Moving averages (MA)The relation of price to the MA and the slopeMoving averages are a great trading tool because they provide a variety of different information at once. First, the slope of a moving average is important. When the price is above the MA and the MA is moving up it signals a strong trend with prices rising faster than the historical averages. The further price can pull away from a moving average, the stronger the current trend is. The longer price can stay on one side of the moving average without touching the moving average, the stronger the trend.
The MA crossover – sentiment shiftsThe combination of a smaller and a larger moving average measures sentiment shifts in price. The screenshot below shows a chart with a 50 and a 100 MA. When the small MA crossed above the larger MA it signaled a shift in sentiment to the upside because recent prices were moving above the average of the longer term price structure. Conversely, when the shorter MA crossed the larger MA it signaled a sentiment change to the downside because recent price started trading below the longer-term average.
The space between MAs – momentum informationFinally, the bigger the space between the two MAs, the stronger the trend is becoming because the recent price is pulling away from the long-term average faster. The size of space between the two MAs provides information about momentum. The MACD or the Ichimoku indicators are both based on the differences between short term and long term average price structure.
Generally, price above a moving average signals an uptrend [read about Marty Schwartz’s trading tips]
When the short-term MA crosses above the long-term MA, it signals a bullish trend shift
When the space between the two MA increases, momentum increases as short-term prices pull away fast from the longer-term average price