Technical Indicators

Technical Indicators are the often squiggly lines found above, below, and on top of the price information on a technical chart. Indicators that use the same scale as prices are typically plotted on top of the price bars and are therefore referred to as “Overlays.”

Cool Tip. If you are new to stock charting and the use of technical indicators, the following article will help you get started: Introduction to Technical Indicators and Oscillators. It's an in-depth introduction to various technical indicators and oscillators—a “must-read” article for StockCharts users.

Technical Indicators

Accumulation/Distribution Line Combines price and volume to show how money flows into or out of a stock.

Alligator Indicator An indicator that helps you identify the presence and direction of market trends.

Aroon Determines if a stock is trending or consolidating using the Aroon Up and Aroon Down.

Aroon Oscillator Measures the difference between Aroon Up and Aroon Down.

ATR Bands A volatility-based indicator that plots bands above and below a moving average of the underlying price.

ATR Trailing Stops A volatility-based indicator that sets dynamic stop-loss levels for market exits or entries.

Average Directional Index (ADX) Shows whether a stock is trending or oscillating.

Average True Range (ATR) and Average True Range Percent (ATRP) Measures a stock's volatility.

Balance of Power (BOP) Measures buying and selling pressure to determine which side is in greater control and driving price action.

Bollinger BandWidth Shows the percentage difference between the upper and lower Bollinger Band.

%B Indicator Shows the relationship between price and standard deviation Bollinger Bands.

Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) Combines price and volume to show how money may be flowing into or out of a stock Alternative to Accumulation/Distribution Line.

Chaikin Oscillator Combines price and volume to show how money may be flowing into or out of a stock. Based on Accumulation/Distribution Line.

Chande Trend Meter (CTM) Scores the strength of a stock's trend, based on several technical indicators over six different timeframes.

CMB Composite Index An unbound momentum oscillator that attempts to improve on some of the shortcomings of traditional RSI.

Commodity Channel Index (CCI) Shows a stock's variation from its “typical” price.

ConnorsRSI A momentum oscillator created from the composite of RSI, ROC, and Up/Down Length, designed for shorter-term trades.

Coppock Curve An oscillator that uses rate-of-change and a weighted moving average to measure momentum.

Correlation Coefficient Shows the degree of correlation between two securities over a given timeframe.

DecisionPoint Price Momentum Oscillator (PMO) An advanced momentum indicator that tracks a stock's rate of change.

Detrended Price Oscillator (DPO) A price oscillator that uses a displaced moving average to identify cycles.

Distance From Highs Shows how far a security is trading from its 3, 6, 9, or 12-month highs, expressed as a percentage.

Distance From Lows Shows how far a security is trading from its 3, 6, 9, or 12-month lows, expressed as a percentage.

Distance To Highs Shows the percentage move necessary for a security to reach a 3, 6, 9, or 12-month high.

Distance To Lows Shows the percentage move necessary for a security to reach a 3, 6, 9, or 12-month low.

Distance From Moving Average Shows the percentage difference between price and a moving average of your choice.

Ease of Movement (EMV) An indicator that compares volume and price to identify significant moves.

Force Index A simple price-and-volume oscillator.

Gopalakrishnan Range Index Determines the range of price moves for different assets and identifies which investments are more volatile and which tend to move in slow and consistent trends.

High Low Bands Identifies and analyzes price trend direction, overbought/oversold conditions, support and resistance levels, and volatility.

High Minus Low Measures the difference between a financial asset's highest and lowest prices per day or session.

Highest High Value Shows a security's highest trading value during a specific period.

Linear Regression Forecast Forecasts stock price values using past values. LRF can determine the underlying trend and when prices are overextended to the upside or downside.

Linear Regression Intercept Identifies underlying trends and when prices are overextended to the upside and downside.

Linear Regression R2 An oscillator that indicates the presence of a strong trend or a lack of trend.

Lowest Low Value Shows a security's lowest trading value within a specific period.

Mass Index An indicator that identifies reversals when the price range widens.

MACD (Moving Average Convergence/Divergence Oscillator) A momentum oscillator based on the difference between two EMAs.

MACD-Histogram A momentum oscillator that shows the difference between MACD and its signal line.

MACD-V A volatility-normalized MACD that can analyze trends.

MACD-V Histogram A momentum oscillator that indicates if a trend is positive or negative in absolute terms.

Median Price Displays a trading range's midpoint for a given period.

Money Flow Index (MFI) A volume-weighted version of RSI that shows shifts is buying and selling pressure.

Negative Volume Index (NVI) A cumulative volume-based indicator used to identify trend reversals.

On Balance Volume (OBV) Combines price and volume in a very simple way to show how money may be flowing into or out of a stock.

Percentage Price Oscillator (PPO) A percentage-based version of the MACD indicator.

Percentage Volume Oscillator (PVO) The PPO indicator applied to volume instead of price.

Performance Spread A relative strength indicator that considers the difference in percentage changes between a security and a baseline symbol.

Price Relative / Relative Strength Technical indicator that compares the performance of two stocks to each other by dividing their price data.

Pring's Know Sure Thing (KST) A momentum oscillator from Martin Pring based on the smoothed rate-of-change for four different timeframes.

Pring's Special K A momentum indicator from Martin Pring that combines short-term, intermediate and long-term velocity.

Rate of Change (ROC) and Momentum Shows the speed at which a stock's price is changing.

Relative Strength Index (RSI) Shows how strongly a stock is moving in its current direction.

Relative Volume (RVOL) A set of indicators/overlays that compare current volume to the average, in order to identify conditions where unusually high or low volume is powering a price move.

RRG Relative Strength Uses RS-Ratio to measure relative performance and RS-Momentum to measure the momentum of relative performance.

StockCharts Technical Rank (SCTR) Our relative ranking system based on a stock's technical strength.

Slope Measures the rise-over-run for a linear regression.

Standard Deviation (Volatility) A statistical measure of a stock's volatility.

Stochastic Oscillator (Fast, Slow, and Full) Shows how a stock's price is doing relative to past movements. Fast, Slow and Full Stochastics are explained.

StochRSI Combines Stochastics with the RSI indicator to help you see RSI changes more clearly.

Traffic Light Shows bullish (green), bearish (red), and neutral (yellow) zones on a chart using parameters you set.

TRIX A triple-smoothed moving average of price movements.

True Strength Index An indicator that measures trend direction and identifies overbought/oversold levels.

TTM Squeeze A volatility indicator that identifies periods of consolidation and determines the direction of the resulting move.

Typical Price An indicator that represents a trading bar's average price.

Ulcer Index An indicator designed to measure market risk or volatility.

Ultimate Oscillator Combines long-term, mid-term, and short-term moving averages into one number.

Vortex Indicator An indicator that identifies the start of a new trend and defines the current trend.

Weighted Close An indicator that identifies a prevailing trend.

Williams %R Uses Stochastics to determine overbought and oversold levels.

Note: We also have an extensive collection of Technical Overlays and Market Indicators.