Top Momentum Indicators To Analyse Trend Strength
Identifying strong market trends is necessary to profit in the forex market. Momentum indicators help traders measure a market trend’s strength and find the right entry and exit price levels. In this article, we take a look at the top momentum indicators that can easily analyse trend strength.
What is a momentum indicator?
Momentum indicators are technical analysis tools that determine in which direction the market is headed and how strong or weak the ongoing trend is.They measure the speed at which currency pair prices change by comparing the current and historical prices.
Top momentum indicators every trader should know
1. Relative Strength Index
Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a strong momentum indicator that measures a currency pair's current and historical market strength to analyse the overbought or oversold market conditions. The RSI results are plotted on a range between 0 to 100. When the RSI reading is below 30, it indicates an oversold market, and when the readings are over 70, it indicates an overbought market condition.
- Traders receive an exit signal when the markets are overbought as RSI indicates a potential market downtrend reversal
- Traders receive an entry signal when the markets are oversold as RSI indicates a potential market uptrend reversal
2. Average Directional Index
Average Directional Index (ADX) is a technical indicator that measures the currency pair price movement in a particular trend direction (upwards or downwards) to determine the ongoing trend’s strength. The ADX is plotted between values of 0 to 100, where any reading above 25 indicates a strong trend in the market.
- During a downtrend, when the ADX reading is above 25, it signals traders to exit the market due to the continued downtrend presence
- During an uptrend, when the ADX reading is above 25, it signals traders to enter the market due to the continued uptrend presence
3. Stochastic Oscillator
The Stochastic Oscillator is a momentum indicator that uses support and resistance levels to identify oversold or overbought market conditions. It compares the current closing prices of a currency pair over a period of time to understand the ongoing market trend. The indicator provides traders with values ranging from 0 to 100.
- When the indicator gives a reading over 80, the currency pair prices break above the resistance level and the market is considered overbought. This signals traders to exit the trade due to an expected downtrend.
- When the indicator gives a reading below 20, the currency pair price breaks below the support level, and the market is considered oversold. This signals traders to enter the trade due to an expected uptrend.
4. Moving Averages
Moving Average is a technical indicator that identifies a market trend’s direction and strength by taking the average of currency pair prices over a specific period of time.
- When the current currency pair price is more than the average price in an uptrend, it signals a continued strong uptrend and provides traders with ideal entry levels
- When the currency pair price is less than the average price in a downtrend, it signals a strong continued downtrend and provides traders with ideal exit levels
When a currency pair price is on either side of the Moving Average (above or below), the farther it is, the stronger the ongoing trend is considered to be. This is because –
- When there is an uptrend, prices away (and above) from the average price confirm that the market is not trading within a range and is following an uptrend
- When there is a downtrend, prices away (and below) from the average price confirm that the market is not trading within a range and is following a downtrend
5. Moving Average Convergence Divergence
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is an indicator that depicts the relationship between a slow-moving average (long term) and a fast-moving average (short term). The MACD reveals the ongoing trend’s direction, strength, momentum and duration in a forex market. It consists of a MACD line, which is the difference in the closing prices of the two moving averages and a signal line, which is a 9-period EMA that helps traders with ideal turning points in the market.
- When the MACD line crosses the signal line from below, traders receive a strong sell signal to exit the market due to an expected downturn
- When the MACD line crosses the signal line from above, traders receive a strong buy signal to enter the market due to an expected upturn
6. Rate of Change
The Rate of Change (ROC) momentum indicator measures the speed at which the currency pair prices change over a specified period of time. ROC provides a ratio where the change in one variable (currency pair price) relative to the change in another variable (time) indicates the momentum strength of the currency pair.
- A positive and high ratio indicates a high momentum, signalling traders to enter the market due to an expected continuous uptrend
- A negative and low ratio indicates a low momentum, signalling traders to exit the market due to an expected continuous downtrend
7. Bollinger Bands
Bollinger Bands are technical analysis tools that are used to measure overbought and oversold market conditions along with market volatility. They consist of two trend lines above and below a simple moving average line (the middle band).
