Should we use the 200 day EMA or SMA?

Discussion in 'Technical Analysis' started by pragmatic-trader, May 24, 2020.

  1. Tradex

    Tradex

    Maybe repaint is not the correct word but I couldn't find a better one to describe the situation.

    The problem with EMA is that it heavily depends on the most recent price level. So if the market makes a sudden move, the EMA will quickly update the chart.

    That means that the price could touch a perceived support line (on the EMA chart) at, say 8:30 AM. So you buy.

    But 5 minutes later the price changes again and the EMA is updated accordingly. But this time you discover that the price never really touched that nice support level you saw earlier, precisely because the EMA has been updated in the meantime.

    This is only true when the candle is still not complete of course.

    This problem does not exist with simple moving averages, as they are hard to move from one bar to the next.
     
    #41     May 25, 2020
  2. schizo

    schizo

    Good point. The only reason why you should monitor SMA(200) is because mutual fund managers follow them. Well, according to CNBC.
     
    #42     May 25, 2020
    KCalhoun and Tradex like this.
  3. Tradex

    Tradex

    The most important thing to watch is not the SMA -200 itself (there is zero magic in that number), but how traders all over the world react to that level.

    For example, do I see a follow through or a price rejection at the SMA-200?
     
    Last edited: May 25, 2020
    #43     May 25, 2020
    S-Trader, KCalhoun and schizo like this.
  4. schizo

    schizo

    Yes, and it's also important to know that those who have the power to move the price are institutional folks like hedge funds or mutual funds, not small fries like you or me (figuratively speaking).
     
    #44     May 25, 2020
    Tradex likes this.
  5. Tradex

    Tradex

    Absolutely, and when these "whales" move they leave huge footprints that the astute retail trader can profit from.
     
    #45     May 25, 2020
  6. tommcginnis

    tommcginnis


    Does Covel provide so much as a single algebraic formula for trend-following of *any* form? No.
    == Total FLUFF.
     
    #46     May 26, 2020
  7. Tradex

    Tradex

    Oh, so now to trade profitably we need an "algebraic formula" ??
    Where did you read that, Mad Magazine ?
     
    #47     May 26, 2020
  8. tommcginnis

    tommcginnis

    That's hilarious -- the Mad Magazine Guide to Trend-Following would NO DOUBT contain more usable content on trend trading than Covel's slop. (I know I'm probably aging myself with that observation, but what the hell. It's a world world world world Mad.) But to answer your implicit question, YES, we need an algebraic formula to trade trends. Do you even realize that you wrote that? Hilarious.... What a goof.

    Hey, you win. You get last comment, cuz....... nobody else should step in this goo.
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2020
    #48     May 26, 2020
  9. Tradex

    Tradex

    Sure, whatever you say.
     
    #49     May 26, 2020
  10. ph1l

    ph1l

    Michael Covel's "Trend Following (Updated Edition): Learn to Make Millions in Up or Down Markets" actually includes someone else's code for a trend following system, so his book is only 99.99% fluff.:)
    upload_2020-5-26_22-29-6.png
     
    #50     May 26, 2020
    tommcginnis likes this.