The moving average (MA) is a simple technical analysis tool that smooths out price data by creating a constantly updated average price. The average is taken over a specific period of time, like 10 days, 20 minutes, 30 weeks or any time period the trader chooses. There are advantages to using a moving average in your trading, as well as options on what type of moving average to use. Moving average strategies are also popular and can be tailored to any time frame, suiting both long-term investors and short-term traders.
A moving average is commonly used with time-series data to smooth out short-term fluctuations and highlight longer-term trends or cycles. The threshold between short-term and long-term depends on the application, and the parameters of the moving average will be set accordingly. For example, it is often used in technical analysis of financial data, like stock prices, returns or trading volumes. It is also used in economics to examine the gross domestic product, employment or other macroeconomic time series. Mathematically, a moving average is a type of convolution and so it can be viewed as an example of a low-pass filter used in signal processing. When used with non-time series data, a moving average filters higher frequency components without any specific connection to time, although typically some kind of order is implied. Viewed simplistically it can be regarded as smoothing the data.
Types of Moving Average:-
- Simple Moving Average (SMA)
- Light Weighted Moving Average (LWMA)
- Exponential Moving Average (EMA)
- Cumulative moving average (CMA)
Trading Strategies – Crossovers
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."
Why Use a Moving Average
A moving average helps cut down the amount of "noise" on a price chart. 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. The price won't always "respect" the moving average in this way. The price may run through it slightly or stop and reverse prior to reaching it.
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