A moving average (MA) is a widely used indicator in technical analysis that helps smooth out price action by filtering out the “noise” from random short-term price fluctuations. It is a trend-following, or lagging, indicator because it is based on past prices.
The moving average (MA) is a simple technical analysis tool that smooths out price data by creating a constantly updated average price.
The two basic and commonly used moving averages are the simple moving average (SMA), which is the simple average of a security over a defined number of time periods, and the exponential moving average (EMA), which gives greater weight to more recent prices.
The Simple Moving Average (SMA) and the Exponential Moving Average (EMA). These moving averages can be used to identify the direction of the trend or define potential support and resistance levels.
The most common applications of moving averages are to identify the trend direction and to determine support and resistance levels. While moving averages are useful enough on their own, they also form the basis for other technical indicators such as the moving average convergence divergence (MACD).
To calculate an EMA, you must first compute the simple moving average (SMA) over a particular time period. Next, you must calculate the multiplier for weighting the EMA (the smoothing), which typically follows the formula: [2 ÷ (selected time period + 1)]. So, for a 20-day moving average, the multiplier would be [2/(20+1)]= 0.0952. Then you use the smoothing factor combined with the previous EMA to arrive at the current value. The EMA thus gives a higher weighting to recent prices, while the SMA assigns equal weighting to all values.
Moving averages lag behind current price action because they are based on past prices; the longer the time period for the moving average, the greater the lag. Thus, a 200-day MA will have a much greater degree of lag than a 20-day MA because it contains prices for the past 200 days.
The length of the moving average to use depends on the trading objectives, with shorter moving averages used for short-term trading and longer-term moving averages more suited for long-term investors. The 50-day and 200-day MAs are widely followed by investors and traders, with breaks above and below this moving average considered to be important trading signals.
Moving averages also impart important trading signals on their own, or when two averages cross over. A rising moving average indicates that the security is in an uptrend, while a declining moving average indicates that it is in a downtrend.
Similarly, upward momentum is confirmed with a bullish crossover, which occurs when a short-term moving average crosses above a longer-term moving average. Downward momentum is confirmed with a bearish crossover, which occurs when a short-term moving average crosses below a longer-term moving average.
Moving averages are a totally customizable indicator, which means that the user can freely choose whatever time frame they want when creating the average. The most common time periods used in moving averages are 15, 20, 30, 50, 100, and 200 days. The shorter the time span used to create the average, the more sensitive it will be to price changes. The longer the time span, the less sensitive, or more smoothed out, the average will be.
A moving average (MA) is calculated in different ways depending on its type. Below, we look at a simple moving average (SMA) of a security with the following closing prices over 15 days:
Week 1 (5 days): 20, 22, 24, 25, 23
Week 2 (5 days): 26, 28, 26, 29, 27
Week 3 (5 days): 28, 30, 27, 29, 28
A 10-day moving average would average out the closing prices for the first 10 days as the first data point. The next data point would drop the earliest price, add the price on day 11 and take the average, and so on as shown below.
Examples of Moving Average Indicators
Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD)
The moving average convergence divergence (MACD) is used by traders to monitor the relationship between two moving averages. It is generally calculated by subtracting a 26-day exponential moving average from a 12-day exponential moving average.
When the MACD is positive, the short-term average is located above the long-term average. This an indication of upward momentum. When the short-term average is below the long-term average, this is a sign that the momentum is downward. Many traders will also watch for a move above or below the zero line. A move above zero is a signal to buy, while a cross below zero is a signal to sell.
Moving averages can be created for any form of data that changes frequently. It is even possible to take a moving average of a technical indicator such as the MACD. For example, a nine-period exponential moving average of the MACD values is added to the chart in Figure 1.
Buy signals are generated when the value of the indicator crosses above the signal line (dotted line), while short signals are generated from a cross below the signal line.
A moving average can also act as support or resistance. In an uptrend, a 50-day, 100-day or 200-day moving average may act as a support level, as shown in the figure below. This is because the average acts like a floor (support), so the price bounces up off of it. In a downtrend, a moving average may act as resistance; like a ceiling, the price hits the level and then starts to drop again.
As a general guideline, if the price is above a moving average, the trend is up. If the price is below a moving average, the trend is down. However, moving averages can have different lengths (discussed shortly), so one MA may indicate an uptrend while another MA indicates a downtrend.
