Startseite Wirtschaftswissenschaften Chapter 11: Moving Averages: Order in the Change
Kapitel
Lizenziert
Nicht lizenziert Erfordert eine Authentifizierung

Chapter 11: Moving Averages: Order in the Change

  • Michael C. Thomsett
Veröffentlichen auch Sie bei De Gruyter Brill
Practical Trend Analysis
Ein Kapitel aus dem Buch Practical Trend Analysis

Abstract

The moving average (MA) is a statistical tool that evens out a set of values. On a stock chart, those values are based on closing prices over a range of sessions. In reviewing a chart for a volatile stock, it often is difficult to determine the general trend of price; with moving averages it becomes possible to tell not only the direction, but the level of volatility as well. A “moving” average is just that: with the close of each new session, the oldest session is dropped off and replaced with the newest session’s closing price. With price data smoothing through MA, charting is given a specific structure not always available otherwise. The longer the period in the MA, the less responsive it is to change. Newer information that departs from the average will not change the MA line as much as it does in a shorter time frame MA. For example, a fifty-day MA will be more responsive to new information than a two hundred-day MA. This observation explains the technical value of MA analysis: by comparing two different MA lines over a price chart, conclusions can be reached based on how the two MA lines interact, converge, or cross, providing signals or confirmation about direction and potential reversal.

Abstract

The moving average (MA) is a statistical tool that evens out a set of values. On a stock chart, those values are based on closing prices over a range of sessions. In reviewing a chart for a volatile stock, it often is difficult to determine the general trend of price; with moving averages it becomes possible to tell not only the direction, but the level of volatility as well. A “moving” average is just that: with the close of each new session, the oldest session is dropped off and replaced with the newest session’s closing price. With price data smoothing through MA, charting is given a specific structure not always available otherwise. The longer the period in the MA, the less responsive it is to change. Newer information that departs from the average will not change the MA line as much as it does in a shorter time frame MA. For example, a fifty-day MA will be more responsive to new information than a two hundred-day MA. This observation explains the technical value of MA analysis: by comparing two different MA lines over a price chart, conclusions can be reached based on how the two MA lines interact, converge, or cross, providing signals or confirmation about direction and potential reversal.

Heruntergeladen am 16.10.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781547401086-011/html
Button zum nach oben scrollen