MACD Indicator

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MA and MACD
Moving averages
Using moving averages, as we know from math, allows us to reduce noice on the chart. There are few types of moving averages, the most important (for the technical analysis) are "simple" MA (SMA), where all points have equal weight and exponential MA (EMA), that are assigning higher weight to the latest points, therefore making the method more sensitive to the resent changes in a stock price. This approach is better for most applications, however being more sensitive it can produce more false signals. Some traders would suggest using the traditional MA instead (all points having equal weight) for the situations when signals should be more reliable. To calculate the EMA, use the following approach: Current_EMA = ((2/(1+Number_of_periods_for_EMA)) x (Current_Price - Previous_EMA)) + Previous_EMA

Software: Cortex Neural Networks Indicators pack Stock Downloader

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Chart patterns Options basics Indicators pack: Accum / Distrib line Aroon ATR Bollinger Bands CCI CLV MACD Momentum Point and Figure PPO PVO RSI StochRSI Stochastic Oscillator Ultimate Oscillator Williams %R

Using moving averages

Regardles the implementation details, all MA techniques are based on analyzing the DISTANCE between the moving average and the original chart, or between two moving averages. Are they moving closer? Are they intersecting? Are they moving away?

On the picture above we have the stock price and the moving averages. Let's see what information we can extract from this chart. 1. The trend, the support and the resistance. As we know, the moving average is always behind the actual data. So if the stock price is increasing, the line for the price will be above the line for the moving average, as the price rises BEFORE the MA. Therefore as long as the price is going up, the MA will form the line below the price. You might notice, that (leaving aside the fact that this line is not so straight) it is a support line. Same logic applies to the price declining - the MA will form the resistance line above the price. What will happen if the trend changes? The price line will cross the MA! We have a "trend change" indicator! And unlike the line drawn by the ruler, this one can be coded as part of a

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computer algoritm. 2. We may also use the intersection of two lines (price and MA) as a signal. Indeed, the trend changes - it is time to trade. 3. The only problem with the approach above is the price volatility. What if the stock jumps up or down for no particular reason, and then returns? It will generate a false signal, wouldn't it? To fix this problem, we need to make our price line smoother, and we already know how to do it. We use Moving Averages, studying intersections of two (or more) MA's, rather then of MA and price. In a typical "minimum" case (that is probably the best for practical applications) we would have two moving averages, one for the short period and one for the long period. A simple rule applies: the intersection of these two lines is a trading signal. As you can see, the two moving averages are much less noisy then price line, but they are still moving fast sometimes, and in different directions, so the signals are not necessarily clear. This is one of the problems with the MA's - they work fine when the trend is present, and do not work when the stock price is moving sideways. The false signals generated by MA in that case are called "whipsaw". If we select longer intervals for the average, there will be less signals and each of them will represent a larger move of the stock price. The number of false signals will be less, too.

MACD
MACD stands for Moving Average Convergence Divergence. This technique is one of the most often used by the different simulator software as performing the technical analysis of stock trend using this method is easy and very straightforward. As I mentioned, the MACD works well both for a "long term", middle term and intraday trading systems. The macd calculation is usually based on exponential moving averages, meaning that earlier points have less weight than latest ones.

This approach takes one more step - let's subtract two MA's, so that we produce an oscillator-like indicator. "Like" means that yes, it is oscillating around zero, but no, it is not confined in the 0:1, or -1:1 corridor. It means that we can use it to generate signals, but not to find overbought and oversold conditions.

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There are few ways of using MACD. First we already know - signals are generated when the line crosses zero. Crossing from negative into the positive is considered a buy signal, while crossing from the positive to negative is considered a sell signal.

We can also use the divergence of the indicator. When the stock price is rising and MACD is falling (negative divergence), or vice versa, it can be considered an indication of "something going on" and can be used to predict changes in a trend. That's right, the lagging indicator that is supposed to follow the price, is predicting the stock behaviour. On the picture above, the stock price formed a double peak with the second peak higher than the first one. In the same time (plus the delay due to the use of MAs) the MACD formed two peaks, but the second peak was smaller, which created the divergence. Soon the price broke the support line. The main disadvantage of the MA and MACD indicators is the fact that they are FOLLOWING the price, rather than predicting it. Which is fine IF (and it is a big if) stock market is not changing rapidly. When choosing the intervals for the fast and slow MAs, we are usually testing them against existing historical data for the stock. Now, if the stock behaviour suddenly changes, the previous testing becomes useless! One of the solution to the MACD data being late is the MACD histogram, introduced by Thomas Aspray. The histogram is the difference between the MACD and 9 days EMA of MACD, therefore it is a derivative on the derivative. The centerline crossovers and divergences are easier to identify when data is represented this way. Usually, the longer and sharper the divergence is, the better. The most important and strong signals are those confirming an existing trend.

