To enter a downtrend, wait for the price to pull back up and for the MACD histogram to be above the zero line. While these are the most popular settings, you can adjust them to your liking on your trading platform. After we get two swing high points of both price and indicator, we need to connect them with a trendline.

MACD can seem complicated at first glance, because it relies on additional statistical concepts such as the exponential moving average . But fundamentally, MACD helps traders detect when the recent momentum in a stock’s price may signal a change in its underlying trend. This can help traders decide when to enter, add to, or exit a position. Traders will often combine this analysis with the RSI or other technical indicators to verify overbought or oversold conditions. The period may be configured in different ways , but this article will focus more on daily settings. Still, the MACD settings may be customized to accommodate different trading strategies.

Overbought / oversold ( Buy and Sell Signals)

First, the MACD line is calculated by subtracting the 26-day exponential moving average from the 12-day EMA (i.e., fast minus slow). The calculation is designed to show the relationship between the two averages, and it does so in a way that places emphasis on more recent price data. The last example shows how a potential scenario can happen. A trader can see that IF the price makes a higher high, but the MACD makes a lower high, there is divergence.

There are various strategies for trading MACD, but it’s best to find one that works for you and your trading plan. Moving Average Convergence Divergence is a trend-following momentum indicator that shows the relationship between two moving averages of a security’s price. MACD is based on EMAs , which means that it can react very quickly to changes of direction in the current price move. Crossovers of MACD lines should be noted, but confirmation should be sought from other technical signals, such as the RSI, or perhaps a few candlestick price charts.

A how to read the macd signal occurs when the MACD is below the signal line after the cross, where a bullish signal occurs when the opposite happens. For example, a cross at an extreme MACD value can mean a false signal. The MACD is calculated by subtracting the value of a long-period exponential moving average from a short-period EMA.

Moving Average Convergence Divergence: FAQ

The zero-cross strategy could be used again top take a long position when the MACD crosses the zero line from below. At the point circled in out image, prices have been rising and momentum is up. We’ll use our zero-cross image for an example of trading the zero-cross. As trading proceeds, you observe the MACD initially crossed the zero line from below, then crossed again from above. A trader might notice the histogram bars moving down with the MACD, indicating a possible reversal and opportunity for a short trade. Traders use the MACD to identify when bullish or bearish momentum is high to identify entry and exit points for trades.

It produces a variety of signals and can represent a solid foundation of a trading system. To filter out false signals, use the MACD in combination with other tools of technical analysis. Therefore, one should not rely on the MACD indicator alone.

MACD Crypto trading strategy #3: MACD vs RSI trading strategy

A bar graph is a chart that compares different categories of data using rectangular bars that represent the value of the data. Samantha Silberstein is a Certified Financial Planner, FINRA Series 7 and 63 licensed holder, State of California life, accident, and health insurance licensed agent, and CFA. She spends her days working with hundreds of employees from non-profit and higher education organizations on their personal financial plans. If you remember our RSI article, you might be spotting some MACD histogram divergence in the example above. Like any strategy, the MACD strategy should be paired with proper portfolio management and responsibility. After all, not a single strategy is 100% accurate all the time.

When the bars are upside down , the signal is to sell. A good starting point is to collect data for three month’s worth of trading. This includes closing prices for each day of market activity. Many experts consider candlestick charting to be both an important complement to MACD, and more effective than MACD on its own. So, why the MACD if you can already gauge momentum with EMA crossovers? The MACD analyzes the difference between the two EMAs as a way to gauge the strength of price momentum.

However, for the subsequent examples, let’s use one MACD with the 19- to 39-day combination which is less sensitive and will be used for generating sell signals. The second one will be more sensitive, using the 6- to 19-day MACD combination which will be used for buy signals. MACD is one of the best tools to track momentum, and it is especially powerful when you combine it with price action, support & resistance, and trend analysis. First, you want the price to move into a market structure, especially a previous support or resistance level. Never blindly use indicators—MACD works best when you combine it with price action context.

Overbought/oversold levels

As the https://g-markets.net/ has no upper or lower limits, you should judge extremes by the visual comparison of the MACD levels. Notice that this kind of signals requires confirmation from price action or other technical indicators. The MACD line chart is displayed as two lines, in this case cyan and yellow. The cyan line, or the “fast” line, plots the difference between two exponential moving averages . Figure 1 uses the 12- and 26-period EMA, but these parameters can be changed. The yellow line, which is sometimes called the slow or signal line, is the EMA of the MACD fast line.

• Therefore, it is crucial that you understand the MACD divergence.
• The difference between the MACD and its Signal line is often plotted as a bar chart and called a “histogram”.
• Signal line crossovers are the most common MACD signals.
• The indicator’s effectiveness has been time-tested and shown to work.
• No matter how great the indicator works, it’ll have something to affect its effectiveness.
• This resource for technical analysis of stocks and financial products has various uses related to timing trends in a market.

This means that the MACD histogram trading strategy is based on the same crossover as the Moving Averages indicate. As mentioned above, the histogram indicates the distance between both of the moving averages. When looking at a daily chart, one candle represents 24 hours of trading.

So, if the trader follows the chart and the indicators, he knows ideally the MACD goes higher as before, to show the market is still strong enough and continue the trend. A lower high in the MACD would indicate weakness on the buying side and a potential reversal. In this example of BTC/USDT, we don’t have MACD positive divergence, because it’s descending compared to the price movement that is ascending.

Conversely, a bearish divergence occurs when the MACD forms two falling highs that line up with two rising highs in the price. So, while the signal crossovers can be helpful, they are not always reliable. Therefore, it is also worth considering where they occur in the chart to minimize the risks. For instance, some traders wait for a confirmed cross above the signal line to avoid entering a position too early.

This is a bullish divergence, as the MACD is a higher low.This may mean that the security’s downtrend is coming to an end. Most MACD interfaces are set up as two separate graph boxes. The upper box contains a candlestick chart for the security in question.

• For instance, the zero-cross image above has a point where the MACD crosses from below and back again in one trading session.
• However, it doesn’t mean it’ll work well in any timeframe or within any trading strategy.
• Overlaid on top of these lines is the MACD histogram.
• MACD is calculated by subtracting the long-term EMA from the short-term EMA .
• The free app is not only a great portfolio manager, it also provides you with professional charts and indicators for every crypto market you can imagine.
• Second, notice that there were clear reaction lows as both Google and its MACD line bounced in October and late November.

Learn more about MACD and some of the strategies used by traders. Full BioSuzanne is a content marketer, writer, and fact-checker. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance degree from Bridgewater State University and helps develop content strategies for financial brands. This suggests confirmation should be sought by trend-following indicators, such as the Directional Movement Index system and its key component, the Average Directional Index .