- The upper band is plotted above the middle band by two standard deviations
- The lower band is plotted below the middle band by two standard deviations
When the currency pair prices are closer to the upper band, the market is said to be in an overbought condition. On the contrary, when the currency pair prices are closer to the lower band, the market is considered to be oversold. The currency pair prices range between the upper and lower bands.
- In an overbought market condition, traders receive a sell signal due to an expected downtrend market reversal
- In an oversold market condition, traders receive a buy signal due to an expected uptrend market reversal
8. Ease of Movement
The Ease of Movement (EOM) indicator indicates the relationship between a currency pair’s price change and its volume in the market. It calculates how easily a currency pair price is able to fluctuate in the market. The EOM values range between positive and negative values in the market, as the EOM line always fluctuates either above or below a zero line.
- When the EOM line crosses the zero line from below and moves beyond the line, it provides traders with positive values and signals them to enter the trade due to the inclining prices
- When the EOM line crosses the zero line from above and moves below the line, it provides traders with negative values and signals them to exit the trade due to the declining prices
9. Williams %R
Williams %R indicator provides traders with overbought and oversold market conditions. The indicator gives traders values between 0 to -100 to signal them about the ideal entry or exit price levels. All readings between 0 to -20 signal overbought market conditions, and readings between -80 to -100 signal an oversold market condition.
- Traders receive a long or buy signal when the Williams %R value drops below the oversold level as it indicates an uptrend reversal
- Traders receive a short or sell signal when the Williams %R value rises above the overbought level as it indicates a downtrend reversal
10. Coppock Curve
Coppock Curve indicator is a long-term momentum indicator that indicates major upturns and downturns in the forex market in a long time period. It also helps traders identify the beginning of strong bullish or bearish markets by calculating the 10-month weighted moving average considering the sum of the 11-month and 14-month rate of change for the currency pair. It takes a zero line in consideration to signal traders about bullish and bearish markets.
- When the indicator crosses the zero-line from below, it signals a bullish market and provides traders with ideal entry price levels to long a trade
- When the indicator crosses the zero line from above, it signals a bearish market and provides traders with ideal exit price levels to short a trade
11. Commodity Channel Index
The Commodity Channel Index (CCI) indicator is a tool that measures the current currency pair price levels to its average price over a specific period of time. This helps traders identify overbought and oversold market conditions and take entry and exit positions accordingly. The CCI is high when the currency pair prices are way above their average price, signalling a continued uptrend, and the CCI is low when the currency pair prices are way below their average price, signalling a continued downtrend. The CCI values range from 100 to -100 and are either above the zero line or below it.
- When the CCI crosses the zero line from below and moves to the positive range (from 0 to 100), it signals traders to long the trade and provides them with ideal entry price levels
- When the CCI crosses the zero line from above and moves to the negative range (from 0 to -100), it signals traders to short the trade and provides them with ideal exit price levels
12. Detrended Price Oscillator
Detrended Price Oscillator (DPO) is an indicator that provides traders with overbought and oversold market conditions by comparing the currency pair’s closing prices to its moving average prices. The indicator eliminates the trends that are longer than the moving average cycle so that the overbought and oversold market conditions are not finalised based on the most recent price changes. The DPO uses a zero line to indicate oversold and overbought market conditions. The area above the zero line is the oversold market area, and the area below the zero line is the overbought market area.
- When the DPO crosses the zero line from below and reaches the area above the zero line, the trades are signalled to long the trade in the oversold market due to an expected uptrend
- When the DPO crosses the zero line from above and reaches the area below the zero line, the traders are signalled to short the trade in the overbought market due to an expected downtrend
13. TRIX
The TRIX indicator is an oscillator that filters out the irrelevant or unwanted price fluctuations in the short term that do not matter to the larger trend. When the TRIX indicator provides traders with a positive value, it suggests a continued uptrend in the market, and when the TRIX value is negative, it indicates a continued downtrend. It also uses the zero line to indicate ideal buy and sell levels.