Parameters
There are many trading systems that are using different periods for the fast and slow moving avarages. 26 and 9 days is one of the most frequently used combinations. Sometimes people would perform optimization, trying to find the numbers that are the best for a particular stock. You can speed up the optimization process by performing the testing using Trader software. Not only will it test different combinations of intervals, but also it can use some additional twists on

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the technique, like reversing the signals or using shorts.

When to apply
In order to use buy and sell signals successfully, we need to apply them when (OK, almost when) the trend is changing. To do it, we need to have a trend to reverse. The MA-based indicators are not very useful in a situation when the price is moving sideways, or for trende that are not yet established. Indicators can and should be used together, and it is particularly useful to avoid using similar indicators (MA and MACD). The Chaikin Money Flow indicator is a good choice to use together with MA's. MA's (as many other tools of the technical analysis) can be used not only with the prices of stocks, but also with other indicators.

Confirmation
It is important to realize that the indicator (any) should not be used by itself. The false signals can be generated, and the only way to protect yourself is by keeping an eye on the "bigger picture", particularly, on the other tools, giving the opposite signals.

Implementation
The Indicators pack includes the implementation of the MA. Also, MAs are including as part of the Cortex's Built-in Scripting Language.

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Keywords: review software stock trading The Stock Downloader program allows you to automatically download free live stock quote files from the yahoo historical stock quote server.

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Both historical intraday stock data and yahoo historical stock quote files can be downloaded. day trading e book A free e.mail trading course containing 5 e.mails with stock day trading tip information is available from this site. In this e.mails, the basics of computer system trading is covered. The links in the left column can be used as a day trading tutorial, containing multiple day trading how to stock day trading tips for the technical investment analysis. atr breakout This article covers the Advanced True Range indicator. It includes the basic information, formulas and an example case study. investing quote stock This site offers tutorials for both day profit trading and day end trading. Software available for downloading includes stock downloader for historical intraday data and yahoo historical stock quote files with day end quotes. archive quote stock The yahoo historical stock quote archives can be downloaded from the Internet automatically using the Stock Downloader software. current quote stock yahoo Yahoo server provides stock market quote historical data, available for downloading from the Internet as CSV (comma separated) files. These files are updated daily, after the markets close. Yahoo server also provides 15 minutes delayed intraday quotes that can be downloaded by the Stock Downloader as they appear online. commodity market system trading The tutorials available from this site can be used for online day trading education. The Trader trading simulator can produce trading signals based on the indicators. You can use indicators, that come with the program, or create your own using Trader's built-in scripting language. stock trend chart The Trader trading simulator is an example of chart pattern recognition software - it can detect price trends, plot them and use them to generate trading signals. stock day trading tip The trading course, available as five e.mails contains trading tips and well-known (but mostly ignored) common sence trading rules. sp 500 trading system To create your own indicators, for example, as part of sp 500 trading system, use Trader's built-in scripting language. The language resembles the Basic, and gives you the access to many functions, such as convergence divergence test, chart pattern recognition, point figure charting and much more. historical market quote stock Use the Stock Downloader to download both intraday and day end stock quotes from the Yahoo stock server. The program provides you with high degree of flexibility, it is designed in such way, that you can leave it unattended for extended periods of time (months). history market quote stock Historical quotes available from the yahoo historical stock quote server are adjusted for splits. The split files are available together with the stock quotes. However, downloading them is a much more difficult task. The Stock Downloader will take care of it for you. free system trading Use the Stock Downloader together with the Trader program, to download free stock quotes and produce trading signals. On this site you will find tutorials about stock trading, that will help you to buils your own trading systems. day profit trading The day trading uses the last moment information, and decisions have to be made FAST. That's why we use computers to make automatic decisions. To do a successfull day living trading, you will need to practice on some kind of sample data first. This data can be obtained using the Stock Downloader program. Note, that the quotes on Yahoo server are 15 minutes delayed. day living trading Can the day trading be profitable for you, and not just for your broker? Read our trading course to learn the common sence tips and tricks. convergence divergence test When two lines come closer, it is called convergence. When they go in the opposite directions (one up, one down) - it is a divergence. The thing is - the convergence / divergence test usually works faster than the convergence divergence indicator itself, providing predictive signals. historical intraday stock data When you use the Stock Downloader to get the intraday data, you will be connected to the Yahoo server. The 15 minutes delayed data are extracted from the Yahoo pages, together with the split information, if any.

