The saucer strategy involves looking for changes in three consecutive bars that are on the same side of the zero line. A bullish saucer requires all three bars to be on the positive side of the zero line. The construction you are looking for is a red bar, followed by a smaller red bar, followed by a green bar. A bearish saucer requires all three bars to be on the negative side of the zero line.
The AO is calculated by comparing two simple moving averages (SMAs) of the median price of a financial instrument, typically over 5 and 34 periods. The Awesome Oscillator (AO) is a widely used technical indicator developed by Bill Williams, an American financial analyst. It serves as a powerful tool for measuring market momentum, as well as providing valuable insight into emerging trends and potential reversals in the market.
Average True Range Indicator
The Awesome Oscillator (AO) is a 34-period simple moving average, plotted through the central points of the bars of a histogram built with the bar’s midpoints. It is used to confirm trends and anticipate upcoming reversals by analyzing the momentum behind price movements. The Awesome Oscillator determines the trend direction using the principle described above.
Awesome Oscillator Trading Strategies
The Awesome Oscillator is a momentum indicator used frequently by forex traders to analyze market trends. This oscillating indicator was created in the 1990s by famous trader Bill Williams, and remains an extremely popular tool today. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is an alternative momentum indicator that traders use when analysing the market. It is usually calculated by subtracting a 26-period exponential moving average (EMA) from a 12-period EMA. In addition to the MACD line, traders also https://www.forex-world.net/ use the signal line, which is a 9-period EMA of the MACD line, and the histogram, which is the difference between the MACD line and the signal line. The MACD is considered a trend-following indicator, as it provides traders with signals when the market is changing direction.
- The AO excels at signaling upcoming reversals through formations like saucers and domes.
- With the standard basic settings of MA(5) and MA(34), the indicator is considered to be leading.
- The Saucer method looks for changes in three consecutive bars, all on the same side of the Zero Line.
- The AO is simply calculated as the difference between the 34-period and 5-period simple moving averages applied to the bar’s midpoints i.e.
- In essence, the Awesome Oscillator calculates the difference between a 34-period and a 5-period simple moving average (SMA).
- Green bars represent increasing momentum and signal bullish market conditions when situated above the zero line, or potential reversals when below it.
Awesome Oscillator Strategy #3 – Twin Peaks Setup
Thanks to its comprehensive visuals and customization, AO can be applied to any timeframe, but proves to be particularly useful for short- and mid-term trading. Like any trading signal, divergences don’t guarantee any future price action and are taken more as scenarios that have a likelihood of causing the market to behave a certain way. A divergence occurs when the Awesome Oscillator reports momentum that doesn’t conform with recent price action and can often indicate a reversal or corrective move soon. A bearish twin peak takes place when two green peaks are observed above the zero-line, and similar to its bullish counterpart, is followed by a red bar under the zero-line – the sell signal. The positive or negative difference is then plotted over a zero line, but there are numerous factors beyond just price that can affect market momentum.
Bill Williams put a twist on the MACD when he designed the Awesome Oscillator. To me, it is simply another oscillator that will give you an insight into the momentum of the market. If you were to see the AO on a chart, you would not be wrong to think it looks much like that MACD in histogram mode. If I had to choose between the saucer setup and the zero line cryptocurrency broker canada cross, I would take the saucer because it takes into account a pause in the market.
Awesome Oscillator Strategy
On the other hand, if the AO value is negative, this indicates that the 5-period SMA of the midpoint price is below the 34-period SMA, indicating a bearish trend. In this scenario, the trader might choose to enter a short position, as the market is likely to continue moving downwards. Imagine that a trader is analysing the price chart of a stock and notices that the AO value is positive. This indicates that the 5-period SMA of the midpoint price is above the 34-period SMA, indicating a bullish trend.
MACD Indicator: What Is and How to Use in Forex Trading
For example, try a 50/15 or even 75/25 combination to focus on wider momentum. While this approach can be profitable, also incorporate price action context like support/resistance levels, chart patterns, and volume. The Awesome Oscillator is displayed as a histogram oscillating above and below zero. When the shorter-term SMA is greater than the longer term SMA, momentum is increasing and the AO histogram will rise. When the longer SMA is greater, momentum is decreasing and the AO histogram falls. All information on The Forex Geek website is for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide financial advice.
- Bollinger Bands provide a range of possible price movement based on a simple moving average and standard deviation.
- Traders can use other indicators, such as the Stochastic Oscillator or Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), to further support the buy signal.
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- If you want to learn how to change the AO settings yourself, simply click on the TradingView gear icon, AO Style, and choose columns instead of the histogram.
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- In fact, most indicators have a hard time with small-cap investments, but this makes it near impossible to use the Awesome Oscillator in crypto markets without pairing it with more reliable tools.
Now, let’s move forward to the most important part of this article, the trading Currency meter rules of the Bill Williams Awesome Oscillator trading strategy. If you’re interested in learning more about the MACD indicator, we recommend studying the MACD Trend Following Strategy, which is an out-of-the-box trend-following strategy. Twin Peaks is a method which considers the differences between two peaks on the same side of the Zero Line. Pairing the AO alongside the patterns I cover in the free Price Pattern E-Book you can download would no doubt improve the usefulness of this indicator.
You can notice that the AO histogram bars can change from green to red while she stays above/below the zero line. Gator Oscillator, Alligator, and Fractals are part of the Bill Williams trading system, which also includes the Awesome Oscillator. One important aspect to consider when using the AO to analyse trends is divergence.