- When the TRIX indicator crosses the zero line from below and closes above the line, it signals traders to enter the trade due to an expected continued uptrend
- When the TRIX indicator crosses the zero line from above and closes below the line, it signals traders to exit the trade due to an expected continued downtrend
14. Williams Accumulate Distribute
Williams Accumulate Distribute (A/D) indicator uses a currency pair’s price and volume to check when the currency pair is being distributed or accumulated in the forex market. When the currency pair is accumulating in the market, it signifies that the demand pressures are higher than the selling pressures, and when the currency pair is distributing in the market, it signifies that the selling pressures are higher than the demand pressures.
- If the currency pair prices are falling, but the A/D line is following an uptrend, traders receive a signal to enter the market due to an expected uptrend reversal and higher accumulation
- If the currency pair prices are rising, but the A/D line is following a downtrend, traders receive a signal to exit the market due to an expected downtrend reversal and higher distribution
Trade with Momentum Indicators today to measure trend strength
Momentum Indicators provide traders with ideal buying and selling levels as per the ongoing market trend and its strength. You can start trading various currency pairs and measure their trend strength on Blueberry Markets. Sign up for a live trading account or try a risk-free demo account.
Recommended Topics
-
How to Use The Bill Williams Indicator
Bill Williams Indicator is helpful in analysing trending markets, reversals and momentum.
-
How to Use Relative Vigor Index in Forex
The Relative Vigor Index (RVI) is a technical analysis indicator that helps measure a trend’s strength in forex trading.
-
Technical Trading Strategies for Day Traders
Technical trading strategies for day traders include technical analysis tools to identify short-term trading opportunities in the market.
-
How to Use The Force Index Indicator in Forex?
The Force Index indicator combines the currency pair’s price and volume to determine the power of bulls and bears in the market.
-
The Ultimate Guide to Trading Trends in Forex
Trading trends in forex provides you with opportunities to identify the strong market direction and enter an order accordingly.
-
MT5 Indicators Every Trader Should Know
MT5 is a forex and stock trading platform that enables traders to place automatic orders.
-
What is Volume Trading Strategy
Volume trading in forex is all about trading currency pairs with high buying or selling pressure.
-
Top Low Spread Scalping Strategies For Forex Traders
Scalping strategies allow traders to leverage on the small price changes in the forex market to turn the trends in their favour.
-
What is Forex Currency Swap?
Forex currency swap helps reduce foreign borrowing costs and mitigate exchange rate risks.
-
What is Forex Spot Trading
With forex spot trading, one can make significant short-term profits by trading at prevailing prices.
-
How to Short Sell a Currency
Short selling enables traders to place lucrative forex orders even in a falling market.
-
How to Use The Chaikin Money Flow Indicator
The Chaikin Money Flow indicator provides future market direction by analysing the strength of the market trend and underlying buying or selling pressures.
-
What is Momentum Trading? Top Momentum Trading Strategies
Momentum trading leverages market volatility to the trader’s advantage by identifying the strength of the market’s current trend.
-
How to Trade With VWAP Indicator in Forex
The Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP) helps eliminate any unwanted price fluctuations during the trading period.
-
5 Top ADX Trading Strategies
The Average Directional Movement Index (ADX) strategy measures the forex market’s overall strength.
-
How to Identify a Trend in the Forex Market
Identifying market trends in forex is also helpful in understanding if your trading strategy is going as per plan and where you can improve.
-
Forex Trading Robots: How Do They Work?
Forex trading robots make multitasking possible by processing multiple conditions like order entries/exits and entering stop loss orders automatically.
-
What Are Momentum Indicators in Forex
Momentum indicators measure how strong the price change is in the currency pairs.
-
How to Use Gator Oscillator For Forex Trading
Gator Oscillator helps in identifying a trending or consolidating market.
-
What is The Exponential Moving Average
Exponential Moving Average (EMA) helps in understanding the market’s trend direction.
-
Top Forex Volatility Indicators
Forex volatility defines the risk an investor takes in the market. The higher the volatility, the greater the risk and the higher the potential returns.
-
How to Use Forex Market Sentiment Indicators
Sentiment indicators in the forex market indicate extremely volatile market conditions.
-
How to Use The Hanging Man Candlestick Pattern For Forex Trading
The Hanging Man Candlestick pattern provides downtrend reversal signals, which helps traders place sell or short orders to profit off falling markets.
