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Moving Averages

A moving average smooths price by averaging it over a rolling window, turning a jagged chart into a cleaner line that reveals trend direction. This article explains the simple and exponential moving average and how they differ, the common 20/50/200 periods, how moving averages are used (trend direction, dynamic support and resistance, and crossovers like the golden and death cross), the inescapable lag that comes with smoothing, and why a crossover describes the past rather than predicting the future.

13 min readPublished 19 June 2026

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intermediateTechnical AnalysisPremium

MACD

MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence) is a momentum and trend indicator built from two moving averages. This article explains its three parts — the MACD line (the gap between a fast and slow EMA), the signal line, and the histogram — and how they are read: the zero line, signal-line crossovers, and MACD divergence. Because it is built from moving averages, MACD inherits their lag, so it is framed throughout as a descriptive lens on momentum, not a forecasting signal.

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