Another popular type of moving average is the exponential moving average (EMA). The calculation is more complex, as it applies more weighting to the most recent prices. If you plot a 50-day SMA and a 50-day EMA on the same chart, you'll notice that the EMA reacts more quickly to price changes than the SMA does, due to the additional weighting on recent price data.
One type of MA isn't better than another. An EMA may work better in a stock or financial market for a time, and at other times, an SMA may work better. The time frame chosen for a moving average will also play a significant role in how effective it is (regardless of type).
Common moving average lengths are 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200. These lengths can be applied to any chart time frame (one minute, daily, weekly, etc.), depending on the trader's time horizon.
The time frame or length you choose for a moving average, also called the "look back period," can play a big role in how effective it is.
An MA with a short time frame will react much quicker to price changes than an MA with a long look back period. In the figure below, the 20-day moving average more closely tracks the actual price than the 100-day moving average does.
The 20-day may be of analytical benefit to a shorter-term trader since it follows the price more closely and therefore produces less "lag" than the longer-term moving average. A 100-day MA may be more beneficial to a longer-term trader.
Lag is the time it takes for a moving average to signal a potential reversal. Recall that, as a general guideline, when the price is above a moving average, the trend is considered up. So when the price drops below that moving average, it signals a potential reversal based on that MA. A 20-day moving average will provide many more "reversal" signals than a 100-day moving average.
A moving average can be any length: 15, 28, 89, etc. Adjusting the moving average so it provides more accurate signals on historical data may help create better future signals.
Crossovers are one of the main moving average strategies. The first type is a price crossover, which is when the price crosses above or below a moving average to signal a potential change in trend.
Another strategy is to apply two moving averages to a chart: one longer and one shorter. When the shorter-term MA crosses above the longer-term MA, it's a buy signal, as it indicates that the trend is shifting up. This is known as a "golden cross."
Meanwhile, when the shorter-term MA crosses below the longer-term MA, it's a sell signal, as it indicates that the trend is shifting down. This is known as a "dead/death cross."
MA Disadvantages - Moving averages are calculated based on historical data, and nothing about the calculation is predictive in nature.
One major problem is that, if the price action becomes choppy, the price may swing back and forth, generating multiple trend reversal or trade signals. When this occurs, it's best to step aside or utilize another indicator to help clarify the trend. The same thing can occur with MA crossovers when the MAs get "tangled up" for a period of time, triggering multiple losing trades.
Moving averages with a shorter look back period (20 days) will also respond quicker to price changes than an average with a longer look back period (200 days).
Moving average crossovers are a popular strategy for both entries and exits. MAs can also highlight areas of potential support or resistance.
The moving average (MA) is a simple technical analysis tool that smooths out price data by creating a constantly updated average price.
The two basic and commonly used moving averages are the simple moving average (SMA), which is the simple average of a security over a defined number of time periods, and the exponential moving average (EMA), which gives greater weight to more recent prices.
The most common applications of moving averages are to identify the trend direction and to determine support and resistance levels. While moving averages are useful enough on their own, they also form the basis for other technical indicators such as the moving average convergence divergence (MACD).
To calculate an EMA, you must first compute the simple moving average (SMA) over a particular time period. Next, you must calculate the multiplier for weighting the EMA (the smoothing), which typically follows the formula: [2 ÷ (selected time period + 1)]. So, for a 20-day moving average, the multiplier would be [2/(20+1)]= 0.0952. Then you use the smoothing factor combined with the previous EMA to arrive at the current value. The EMA thus gives a higher weighting to recent prices, while the SMA assigns equal weighting to all values.
Moving averages lag behind current price action because they are based on past prices; the longer the time period for the moving average, the greater the lag. Thus, a 200-day MA will have a much greater degree of lag than a 20-day MA because it contains prices for the past 200 days.
The length of the moving average to use depends on the trading objectives, with shorter moving averages used for short-term trading and longer-term moving averages more suited for long-term investors. The 50-day and 200-day MAs are widely followed by investors and traders, with breaks above and below this moving average considered to be important trading signals.
Moving averages also impart important trading signals on their own, or when two averages cross over. A rising moving average indicates that the security is in an uptrend, while a declining moving average indicates that it is in a downtrend.
Similarly, upward momentum is confirmed with a bullish crossover, which occurs when a short-term moving average crosses above a longer-term moving average. Downward momentum is confirmed with a bearish crossover, which occurs when a short-term moving average crosses below a longer-term moving average.
