What is MA Cross?
MA Cross draws two simple moving averages of the same price, a fast one of 9 bars and a slow one of 26 bars, and puts an arrow on every bar where they cross. A green up arrow marks the fast line crossing above the slow one; a red down arrow marks it crossing below. The arrows are drawn at the fast line's value. A crossing is easy to miss by eye on a busy chart, and the markers make each one visible.
A crossing means the shorter window's average has overtaken the longer one's. That is a lagging fact by construction. The indicator does not filter crossings, predict whether a move will continue, or tell you where to exit.
How to use MA Cross
- Up arrow. The fast average has crossed above the slow one. Recent prices have risen above the longer window's average.
- Down arrow. The fast average has crossed below the slow one. Recent prices have fallen below the longer window's average.
- Clusters of arrows. Several arrows close together usually mean a range, where the two lines sit on top of each other and cross on noise.
- The gap between the lines. A wide, growing gap after a crossing shows the move extending. A gap that shrinks back towards zero warns the next crossing may be close.
These are ways to read the lines and markers, not entry signals on their own.
Settings
| Setting | Default | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Length | 9 | Bars in the fast simple average. Lower crosses sooner and more often. Minimum 1. |
| Slow Length | 26 | Bars in the slow simple average. Higher crosses less often and later. Minimum 1. |
| Source | Close | Which price both averages use. Open, high, low and the averaged sources such as hl2 and hlc3 are also available. |
Adjust the two lengths and the price source in the indicator settings.
Calculation
Both lines are simple moving averages, and each bar is checked for a change in which one is on top:
fast = SMA(price, 9)
slow = SMA(price, 26)
up arrow: fast was below slow, now above
down arrow: fast was above slow, now belowEach arrow is placed at the fast line's value on the crossing bar and stays on the chart; a later crossing adds a new arrow rather than replacing the previous one. No crossing can be marked until both averages exist, so the first possible arrow is after 26 bars with the defaults.
The plain pair of lines without markers is the Moving Average Double.
Limitations
- Crossings come late. Both lines are averages of past prices, so by the time they cross, a good part of the move has already happened.
- Sideways markets produce whipsaws. In a range the two lines cross repeatedly and each crossing gets an arrow.
- The live candle can cross and uncross. While the current candle is open, the lines can cross and then separate again. Only a crossing that holds at the close is final.
- Simple averages drop bars abruptly. A large bar leaving the back of the window can move the line as much as a new bar arriving, which can cause a crossing that has nothing to do with current price.
- It is not a strategy. On its own it carries no risk management, sizing or exit.
Frequently asked questions
It is two simple moving averages, 9 and 26 bars by default, with an arrow on every bar where they cross. Up arrows mark the fast line crossing above the slow one, down arrows the reverse.
An up arrow means recent prices have moved above the longer window's average, a down arrow that they have moved below it. Several arrows close together usually mean a range rather than a trend.
Yes. The indicator declares three inputs: Fast Length, default 9; Slow Length, default 26; and Source, default close. Both lengths have a minimum of 1. Open the indicator's settings on the chart to change them.
Not on closed bars. Line values and arrows on bars that have already closed are not revised. On the live candle, the lines move with price, so a crossing can show and then go away if the lines separate again before the candle closes. Treat a crossing as confirmed only once its candle has closed.
MA Cross uses simple averages and EMA Cross uses exponential ones, with the same default lengths. EMA Cross usually crosses earlier and more often, on real turns and on false ones.
Use the Add to chart button at the top of this page. It opens BTC/USDT on Binance in the Altrady Charts terminal with the built-in MA Cross already applied. On any other market, open the indicator picker on the chart and choose MA Cross from the Moving Average group.