Moving average indicators on eToro

Ever wondered how to master the art of moving average indicators on eToro? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore various moving average indicators, their pros and cons, and how they can enhance your trading strategies. Let’s dive in!🌊

What is a Moving Average Indicator?🤔

Moving Average is one of the simplest indicators used in trading and it shows the average price of a stock over time; it is constantly updated as new price information becomes available. This indicator is one of the most common tools of technical analysis and shows an ‘overall’ price direction, smoothing over short-term market deviations and price fluctuations.

The basic advantage of a moving average is the fact that it smoothes over ‘noises’ on a chart and shows an overall price trend. Such indicators are used to identify trading signals; in simple terms, ‘buy’ signals can be inferred when the price of an asset moves above the moving average indicator and ‘sell’ signals then happen when prices are below a MA. Sometimes a moving average can be interpreted as support and resistance levels, but more on this below.

Exploring Different Moving Average Indicators on eToro🔎

Now let’s examine the various moving average indicators available on eToro, their advantages, and how to use them effectively in your trading strategies.

1. Simple Moving Average (SMA)🌱

The Simple Moving Average (SMA) calculates the average of past closing prices over a specified period. It is primarily used for observing price trends and identifying potential reversal points. The longer the SMA period, the more it smooths out short-term noise and fluctuations.

2. Exponential Moving Average (EMA)🚀

The Exponential Moving Average (EMA) is a variation of the SMA that assigns more weight to recent prices. This makes the EMA more responsive to price changes, which can be helpful for short-term trading and identifying recent price trends. However, this increased sensitivity can also lead to more fluctuations, which may not always be beneficial to your trading strategy.

EMA tends to spot price trends faster than SMA and is overall more price sensitive over short time periods. This also means however that it is fluctuates more than SMA and that sometimes may be harmful to your trading process. Note the difference between exponential moving average, shown in red, and a simple moving average indicators, shown in blue below. Neither of these indicators are better than the other and which one you should use depends on your trading strategy and the chosen time frame.

EMA is used in identifying a price trend and therefore ‘buy’ and ‘sell’ signals. It can also sometimes be interpreted as a support and resistance levels, where for instance the price would not fall below the EMA which therefore acts as a price ‘floor’ or the support level.

3. Moving Average Deviation Indicator (MA Dev)📊

The MA Dev measures how much the price of an asset deviates from its moving average over time. This indicator displays two bars on a histogram, representing increasing and decreasing price periods. Traders can use the MA Dev to infer ‘buy’ and ‘sell’ signals based on the direction of the bars.

The default field on eToro is set to 12 candlesticks of closing price by default, as well as the time of the moving average, for example, simple, exponential, weighted an so on. A green or an increasing bar above the zero line on MA Dev would then indicate an upward price trend and a red or a decreasing one indicates a downtrend. When upward or downward bars begin to form on either side of the zero line, ‘buy’ and ‘sell’ signals for the strategy can be inferred.

4. Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD)🔀

MACD is an oscillator momentum indicator that follows price trends and is used for technical analysis in trading. It calculates the difference between two moving averages of different time intervals, a longer 26 and a shorter 12 day exponential moving average (these values are set by default but could be adjusted to the needs of your trading strategy on eToro),  revealing both the price trend and its momentum.

Traders can use the MACD to identify bullish and bearish markets, as well as market turns.When MACD crosses the zero line from below and moves upward the asset can be considered to be in an uptrend (a ‘buy’ signal) and when it crosses the zero line from above and continues downwards the market is said to be going down (a ‘sell’ signal). This is shown on the image below, with the MACD as the black line and signal line as the blue line. What are the two different lines on this image then? The black line is the MACD itself, the difference between the 12 and 26 day exponential moving averages. The blue line is the signal line or the average series taken as the 9 day exponential moving average of MACD. The interaction of these two can be used as entry and exit signals of trades or as a confirmation to signals generated from different indicators/ trading strategies; such a signal can be confirmed when the MACD crosses over the 9-day EMA and moves into the direction of the price trend. In particular, when MACD crosses through the signal line from below, a bullish market is inferred and vice versa. Crossovers of lines are widely used as trend indicators but not really for momentum. To spot momentum you can also see a histogram with this indicator which shows the difference between the 9-day EMA (the signal line) and the MACD. It essentially shows how much MACD moves over or under the signal line; the histogram is positive or green when the line of MACD is moving above the signal line and vice versa, negative when MACD is below the line. It can also be used to interpret the most recent momentum of the price and the change in its direction. Higher momentum can be implied from the case when the histogram is above the zero line and a lower momentum from when it is below.

5. Moving Average Envelope (MA Env)💌

The MA Env helps mitigate the effects of short-term market noise by drawing ‘envelope’ lines above and below a chosen moving average indicator. Like Bollinger Bands, the MA Env can indicate overbought and oversold levels. ‘Buy’ signals are generated when the price cuts through the lower band, and ‘sell’ signals occur when it passes through the upper band,like shown on the image below.

Pros and Cons of Moving Average Indicators⚖️

Moving average indicators can be a valuable addition to your trading toolbox, but it’s essential to understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Advantages✅

• Help identify trends and generate trading signals
• Smooth out market noise and fluctuations
• Customizable to suit various trading strategies and timeframes

Disadvantages❌

• Can sometimes generate false signals, especially in volatile markets
• May not always accurately predict reversals or market turns
• Lagging nature means they are less effective in fast-paced, rapidly changing markets

Conclusion🏁

Mastering the art of moving average indicators on eToro can give you an edge in your trading strategies. By understanding the differences between various types of moving averages and their applications, you can make informed decisions and better interpret market trends. Remember to always stay up-to-date with the latest industry developments and adjust your strategies accordingly. Happy trading!📈

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Author & Expert Trader - Financial Analyst :

My name is Bart Bregman and I am a full-time professional trader with nine years of experience. I specialize in shorter-term trading using technical analysis, and I have extensive experience with Stocks, CFDs, Options, and Crypto trading. I believe that there is no such thing as a bad trade. I'm currently traveling the world as a digital nomad trader. You can follow my journey on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bart_bregman/