--- title: "Sentiment Dashboard" description: "Sentiment dashboard: enter current fear/greed, put/call ratio, and short interest readings to build a composite multi-factor market sentiment view with zones." canonical: https://www.getswoopr.com/market-sentiment/sentiment-dashboard/ source: "Swoopr Investment: https://www.getswoopr.com" --- ## Direct Answer > The Sentiment Dashboard combines readings from multiple indicators, put/call ratio, VIX, the AAII survey, and short interest, into a single weighted composite score that shows whether market sentiment is fearful, neutral, or complacent. Each input is scored against its own historical zone first, so the composite reflects agreement or divergence across indicators rather than any one data point. # Sentiment Dashboard Enter current readings from multiple sentiment indicators to generate a composite multi-factor sentiment view. Each indicator is scored against its historical zone, and the dashboard produces a weighted composite reading with interpretation. ![A person analyzing business data with colorful graphs on a tablet screen.](https://www.getswoopr.com/images/hero/market-sentiment-sentiment-dashboard.webp) *Photo by [Jakub Zerdzicki](https://www.pexels.com/@jakubzerdzicki/) via [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/photo/business-analysis-on-tablet-with-graphs-and-charts-36950598/)* ## Multi-Factor Sentiment Dashboard Enter today's readings for each indicator. Leave a field blank to exclude it from the composite. Sources: CBOE (put/call, VIX), AAII (weekly survey), FINRA (short interest), CNN Fear & Greed Index. CNN Fear & Greed Index (0-100) 0 = Extreme Fear, 100 = Extreme Greed CBOE Equity Put/Call Ratio (21-day MA) Normal range: 0.55-0.85. Above 0.90 = fear. CBOE VIX Level Below 15 = calm. Above 30 = fear. Above 40 = extreme. AAII Bearish % (this week) Long-run avg ~31%. Above 45% = elevated fear. Avg S&P 500 Short Interest % of Float Long-run avg ~3.5-4.5%. Above 5% = elevated. VIX Term Structure -- Select -- Steep contango (VIX well below VIX3M) Normal contango (VIX slightly below VIX3M) Flat (VIX ≈ VIX3M) Backwardation (VIX above VIX3M) Backwardation = acute near-term fear spike. Compute Dashboard Reset ### Dashboard Results Composite Sentiment Score N/A N/A Extreme Fear Fear Neutral Greed Extreme Greed #### Indicator Detail | Indicator | Your Reading | Zone | Score (0-100) | Weight | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | Interpretation: ## How to Use This Dashboard Gather current readings from the primary sources for each indicator: the CBOE website for VIX and put/call ratios, the AAII website (published Thursday mornings) for the weekly survey, and the CNN Fear & Greed Index page for that composite reading. Short interest data from FINRA is updated twice monthly; use the most recent available figure or a commercial provider for more timely data. You do not need to enter all fields. The dashboard weights available indicators proportionally. However, the composite score is more reliable when more indicators are included. The score ranges from 0 (Extreme Fear) to 100 (Extreme Greed), with 50 representing neutral historical average conditions. Scores of 40 or below fall in the Fear or Extreme Fear zones, and scores of 60 or above fall in the Greed or Extreme Greed zones. Use the result as a starting point for analysis, not a trading signal. A score of 20 or below falls in the Extreme Fear zone, which contrarian analysts treat as a possible sign of stretched pessimism; it is not a buy signal. Combine the composite reading with price action confirmation before taking any position. See the [Combining Sentiment with Price Action guide](https://www.getswoopr.com/market-sentiment/combining-sentiment-with-price-action/) for the full framework. ## Understanding the Outputs Each indicator is scored on a 0-100 scale where 0 represents the most fearful historical reading and 100 represents the most greedy reading. The Fear & Greed Index is passed through directly. The VIX is inverted (high VIX = fear = low score). The AAII bearish percentage is inverted (high bearish = fear = low score). The put/call ratio is inverted and rescaled. The VIX term structure maps backwardation to a low (fearful) score and steep contango to a high (greedy) score. ![Businessman using a tablet for data analysis in a relaxed office setting.](https://www.getswoopr.com/images/accent/market-sentiment-sentiment-dashboard-accent-1.webp) *Photo by [nappy](https://www.pexels.com/@nappy/) via [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-wearing-white-and-blue-pinstriped-dress-shirt-holding-white-ipad-936135/)* The