Moving averages are a totally customizable indicator, which means that the user can freely choose whatever time frame they want when creating the average. The most common time periods used in moving averages are 15, 20, 30, 50, 100, and 200 days. The shorter the time span used to create the average, the more sensitive it will be to price changes. The longer the time span, the less sensitive, or more smoothed out, the average will be.
A moving average (MA) is calculated in different ways depending on its type. Below, we look at a simple moving average (SMA) of a security with the following closing prices over 15 days:
Week 1 (5 days): 20, 22, 24, 25, 23
Week 2 (5 days): 26, 28, 26, 29, 27
Week 3 (5 days): 28, 30, 27, 29, 28
A 10-day moving average would average out the closing prices for the first 10 days as the first data point. The next data point would drop the earliest price, add the price on day 11 and take the average, and so on as shown below.
Examples of Moving Average Indicators
Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD)
The moving average convergence divergence (MACD) is used by traders to monitor the relationship between two moving averages. It is generally calculated by subtracting a 26-day exponential moving average from a 12-day exponential moving average.
When the MACD is positive, the short-term average is located above the long-term average. This an indication of upward momentum. When the short-term average is below the long-term average, this is a sign that the momentum is downward. Many traders will also watch for a move above or below the zero line. A move above zero is a signal to buy, while a cross below zero is a signal to sell.
Moving averages can be created for any form of data that changes frequently. It is even possible to take a moving average of a technical indicator such as the MACD. For example, a nine-period exponential moving average of the MACD values is added to the chart in Figure 1.
Buy signals are generated when the value of the indicator crosses above the signal line (dotted line), while short signals are generated from a cross below the signal line.
A moving average can also act as support or resistance. In an uptrend, a 50-day, 100-day or 200-day moving average may act as a support level, as shown in the figure below. This is because the average acts like a floor (support), so the price bounces up off of it. In a downtrend, a moving average may act as resistance; like a ceiling, the price hits the level and then starts to drop again.
As a general guideline, if the price is above a moving average, the trend is up. If the price is below a moving average, the trend is down. However, moving averages can have different lengths (discussed shortly), so one MA may indicate an uptrend while another MA indicates a downtrend.
Another popular type of moving average is the exponential moving average (EMA). The calculation is more complex, as it applies more weighting to the most recent prices. If you plot a 50-day SMA and a 50-day EMA on the same chart, you'll notice that the EMA reacts more quickly to price changes than the SMA does, due to the additional weighting on recent price data.
One type of MA isn't better than another. An EMA may work better in a stock or financial market for a time, and at other times, an SMA may work better. The time frame chosen for a moving average will also play a significant role in how effective it is (regardless of type).
Common moving average lengths are 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200. These lengths can be applied to any chart time frame (one minute, daily, weekly, etc.), depending on the trader's time horizon.
The time frame or length you choose for a moving average, also called the "look back period," can play a big role in how effective it is.
An MA with a short time frame will react much quicker to price changes than an MA with a long look back period. In the figure below, the 20-day moving average more closely tracks the actual price than the 100-day moving average does.
Lag is the time it takes for a moving average to signal a potential reversal. Recall that, as a general guideline, when the price is above a moving average, the trend is considered up. So when the price drops below that moving average, it signals a potential reversal based on that MA. A 20-day moving average will provide many more "reversal" signals than a 100-day moving average.
A moving average can be any length: 15, 28, 89, etc. Adjusting the moving average so it provides more accurate signals on historical data may help create better future signals.
Crossovers are one of the main moving average strategies. The first type is a price crossover, which is when the price crosses above or below a moving average to signal a potential change in trend.
Meanwhile, when the shorter-term MA crosses below the longer-term MA, it's a sell signal, as it indicates that the trend is shifting down. This is known as a "dead/death cross."
One major problem is that, if the price action becomes choppy, the price may swing back and forth, generating multiple trend reversal or trade signals. When this occurs, it's best to step aside or utilize another indicator to help clarify the trend. The same thing can occur with MA crossovers when the MAs get "tangled up" for a period of time, triggering multiple losing trades.
Moving averages with a shorter look back period (20 days) will also respond quicker to price changes than an average with a longer look back period (200 days).
Moving average crossovers are a popular strategy for both entries and exits. MAs can also highlight areas of potential support or resistance.
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