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definition ppo This article covers the Percenmtage Price Oscillator indicator. It includes the basic information, formulas and an example case study. formula macd MACD stands for the Moving Average Convergence Divergence. As you can guess from the title, the moving averages are calculated for the stock price, and the points of their intersections are used as trading signals. screen stochastic Stochastic indicators are trying to determine the buying and selling pressure. If the security is under the pressure, then sooner or later the price will adjust. Mostly, these are range indicators. real time day trading signal The stock quotes from the Yahoo stock server are 15 minutes delayed. You can take this fact into consideration whan creating your own trading system, or simply use the downloaded data to learn the technical investment analysis before doing "the real thing". downloader stock The Stock Downloader is a program that uses Yahoo stock server to download stock quotes. It will also download split information. chart pattern recognition software The Trader day trading simulation program is an example of the chart pattern recognition software. It can find the beginning and end of the price trend, and to generate trading signals using the convergence and divergence of the trendlines. wmt stock quote One of the stocks used as an example in the Trader tutorials is the WMT.

free live stock quote The Stock Downloader works as a front end for any software taht can use it's files. It creates the free live stock quote files on the disk, and as the new information becomes available, appends it to these files.

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The use of moving averages extends from the simple data smoothing, to the complex indicators, based on convergence, divergence and pattern analysis. On one side, the moving average is always behind. On the other side, the derived indicators can sometimes "look forward", predicting the future values. trading indicator Indicators can be used to produce trading signals. free intraday charts Use the data, obtained using Stock Downloader program, to create free intraday charts day trading simulator We strongly advice, that you use some kind of the day trading simulator, before doing the "real thing", risking the real money. intraday quotes The Stock Downloader creates two files for each stock, one with the intraday quotes, and one with the split information. technical analysis stock screen Using the Trader's built-in scripting language, you can write your own stock screen. However, try the stock screens available online, first. yahoo historical stock quote This service provides day end files, available for downloading. The Stock Downloader program can do it automatically for you. Also, the intraday data can be extracted from some pages on the yahoo finance stock quote server. The Stock Downloader can do this for you, too. macd convergence divergence This is one of the most commonly used trading indicators. It is simple, reasonably reliable and can be implemented using computers. technical indicator macd The difference between two moving averages is used to test for the buy and sell signals. point figure charting The "timeless" indicator, making possible to perform pattern analysis in a fast and elegant way. technical analysis of stock trend The Trader program has built-in functions for the trend analysis, particularly, it can check, if the trends for two lines (like MACD and price) go in the different directions. day trading techniques Read our free introductions on the trading techniques. technical analysis formula The technical analysis takes into consideration the past price history of the security. day trading tutorial Read our free introductions on the trading techniques. day trading how to Grab the stock quotes using the Stock Downloader program. macd formula MACD indicator can be used on stock price. However, it can also be applied to the other indicators, providing us with the information on the direction and speed of changes. trading system Usually, one indicator is not enough to build a complete trading system. You need at least momentum indicator, stochastic indicator and stop criteria. historical intraday data When downloading the historical intraday data, you may leave the Stock Downloader unattended for couple of months. It will keep the system clock correct, reboot, if you select this option, and reconnect to the Internet at the beginning of the trading session. technical investment analysis The technical investment analysis doe not care about company - all it uses is the stock price history. online day trading education Subscribe to our 5 e.mails trading course day trading faq Check them, before spending any money. stock market quote historical Historical quotes can be downloaded for you automatically with the Stock Downloader program. trading course

