Customizable MACD (how to detect a strong convergence)

11 nov 2019

Helloooo traders

I wondered once if a MACD was based on an EMA/EMA/SMA or SMA/SMA/EMA (or WHATEVA/WHATEVA/WHATEVA).
Seems they're so many alternatives out there.
I decided to empower my audience more by choosing the type of moving averages you want for your MACD.
More options doesn't always mean better performance - but who knows - some might find a config that they like with it for their favorite asset/timeframe.

I added also a multi-timeframe component because I'm a nice guy ^^

Convergence is my BEST friend

An oscillator (like MACD) is to measure how strong a momentum is - generally, traders use those indicators to confirm a trend.
So understand that a MACD (or any other indicator not based on convergence) won't likely be sufficient for doing great on the market.
Combined with your favorite indicator, however, you may get great results.

My indicators fav cocktail is mixing :
1) an oscillator (momentum confirmation)
2) a trendline/key level break (momentum confirmation)
3) adding-up on a different trading method but still converging with the first entry.

The reason I'm deep with convergence detection is because I'm obsessed with removing those fakeout signals. You know which ones I'm talking about :)
Those trades when the market goes sideways but our capital goes South (pun 100% intended) - 2 days later, the price hasn't changed much but some lost some capital due to fees, being overexposed, buying the top/selling the bottom of a range they didn't identify.
It's publicly known that ranges are the worst traders' enemy. It's boring, not fun, and .... end up moving in the direction we expected when we go to sleep or outside.
NO ONE/BROKER/EX-GF is tracking your computer - I checked also for mine as it happened for me way too often in the past.
I surely preferred blaming a few external unknown conditions than improving my TA back in the days #bad #dave

But my backtest sir...
Our backtests show what they're being told to show. A backtest without a stop-loss/hard exit logic will show incredible results.
Then trying that backtest with live trading is like in the Matrix movie - discovering the real world is tough and we must choose between the blue pill (learning how to evaluate properly risk/opportunity caught) and the red pill (increasing the position sizing, not setting a stop loss, holding the positions hoping for the best)

Last few words
Convergences aren't invented because it's cool to mix indicators with others. (it is actually and even fun)
They're created to remove most of the fakeouts. For those that can't be removed - a strong risk management would cut most of the remaining potential big losses.
No system works 100% of the time - so a convergence system needs a back-up plan in case the converged signal is wrong (could be stop-loss, hard exit, reducing position sizing, ...)

Wishing you the BEST and happy beginning of your week
Daveatt