The Fear & Greed Index is a way to gauge stock market movements and whether stocks are fairly priced. The theory is based on the logic that excessive fear tends to drive down share prices, and too much greed tends to have the opposite effect.
Fear and GreedIn a nutshell, max pain theory says that the option sellers (called writers) have stock on hand to fulfill the options if they are exercised. These stock positions are maintained to minimize risk to the sellers, and this maintenance affects the stock price. So, options can be the tail wagging the dog.
Max Pain SPY