History and development

The index was designed to summarize sentiment using more than the direction of a single stock index. It combines equity-market internals with options and bond-market evidence of risk appetite.

The composite and its seven components are recalculated as new data becomes available. The underlying indicators update at different times rather than representing a synchronized tick-by-tick market snapshot.

References: Index overview and FAQ

Comparing charts on this board

The horizontal axis is the regular U.S. stock session, 9:30–16:00 New York time. Values checked every ten minutes are recorded at receipt time, not the index calculation time. No values are invented for periods before recording began or missed observations. Daily history is not converted into minute bars.

The headline classifies the current score into five sentiment bands. Fear uses your chosen down color, Greed your up color, and Neutral the theme’s standard text color. The change below is in index points. PREV uses the supplied previous-close field, which can differ from the prior dated history row.

Compare the VIX and S&P 500 to distinguish expected volatility from sentiment extremes. Extreme fear does not guarantee a profitable entry; consider fundamentals and your spending plans too.

Official references: Index definition and methodology