composite score is a weighted average of the available indicators. The weights reflect the general reliability of each indicator: VIX and put/call ratio are given higher weights because they reflect actual capital at risk. The AAII survey is weighted somewhat lower because it measures stated opinion rather than positioning. Short interest receives a moderate weight because it provides useful context but has a two-week data lag. The CNN Fear & Greed index is weighted at its face value as a useful composite summary. Zone labels follow these thresholds: Extreme Fear (0-20), Fear (21-40), Neutral (41-59), Greed (60-79), Extreme Greed (80-100). These correspond roughly to the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles of historical readings for each indicator, though the exact mapping is synthetic since the dashboard uses current user inputs rather than a live data feed. The interpretation text summarizes the contrarian reading of the current composite: some analysts treat extreme fear as a possible sign of stretched pessimism and extreme greed as a possible sign of stretched optimism, but this composite has not been backtested and the relationship is not reliable. Neutral readings carry no directional implication and should not be acted upon from a sentiment perspective. ## Assumptions and Limitations - This dashboard uses user-entered data, not a live market feed. Readings must be manually updated from primary sources each time you use the tool. - Historical zone thresholds are approximations based on long-run data; actual percentile thresholds shift over time as market structure evolves. - Short interest data from FINRA has a two-week reporting lag; the reading you enter may not reflect current positioning in fast-moving markets. - The composite weighting is a reasonable heuristic but is not derived from a formal quantitative backtest. Different weighting schemes would produce somewhat different scores. - This tool does not incorporate real-time price action, breadth data, or fundamental indicators, all of which are required for a complete analysis before acting on sentiment readings. ## FAQ ### Where do I find the CNN Fear & Greed Index? The CNN Fear & Greed Index is published at money.cnn.com/data/fear-and-greed and updates daily during market hours. It currently incorporates seven sub-indicators including market momentum, stock price strength, stock price breadth, put and call options, junk bond demand, market volatility, and safe haven demand. The index updates in near-real-time during trading hours. ### Which put/call ratio should I enter, daily or 21-day average? The 21-day moving average smooths out single-day noise and provides a more reliable signal. For this dashboard, enter the 21-day moving average of the CBOE equity-only put/call ratio. If you only have the daily reading, enter it with the understanding that a single-day reading carries more noise than the average. Cboe publishes the daily equity put/call ratio at cboe.com/us/options/market_statistics/daily/, so the 21-day moving average has to be calculated from the daily readings. ### What does a composite score of 50 mean? A score of 50 represents neutral conditions, the aggregate of the entered indicators is near long-run historical averages with no significant directional bias. Neutral readings do not provide contrarian signal value in either direction. They suggest that sentiment is neither a headwind nor a tailwind, and investment decisions should be driven by other factors (fundamentals, price action, macro). ### How often should I update the dashboard? The update frequency should match the data sources' publication schedules. VIX and put/call are daily (update weekly at minimum); AAII bearish percentage is weekly (update Thursday after publication); CNN Fear & Greed is daily; short interest is published twice a month (update after each FINRA publication). Running the dashboard once per week after the Thursday AAII update, with the week's latest VIX and put/call readings, gives a good routine cadence. ### Can I use this tool for individual stocks? This dashboard is designed for broad market sentiment analysis. The indicators entered (VIX, AAII, market-wide short interest, CNN index) are all market-level metrics. For individual stock sentiment analysis, the relevant inputs would be the single-stock put/call ratio, the stock's own short interest and days-to-cover, and any available insider activity data. The [Contrarian Signal Tracker](https://www.getswoopr.com/market-sentiment/contrarian-signal-tracker/) on this hub is better suited for scoring individual