**Indexes**
**Russell 2000 Short**
October 13, 2022 | 089:46 UTC
The Russell 2000 index has been in a strong bearish trend as the fear and greed index dropped to the extreme fear level. It dropped to a low of $1,687, which was the lowest level since October 3. The small and mid-cap index has dropped by 24% this year, meaning it has underperformed the blue-chip Dow Jones and S&P 500 indices.
There is a sense of fear in the financial market as investors remain concerned about numerous things. As a result, the fear and greed index has plunged to a low of 19, meaning that investors are extremely fearful.
A look at the key sub-indices shows that market momentum, stock price strength, stock price breadth, market volatility, and junk bond demand have all moved to extreme fear. At the same time, safe-haven demand and put/call options have moved to the fear level.