What is Triple Moving Average?
Moving Average Triple draws three moving averages of the same price at 14, 21 and 35 bars by default. All three use one averaging method, chosen with a single setting: simple, exponential, smoothed, weighted or volume-weighted. Changing the method moves every line together, so the three stay comparable.
It shows how short, medium and longer averages line up against each other and against price. It does not mark crossings, confirm trend strength or predict future prices.
How to use Triple Moving Average
- The order of the lines. Shortest above middle above longest is the stacked order of an uptrend. The reverse order is the downtrend picture. Lines out of order mean the horizons disagree.
- The spacing. Evenly spaced lines moving the same way show a steady trend. Lines bunching together usually mean the move has stalled.
- Crossings in sequence. In a turn, the shortest line usually crosses the middle one first, then the longest. Each crossing is a lagging fact about the window it represents.
- The method. SMA is the steadiest, EMA and WMA turn sooner, SMMA is the slowest for a given length, and VWMA gives more weight to high-volume bars.
These are ways to read the lines, not entry signals on their own.
Settings
| Setting | Default | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Method | SMA | The averaging method for all three lines. Options are SMA, EMA, SMMA (RMA), WMA and VWMA. |
| Source | Close | Which price all three averages use. Open, high, low and the averaged sources such as hl2 and hlc3 are also available. |
| Length 1 | 14 | Bars in the first average. Minimum 1. |
| Length 2 | 21 | Bars in the second average. Minimum 1. |
| Length 3 | 35 | Bars in the third average. Minimum 1. |
The line colours stay with the inputs, blue for Length 1, orange for Length 2 and green for Length 3, whatever lengths you choose.
Calculation
All three lines are the same kind of average of the same source, at three lengths:
MA 1 = average(price, 14)
MA 2 = average(price, 21)
MA 3 = average(price, 35)
SMA: plain average of the last n bars
EMA: alpha = 2 / (n + 1)
SMMA: alpha = 1 / n (Wilder's smoothing)
WMA: weights n, n - 1, ... 1, newest heaviest
VWMA: average of price weighted by each bar's volumeEach line is drawn once it has enough bars for its length, so with the defaults the 35-bar line starts later than the other two. The EMA and SMMA methods start from a simple average of the first bars and settle from there.
Limitations
- It lags. All three lines are built from past prices, and the longest one lags most.
- Sideways markets tangle the lines. With no trend, the three averages sit close together and cross often.
- VWMA needs volume. On markets with thin or unreliable volume, the volume-weighted method can jump around.
- The live candle moves. The current bar's values change until that bar closes.
- It is not a strategy. On its own it carries no risk management, sizing or exit.
Frequently asked questions
It is three moving averages of the same price, 14, 21 and 35 bars by default, sharing one averaging method so their order and spacing can be read together.
Look at the order and the spacing. Shortest on top, longest at the bottom, evenly spaced, is the steady uptrend picture; the reverse is the downtrend picture. Lines bunched together or out of order mean the horizons disagree.
Yes. The indicator declares five inputs: Method, default SMA, with EMA, SMMA (RMA), WMA and VWMA also available; Source, default close; and Length 1, 2 and 3, defaults 14, 21 and 35, each with a minimum of 1.
No. Values on closed bars are not revised. The current candle's values move while that candle is live and settle when it closes. With the EMA or SMMA method, loading older history recalculates the averages and values near the start of the loaded range can shift.
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 Moving Average Triple already applied. On any other market, open the indicator picker on the chart and choose Moving Average Triple from the Moving Average group.