-
How to Add MT4 Indicators
MetaTrader 4 comes with several built-in and custom indicators to boost your trading strategy.
-
Top MACD Trading Strategies
Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) strategies enable traders to measure market momentum and trend strength.
-
Top Indicators for MT4
MT4 indicators help analyse forecasted currency pair prices and place exit or entry orders accordingly.
-
How to Trade Bullish and Bearish Divergences
Bullish and bearish divergences enable you to trade market reversals.
-
Top Support and Resistance Indicators
Support and Resistance indicators identify price points on the forex chart where the markets can potentially reverse.
-
What is The Donchian Channel Indicator
The Donchian Channel indicator can determine volatility and potential breakout signals in the market.
-
How to Install MT4: A Beginner's Guide
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) is a powerful forex trading platform with a user-friendly interface and advanced analytical tools for automating trading.
-
What are Trendlines in Forex Trading?
Trendlines in forex provide clear market signals for placing long or short orders.
-
Market Order vs Limit Order
Market and Limit orders help execute automatic trading transactions, as per your trading preferences.
-
Bearish and Bullish Markets
In the trading world, it is essential to be aware of the bull and bear market trends because they define the direction of the market
-
How to Read Trading Charts
Trading forex live charts can help identify ongoing market trends, which can help you place successful traders.
-
Top Reversal Patterns For Forex Trading
Reversal patterns provide traders with price levels at which the market can potentially reverse.
-
How to Find The Best Forex Trading Signals
Forex trading signals are important market triggers that provide traders with ideal entry and exit price levels in the market.
-
Top Forex Trading Strategies That Actually Work
Trading in forex, you will come across several forex trading strategies -- some more complex than the others. It is immensely crucial to start forex trading with the right strategy.
-
Scalping vs Swing Trading: What’s the Difference?
Every forex trader has a different purpose, objective, time constraints, and investment capital. The right forex trading style for you depends on your main trading goals and requirements.
-
What are Volume Indicators
Volume in the forex market can be used to determine the upcoming market trends. Volume indicators are forex trading indicators that can identify if the volume for a particular currency pair is high or low, providing traders with market continuation and reversal signals
-
Shooting Star Candlestick Pattern
The Shooting Star Candlestick Pattern can identify bearish market reversals and provide traders with ideal price levels to short or exit the trade.
-
Top Trading Chart Patterns
Predicting future currency pair prices help in confirming market continuation and reversal signals.
-
What is Slippage in Forex Trading?
Slippages occur when a currency pair order is executed at a price different from the set market order price.
-
Buy limit vs Sell Stop Orders in Forex
Placing buy limit and sell stop orders help employ a price control strategy on forex trades. Let's take a look at buy limit vs sell stop orders.
-
The Best Time Frame For Forex Trading
A time frame is a designated time period where forex trading takes place. Time frames can be measured in minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years.
-
Top Technical Indicators in Forex
Technical indicators are a market direction signal based on the current and historical price movement of a currency pair that provides traders with future price expectations
-
Top Continuation Patterns
A continuation pattern indicates if the current market trend is going to continue in the same direction or not
-
How to Ace Divergence Trading in Forex
The forex market is all about timing your trades well. Divergences give traders a market reversal signal right before a price trend changes
-
How To Trade Forex With Japanese Candlesticks?
A Japanese Candlestick is a technical analysis tool used to analyze the currency pair’s price movement in the forex market.
-
Types of Moving Averages Every Trader Should Know
Moving Average is a technical indicator which averages out currency pair prices in a specific time period in order to accurately identify market trend reversals and support-resistance levels.
-
8 Popular Intraday Trading Indicators
Intraday Trading Indicators help place successful short-term trade orders in the forex market.
-
What is the Tweezer Candlestick Formation?
The Tweezer Candlestick formation is a reversal pattern that indicates either a market top (strong uptrend) or market bottom (strong downtrend)
-
Average Directional Index
The ADX is a strength indicator that measures how strong or weak a particular market trend is.
-
How to Use Elliott Wave Theory For Forex Trading?
