Stocks
CNN Fear and Greed Index Alternative
Quick answer
The main alternative to the CNN Fear and Greed Index is CFGI. CNN scores the US stock market as one number from 7 indicators. CFGI scores individual stocks and indices from 10 indicators, and covers crypto on the same 0 to 100 scale, so you can read one stock against another, or stocks against crypto, rather than a single market gauge. The right alternative depends on whether you need per-asset and crypto coverage. This is education, not financial advice.
CFGI data
CFGI is a stock Fear and Greed Index that scores names individually and reads equities and crypto on one scale. Its equity sentiment has run the full range, from an extreme-fear 3 on 8 April 2025 to 83 on 19 December 2023, where CNN shows a single number for the whole US market.
Source: CFGI dataset, 2021 to June 2026.
Key takeaways
- CFGI is the closest like-for-like alternative to CNN, on the same 0 to 100 scale.
- A good alternative adds per-asset and multi-market coverage.
- CNN scores the whole US market; CFGI scores individual stocks and indices.
- CFGI also covers crypto, so stocks and crypto sit on one comparable scale.
- CNN uses 7 indicators; CFGI uses 10.
Why Look Past One Market Number?
The CNN Fear and Greed Index is a clean read of the broad US market, but it is a single number. It cannot tell you that one stock is fearful while another is greedy, and it does not cover crypto. If you trade individual names, or you hold both asset classes, that is where an alternative helps. CFGI runs the same 0 to 100 Fear and Greed format but scores stocks individually, across indices and the most-traded names, and reads crypto on the same scale. The instinct to seek an alternative is a sound one: the CNN index is excellent at what it does, but "the mood of the entire US stock market" is a coarse summary, and the more specifically you invest, in particular sectors, particular stocks, or in crypto, the more a single national-market number leaves on the table.
What Makes a Good Alternative
Before picking any alternative, it helps to know what to look for, because not all sentiment gauges are equal. A strong alternative to CNN’s index should keep what made the original useful while adding what it lacks. The qualities worth checking are: the same familiar 0 to 100 scale, so you can read it at a glance without relearning anything; per-asset granularity, so you can see individual stocks rather than just a single market average; multi-market coverage, ideally crypto as well as equities on the same scale; a transparent, multi-indicator methodology rather than an opaque or single-signal one; frequent updates that keep pace with the market; and a real history of readings to give today’s number context. Judged against that checklist, the question becomes less "is there an alternative?" and more "does the alternative add genuine breadth and detail?"
A Checklist for Any Alternative
Same 0 to 100 scale, per-asset scores, crypto plus equities, a transparent multi-indicator method, frequent updates and real history. A good alternative keeps CNN’s simplicity and adds the breadth it lacks, not by being more complicated to read, but by letting you look closer when you want to.
CNN vs the CFGI Alternative
| CNN | CFGI | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | US market, one number | Individual stocks + indices |
| Asset classes | US equities only | Equities and crypto |
| Indicators | 7 | 10 |
| Per-asset scores | No | Yes |
| Scale | 0 to 100 | 0 to 100 |
CNN and CFGI compared as stock-market sentiment gauges.
Measured against the checklist, CFGI keeps the familiar scale and adds the two things a single market number cannot give: per-asset detail and crypto coverage, on one comparable scale. It also clears the rest of the list, a transparent 10-indicator method, frequent updates (daily for stocks, every 15 minutes for crypto), and a multi-year history of real readings, from the equity low of 3 to its high of 83, that give any current reading genuine context rather than leaving it to float without a reference point.
See the Alternative Live
The quickest way to judge an alternative is to read it. The live equity score below uses the same 0 to 100 scale you already know from CNN, with the difference that CFGI also scores leading stocks and crypto individually. Where CNN gives you one number for "the market", CFGI lets you start from that broad equity read and then drill into a specific stock or coin, or compare the equity crowd against the crypto crowd, which is the practical payoff of choosing a per-asset, multi-market alternative over a single headline figure. None of this makes the original redundant, the two can sit comfortably side by side, with CNN as the familiar broad gauge and CFGI as the tool you reach for when you want to go deeper than a single market average. The best way to decide is simply to watch both for a while and see which answers the questions you actually find yourself asking.
CFGI Stock Fear and Greed Index, live
Loading the live score…
The live equity score. CFGI also scores leading stocks and crypto on the same scale.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to the CNN Fear and Greed Index?
CFGI is the closest like-for-like alternative: the same 0 to 100 scale, but scoring individual stocks and indices from 10 indicators, plus crypto on the same scale, rather than one whole-market number.
What should I look for in an alternative?
The same familiar 0 to 100 scale, per-asset scores (not just a market average), crypto plus equities on one scale, a transparent multi-indicator method, frequent updates and a real history of readings for context.
Does CFGI update like CNN?
CFGI updates the stock score daily, in line with equity trading hours, and the crypto score every 15 minutes. CNN updates its single market number through the trading day.
Can I see individual stocks?
Yes. Unlike CNN, CFGI scores major indices and the most-traded stocks individually, so you can compare the mood of one name against another. This is education, not financial advice.
Lucas, CFGI Research
Lucas is the founder of CFGI and leads its research. He built the platform that scores Fear and Greed across 100+ crypto assets and the equity market from a 0 to 100, 10-indicator model, and has tracked crowd emotion through multiple full crypto and equity cycles. He writes about market sentiment, behavioural finance and how emotion shapes price.
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This article is educational and is not financial advice. Crypto and equities are volatile and you can lose money. See our disclaimer.