asset adoption projects carries on to make notable

Retail sentiment with institutional conviction is running on various time horizons currently, a dynamic worth overlooking as markets search for a platform.

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TagsBitcoinCoinMarketCapcrypto fear and greed

Related Questions

QWhat is the current reading of the Crypto Fear and Greed Index and what sentiment zone does it represent?

AThe current reading is 13, which represents an extreme fear zone.

QWhat was the primary cause of the market's prolonged period of extreme fear, according to the article?

AThe primary cause was the events of October 10, 2025 (10/10), which triggered the largest liquidation event in crypto history and revealed structural vulnerabilities in the market.

QWhat was the all-time high score of the index and when was it reached?

AThe index reached its all-time high score of 76, indicating extreme greed, on May 23, 2025.

QWhat is the significance of the current market sentiment reading in relation to institutional activity?

AThe current extreme fear reading is noteworthy because it diverges from ongoing institutional developments, where major finance players are increasing their engagement with DeFi and tokenization.

QWhat are the five signals that the Crypto Fear and Greed Index collects to create its composite score?

AThe index collects signals from volatility, market momentum, social media activity, dominance, and search trends.

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