The Bitcoin market sentiment has recently taken a downturn, with data indicating that it is nearing the ‘extreme fear’ territory, according to the Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index. The index, which serves as an indicator of general sentiment among Bitcoin and broader cryptocurrency investors, currently stands at 30, suggesting a shared mentality of fear in the market. This marks a significant decrease from yesterday when the index was at 40.
The Fear & Greed Index uses a numeric scale from zero to a hundred to reflect investor sentiment. Values greater than 54 suggest greed among investors, while values under 46 indicate fear. The region between these two values suggests a neutral mentality among the majority of investors.
In addition to these three core sentiments, the index also includes ‘extreme fear’ and ‘extreme greed’ regions. These regions have historically been significant for the cryptocurrency market. ‘Extreme fear’ occurs at and under 25 when significant lows have formed for the asset’s price, while ‘extreme greed’ occurs at and above 75, typically when peaks have occurred.
The current value of the index (30) is close to the extreme fear region. If sentiment worsens further in the coming days, it could drop into this territory. This could potentially be seen as a signal for contrarian investors to buy into the cryptocurrency, exploiting this pattern in line with Warren Buffet’s famous quote: “Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.”
Interestingly, if Bitcoin bottoms out in the coming weeks and sets up for a reversal, it would align with the historical Halloween Effect. According to this effect, Bitcoin and other assets usually perform best between October 31 and May 1. Those who practice the “sell in May and go away” strategy often return during this season to buy back into the asset.
As of Tuesday, Bitcoin was trading at around $26,200, marking a 1% increase over the past week. However, it remains to be seen how the Bitcoin sentiment will develop in the coming month and whether the Halloween Effect will play any significant role.