The Elliott Wave Theory analyses a currency pair’s long-term price movement in the forex market.
-
What are Pivot Points in Forex
Pivot Points help traders identify market reversals. With Pivot Points, traders can predict the support and resistance levels of a currency pair to make entry and exit decisions.
-
Keltner Channel
Keltner Channel is a technical indicator that provides traders with strong continuation signals and trend directions by assessing a currency pair's price volatility.
-
Leading vs Lagging Indicators
Leading and lagging indicators help traders measure the future and current performance of a currency pair, respectively. These indicators can help make successful trading decisions.
-
What is Relative Strength Index?
Relative Strength Index (RSI) helps traders understand how frequently the currency pair prices change in the forex market to predict the future market prices.
-
Wide Ranging Bars
Wide Ranging Bars are strong momentum indicators that help traders understand the market direction and identify ideal entry and exit points.
-
Harmonic Price Patterns in Forex
Harmonic Price Patterns allow traders to predict future price movements and trend reversals to make ideal entry and exit decisions in the Forex market.
-
Double tops and bottoms
Double Tops and Double Bottoms chart patterns help traders identify solid bullish and bearish trend reversals in the Forex market, and in turn, find the ideal market entry and exit points.
-
Falling and Rising Wedges
When you are trading currency pairs in the Forex market, it is essential to know when the market can possibly reverse. The Falling and Rising Wedges pattern help identify market reversal signals and accurate market entry and exit points.
-
Forex Scalping Strategy
Scalping refers to trading currency pairs in the Forex market based on real-time analysis. With Forex scalping, you hold a position for a very short period and close once you see a profit opportunity.
-
Symmetrical Triangle Pattern
Symmetrical Triangle Patterns help identify market breakdowns (price fall) and breakouts (price rise), and in turn, help you plot the entry and exit prices for profitable Forex trading.
-
Introduction to Technical Analysis in Forex
Technical analysis in Forex trading provides you with significant market trends, reversals and fluctuations and in turn helps you long and short term trades.
-
Trading breakouts and fakeouts
Breakout and fakeout trading enable traders to take positions in rising and falling markets.
-
Fundamental Analysis in Forex Trading Explained
Fundamental analysis in Forex trading is one of the several methods you can use to determine the relative security and intrinsic value of a nation’s currency.
-
8 Top Commodity Trading Strategies
Commodity trading is one of the best ways to diversify your portfolio and protect yourself from losses incurred due to inflation.
-
What is a Doji Candlestick?
The Doji Candlestick is a pattern used in technical analyses of trend reversals in a market.
-
Moving Average: The Complete Guide
Moving Average is used in Forex trading to compare the current currency pair pricing and where it stands with respect to the current average pair prices.
-
What is Volatility Index (VIX) and How Do You Trade It?
One of the most popular trading markets in the world, the foreign exchange market allows investors to make quick money by trading currencies.
-
Forex Profit Calculator
On average, a Forex trader can make anywhere between 5 to 15% of the initial amount they invested in the market.
-
Understanding markets gaps and slippage
The foreign exchange rate reveals valuable details about particular currencies a trader wishes to trade-in.
-
What is a pip in forex?
When trading in the Forex market, you need to have a close eye on two currencies at the same time. PIP helps you denote the change in a currency pair’s value.
-
Introduction to Order Types in Forex
Forex has different order types which allow traders to automate entering and exiting positions.
-
Using orders to manage risk
Forex risk management includes a robust set of rules and regulations that protect you against Forex's negative impacts.
-
Managing risk in 7 steps
Risk management in Forex is essential to individuals, groups of individuals, and organizations since it enables them to implement measures that help mitigate Forex risk and its negative impact.
-
Bullish and Bearish Flag Patterns
Blueberry Markets discusses why it is essential to study the bullish and bearish flag patterns in Forex. Learn more.
Advanced
Master risk management and
become an expert forex trader.
Move on to the advanced course.
Guide to Forex
Trading indicators.
Enter your details to get a copy of our
free eBook
Start a risk free
demo account
News & Analysis
Catch up on what you might
have missed in the market.