I’d like to share an indicator I came up with that I found very useful over the years. It’s actually a very simple one but it proved itself against over and over again against much more complicated indicators that try to do the same thing. I surely wouldn’t want to miss it.
Here’s the formula: abs(open-close)/(high-low) * 100
Which gives us a value between 0 and 100 that measures the actual price change of a single price bar (absolute value of open-close) against the whole price bars range (high-low). Or in Candlestick charting language: measures the size of the candle body against the whole candle including the wicks.
Let’s look at a price chart to make this more clear:
The blue bars are showing the Daily BarStrength of Gold for each of the price bars/candles. Below you can find a 5 period EMA of that BarStrength. Notice that huge green candles that open nearby the low and close nearby the high show a high BarStrength score (50+) while candles that close near the open have a very low score.
So what you might wonder. Well here’s the interesting part: Notice that quite often you’ll get a strong price bar/candle after a weak one and the other way around. To highlight this I’ve plotted a horizontal line at 33.
The same is true on a larger scale looking at the moving average below. When it’s showing low values, meaning there’s been hardly any real price change in Gold for a couple of days, there’s a tendency for big moves to happen afterward.
I’ve found this to be true in many markets, Gold is just an example. While this works in principle on any timeframe, it’s most effective on higher timeframes like daily and weekly charts.
The BarStrength indicator doesn’t show you in which direction the market will move. But knowing when a market is more likely to make a big move than not can make a really huge difference in your trading results. This is why I like to use this as a filter for breakout strategies, like ORB (opening range breakout) strategies for example.
Happy Trading!
CFTC RULE 4.41 - HYPOTHETICAL OR SIMULATED PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE CERTAIN LIMITATIONS. UNLIKE AN ACTUAL PERFORMANCE RECORD, SIMULATED RESULTS DO NOT REPRESENT ACTUAL TRADING. ALSO, SINCE THE TRADES HAVE NOT BEEN EXECUTED, THE RESULTS MAY HAVE UNDER-OR-OVER COMPENSATED FOR THE IMPACT, IF ANY, OF CERTAIN MARKET FACTORS, SUCH AS LACK OF LIQUIDITY. SIMULATED TRADING PROGRAMS IN GENERAL ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO THE FACT THAT THEY ARE DESIGNED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFIT OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD drops to daily lows near 1.1630
EUR/USD now loses some traction and slips back to the area of daily lows around 1.1630 on the back of a mild bounce in the US Dollar. Fresh US data, including the September PCE inflation numbers and the latest read on December consumer sentiment, didn’t really move the needle, so the pair is still on course to finish the week with a respectable gain.
GBP/USD trims gains, recedes toward 1.3320
GBP/USD is struggling to keep its daily advance, coming under fresh pressure and retreating to the 1.3320 zone following a mild bullish attempt in the Greenback. Even though US consumer sentiment surprised to the upside, the US Dollar isn’t getting much love, as traders are far more interested in what the Fed will say next week.
Japanese Yen refreshes three-week high vs USD; seems poised to appreciate further
The Japanese Yen retains bullish bias as BoJ rate hike bets offset dismal Household Spending data. Dovish Fed expectations fail to assist the USD in attracting buyers and keep a lid on the USD/JPY pair. Traders keenly await the US PCE Price Index for Fed rate-cut cues and a fresh directional impetus.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD drops to daily lows near 1.1630
EUR/USD now loses some traction and slips back to the area of daily lows around 1.1630 on the back of a mild bounce in the US Dollar. Fresh US data, including the September PCE inflation numbers and the latest read on December consumer sentiment, didn’t really move the needle, so the pair is still on course to finish the week with a respectable gain.
GBP/USD trims gains, recedes toward 1.3320
GBP/USD is struggling to keep its daily advance, coming under fresh pressure and retreating to the 1.3320 zone following a mild bullish attempt in the Greenback. Even though US consumer sentiment surprised to the upside, the US Dollar isn’t getting much love, as traders are far more interested in what the Fed will say next week.
Gold makes a U-turn, back to $4,200
Gold is now losing the grip and receding to the key $4,200 region per troy ounce following some signs of life in the Greenback and a marked bounce in US Treasury yields across the board. The positive outlook for the precious metal, however, remains underpinned by steady bets for extra easing by the Fed.
Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP pare gains despite increasing hopes of upcoming Fed rate cut
Bitcoin is steadying above $91,000 at the time of writing on Friday. Ethereum remains above $3,100, reflecting positive sentiment ahead of the Federal Reserve's (Fed) monetary policy meeting on December 10.
Week ahead – Rate cut or market shock? The Fed decides
Fed rate cut widely expected; dot plot and overall meeting rhetoric also matter. Risk appetite is supported by Fed rate cut expectations; cryptos show signs of life. RBA, BoC and SNB also meet; chances of surprises are relatively low.
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