stock setups. ### Why weight the inputs rather than averaging them equally? Because the inputs differ in how much independent information they carry and in how noisy they are week to week. A daily options ratio moves far more than a weekly survey, so equal weighting lets the noisier series dominate the composite's variation. Weighting is also where overlap between related inputs gets partially offset. The tradeoff is that weights are judgments, so a composite is only as defensible as the reasoning recorded behind them. ### What happens if two inputs are derived from the same underlying data? The composite double counts that source, and the resulting reading looks more corroborated than it is. Options-derived measures are the common case, since several popular indicators are computed from the same exchange activity. The fix is at the selection stage rather than the weighting stage: keep one representative from each data family, and treat additional members of that family as confirmation to look at separately rather than as extra inputs to the score. ### Does a neutral composite mean nothing is happening? Not necessarily. A middling score can come from genuinely unremarkable readings, or from inputs pulling hard in opposite directions and cancelling. Those are very different situations, and the second one is more interesting than the first. Looking at the individual component scores alongside the composite distinguishes them, which is why a dashboard that shows only the headline number discards information the calculation already produced. ### How should a reading be compared against its own history? By keeping a record of past composite values computed the same way, so a current score can be placed in its own distribution rather than judged against an abstract scale. A score described as elevated means little without knowing how often the composite has been that high. Because the inputs and weights can change over time, the comparison is only valid across the period during which the construction stayed the same, which is worth noting alongside the history. ## References - [CBOE Daily Market Statistics (VIX, Put/Call Ratios): Cboe Global Markets](https://www.cboe.com/us/options/market_statistics/daily/) - [AAII Investor Sentiment Survey: American Association of Individual Investors](https://www.aaii.com/sentimentsurvey) - [Fear & Greed Index: CNN Business](https://money.cnn.com/data/fear-and-greed/) - [Equity Short Interest Data: FINRA](https://www.finra.org/investors/market-data-center/short-sale-data) ## Disclaimer This tool is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Composite sentiment scores are derived from user-entered data and synthetic historical zone thresholds; they do not represent a backtested trading signal. Past relationships between sentiment readings and market performance do not guarantee future results. Always combine sentiment analysis with price action confirmation and fundamental analysis. Consult a qualified financial professional before making investment decisions. ## Related Reading - [Market Sentiment Analysis](https://www.getswoopr.com/market-sentiment/) the section this guide belongs to - [AAII and Investor Surveys as Contrarian Signals](https://www.getswoopr.com/market-sentiment/aaii-and-investor-surveys-as-contrarian-signals/) a companion guide in this cluster - [Combining Breadth, Volatility, and Sentiment Without Double Counting](https://www.getswoopr.com/market-sentiment/combining-breadth-volatility-and-sentiment-without-double-counting/) a companion guide in this cluster - [Combining Sentiment with Price Action](https://www.getswoopr.com/market-sentiment/combining-sentiment-with-price-action/) a companion guide in this cluster - [Contrarian Signal Tracker](https://www.getswoopr.com/market-sentiment/contrarian-signal-tracker/) a companion guide in this cluster - [Fund Flows: ETFs, Mutual Funds, and Thematic Baskets](https://www.getswoopr.com/market-sentiment/fund-flows/) a companion guide in this cluster - [How Sentiment Indicators Work](https://www.getswoopr.com/market-sentiment/how-sentiment-indicators-work/) a companion guide in this cluster - [Insider Buying and Selling Signals](https://www.getswoopr.com/market-sentiment/insider-buying-and-selling-signals/) a companion guide in this cluster - [Institutional Fund Flows and Positioning](https://www.getswoopr.com/market-sentiment/institutional-fund-flows-and-positioning/) a companion guide in this cluster - [Put/Call Ratio and Options Sentiment](https://www.getswoopr.com/market-sentiment/put-call-ratio-and-options-sentiment/) a companion guide in this cluster