Crypto Fear & Greed Index Returns to "Extreme Greed" for First Time Since Late 2024

ChainCatcher, citing Decrypt, reports that crypto market sentiment has pushed into "extreme greed" for the first time since the end of 2024. CoinMarketCap's Crypto Fear & Greed Index hit 81 on Sunday night and has held there, clearing the 80 mark that signals "extreme greed." The gauge stood at 36 ("fear") a month ago and 41 ("neutral") a week ago. Over the past 30 days it has jumped 45 points, nearly wiping out the caution that built up during the first half of 2026. Decrypt described it as the sharpest sentiment swing of the year and the only time since CoinMarketCap began tracking the index that sentiment moved straight from "extreme fear" to "extreme greed." Alternative.me, which has a longer history of the same indicator, still places the market in the "greed" band—about 6% short of "extreme greed"—while pointing to the same acceleration in sentiment. The index printed its 2026 low at 5 on February 5, deep in "extreme fear," meaning the market has completed a full reversal in six months from capitulation to exuberance. The mood shift has tracked Bitcoin's rally. Bitcoin gained about 24% in a week, outperforming the broader crypto market, while its share of total crypto market capitalization continued to climb. The move kicked off last Wednesday after the U.S. Treasury said it would double the size of its longterm bond buybacks from $2 billion to $4 billion per transaction, pressuring the dollar and strengthening the case for Bitcoin as an inflation hedge. Once Bitcoin broke above $70,000, short sellers rushed to cover, triggering more than $4 billion in crypto short liquidations over the following two to three days.