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Subscribe to our 5 e.mails trading course historical daily stock quote There are many online sources, offering historical daily stock quotes. You need, however, to be aware of possible problems with data, some providers offer, such as gaps, spikes etc. free real time streaming stock quote There are also providers, offering free real time streaming stock quotes. Usually it comes with the "free trial" of their software packages. Some of these sources are reliable and accurate enough. day profit trading Day trading is at the borderline between profit and risk. Some people say it is impossible to consistently win at such short time frame, while some other say - it is. previous stock quote You can not possibly trade based only on thecurrent stock price. You need to analyze the history, at least, the previous stock price. Quote history should be always at hand. ppo software There are some companies, offering it. We do not have enough experience in that area. current quote stock yahoo Yahoo is one of the most known public data providers. Both current stock quotes, and stock history is available on most securities. archive quote stock It has to be mentioned, that stock quote archives, available online, are often of very high quality. Sometimes you may see them offered for a fee, usually, it means minute time frame and large (> 600 mb) amount of data. historical market quote stock Both historical stock quotes and last minute market information should be studied, as any trading system may produce errors, and it is the last minute information, that allows us to catch them. review software stock trading Stock and Forex trading software does not necessarily have to be expansive. As many reviews suggest, the most convenient packages include "free time unlimited demo account", and free trading client as well. A good example is www.metaquotes.net - a company, that has one of the best FOREX trading platforms, which is completely free. stock trend chart Stock prices move in trends, which can be analyzed on charts. This is one of the cornerstones of technical analysis. quick quote stock The time delay is inacceptable, when you do intraday trading. There are many data providers, offering free or almost free stock quotes, without a delay. day living trading Can you live off the day trading? There are many examples, supporting this point of view, however, it seems that most of the day traders loose. history market quote stock There are many reviews available on the history of the stock market. Some of them are based on the Dow theory, some - on the waves, and so on. sp 500 trading system SP 500 is an index, and as such, it contains much less noise. It makes it a perfect trading instrument, and you can use all tools from the technical and fundamental analysis. formula macd MACD indicator is described in details, with formulas, Cortex scripting code and charts, on this site, in the corresponding article. free system trading There are many trading forums online, and almost all of them offer free trading systems. Some of them are half-tested, while some are market-ready. stock day trading tip The most important day trading tip is to learn as much as you can, before you risk your money, rather than start as soon as you can. commodity market system trading The trading - in any market, including commodity market - requires a system. It means you need to know in advance, what to do in any situation, so that you don't have to waste time, desiding. definition ppo See online sources. best system trading What trading system is the best? As trading is a balance between the risk and the reward, the best system is case-dependent. It is up to you to figure out your

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risk tolerance. investing quote stock Using stock quotes to trade as a mean of an investment is not a single approach, but rather many different approaches, involving different methods of analysis, and different paradigmas. free software stock trading It is our belief, that a trading platform must be free. Only this way, the trader can get used to it before he invests. day trading tool As an example of a day trading tool, consider a MetaTrader. Note: this site does not represent MT. We just like the tool. free live stock quote The situation with free live stock quotes is constantly changing to the best. To find the best available offer, do a research on the Internet trading forums. free streaming stock quote When you do a day end trading, you don't need a streaming data feed. However, it is required for intraday. stochastic definition On this site, you will find both the definition of stochastic indicator, and the source code to implement it. simulator trading There are some fine simulators available free of charge, one example is a MetaTrader. However, a real time trading is always different, and the difference is often to the worse. wmt stock quote See finance.yahoo.com day trading simulation As an example, consider MetaTrader simulator. It emulates intraday ticks, creating reasonably accurate testing environment. day trading pattern Patterns are widely used in day trading, as the matter of fact, as price charts are fractal, any time frame can benefit from this approach. stock quote download Stock quotes can be downloaded from Yahoo (one possible way to automate this task is to use a free script that comes with Cortex). historical stock quote free Yahoo is probably the first thing that comes to mind, unless you need something very specific. download historical quote To download, simply go to their site, enter the ticket and select the time frame. stock index trading system Indexes are similar to the stocks, exept two things. First, thei have much less "noise". Second, the liquidity is much better. So by all means, they are good instruments. current own quote stock yahoo Yahoo is a well known stock quotes provider, they are delayed, though. yahoo finance stock quote Also, day end information at Yahoo is delayed, too. past stock quote Historical (past) stock quotes are used for technical analysis. day trading simulator Simulators can be used to test day trading systems, however, nothing can replace a real time demo account. free stock trading system There are many stock trading systems in the Internet, available free of charge. best stock trading system The best stock trading system is the one that suits your risk - reward ideas. stock trading simulator There are many stock trading simulators available online, some of them are free. yahoo stock quote Yahoo stock quote is one of the well known and reliable free services.

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historical stock quote Historical stock quotes can be obtaines from many sources, from free Yahoo, to commercial Reuters. trading indicator There are many trading indicators, available on this site. It includes both the description, and the source code.

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