The Best Moving Average for 15-Minute Chart - Article (2024)

The Moving Average is one of the simplest yet powerful tools to trade. Read further to find out which Moving Average is best used for a 15-minute chart.

One of the most critical matters that every trader must have is a trading strategy. Without a proper plan, trading might be tougher than it should be and the results can go unexpectedly. Especially for novice traders, it would be helpful to use a strategy that is simple to execute but powerful enough to gain profits.

You don't always need a super complicated or professional method to find success in trading. Instead, you only need an effective strategy. Utilizing one of the oldest and simplest trading tools called Moving Averages can be a good start. While there are many types of Moving Averages that you can choose, here we will talk about the 20 EMA.

How Does the 20 EMA Strategy Work?

The main advantage of the 20 EMA trading strategy is that it is very easy to follow even for novice traders. The only tool you need is the 20 EMA and it can be used for any currency pairs in any time frame. However, the strategy is best used when the market is in high volatility and the price is moving fast.

In a downtrend, the price is expected to go down. But at some point, you will see that the price will change direction to test the 20 EMA line. If the downtrend is strong, then the 20 EMA will be able to push the price back down. This is called a "retest" and it can happen once or a few times before it finally reaches a point where the 20 EMA is broken. So, the 20 EMA strategy basically acts as the bounce line for candlesticks. As a trader, you should wait and make use of the moment where the price retests the 20 EMA line.

See Also:Practical Use of Moving Averages: EMA-20 and EMA-60 Crossover

You only have to pay attention to one very specific candlestick. It refers to the first candlestick that heads back up and touches the EMA line after the price had been steering away from it for some time. Remember, if the next candlestick still touches the EMA line, then it is not a good signal, so you should look for another one. Once you found the right signal, it would be the right time to open a position.

Here's an example:

The Best Moving Average for 15-Minute Chart - Article (1)

While that explains the setup for a Short position, you can also learn about the Long setup very easily because it is exactly the opposite. The basic principles in the 20 EMA strategy are:

  • When the price is closing above the 20 EMA, then it is an uptrend. In comparison, if the price is closing below the 20 EMA, then it is a downtrend.
  • The candlestick that first touches the 20 EMA after the trend has changed direction is called the signal candlestick. This is the only thing that you should pay attention to because your entry depends on the signal candlestick's Low and High.
  • In an uptrend market, you should place your buy stop pending order at least 1-2 pips above the High of the signal candlestick. If the next candlestick doesn't activate your order, then you should cancel it.
  • In contrast, in a downtrend market, place your pending sell stop order 1-2 pips below the signal candlestick's Low. If the next candlestick does not activate the order, you need to cancel that pending order.
  • Place your stop loss a few pips (at least 5-10 pips depends on the time frame you use) below the signal candlestick for a buy trade and above the signal candlestick for a sell trade.

See Also: The Most Powerful Candlestick Patterns You Should Trade

20 EMA Trading Strategy for 15-Minute Chart

If you're into scalping or other short-term strategies, making use of a Moving Average in a 15-minute chart is quite recommended. The 20 EMA is the best moving averages to use in the 15-minute charts because the price follows it most accurately during multi-day trends. In other words, you can easily identify the trend from there.

Identify the Major Trend

Before you jump into the 15-minute chart, you should know how to identify the trend in the higher timeframe, namely the daily chart. You don't want to enter the market and risk your money while the trend is unclear, right? That is why it is important to identify the trend beforehand and make sure that it is going strong. Once you know the price direction in the daily chart, it would be much easier to find an entry in the 15-minute chart.

First, to identify the trend, you need to set up several rules on the chart. The goal is to recognize where the direction of the price is going to move. Don't worry, these rules can be used for both up and downtrends, and it also works on different time frames:

  • Make sure that the price has been moving up for several days with at least one Higher Low for an uptrend and a Lower High for a downtrend.
  • The price has a 20 EMA line that is pointing upwards, at a two o'clock angle or steeper for an uptrend, or a four o'clock angle for a downtrend.
  • The price has significantly broken a resistance level (in an uptrend) or support level (in a downtrend).

Spotting the Entry Points

After confirming the trend, now it is time to determine your entry position. Shift to the 15-minute chart, and learn that there are two conditions that you should look for as the potential buy spots in an uptrend chart.

The first one would be the breakout over a resistance shown on the daily chart. If it is clear that the price follows the 20 EMA line, it indicates an ideal Long position. The second spot is when there is a big movement over the resistance zone. This condition is considered safer because the price has confirmed its momentum and keeps going in the expected direction. Therefore, as soon as the price hits and holds the 20 EMA, that would be a good entry spot for you.

See also: All About Forex Entry And Exit Strategy

Is the 20 EMA Ideal for Day Trading?

Yes, it is. Not only for scalping, you can also use 20 EMA in the 15-minute chart for day trading. However, in day trading, you'lltypically need a particular pattern before you start your trade and once you find one, make sure to confirm it with the support and resistance levels. The pattern itself is quite easy to recognize.

You should see either a strong down or up movement with a retrace to the 20 EMA within the first 2 hours after the market opened. Keep in mind that to keep the strategy going, you also need to check the trend on the higher time frame. If you recognize that the trend is going in the same direction as the earlier move, there is a big probability that the price will reverse at the 20 EMA.

See Also:Exponential Moving Average Strategies for Day Trading

Can 20 EMA Strategy Fail?

Like every other trading strategy, 20 EMA is not free of flaws and can potentially fail. So there are times when the price does reach a support or resistance level and still goes sideways. The price can also be moving around, completely ignoring the 20 EMA line. If you happen to come across such conditions, it would be better to stop the trade and wait for another opportunity because the market is full of uncertainties in such circ*mstances.

On the bright side, while it is possible to fail, you can actually increase your chance of success with the 20 EMA strategy. First, you can use several time frames at once to measure the strength of the trend.

For example, you can look for strong price movements on the daily and 1-hour charts, and then open a position when you find a good entry point on the 15-minute chart. Such high probability trade is a lot more profitable than only sticking with one time frame that is already used by many traders worldwide. Other than that, you can also add other tools on the chart and combine them with the Moving Average that you use.

See Also: 200 EMA Trading Strategy, Simple Yet Powerful

Conclusion

20 EMA trading strategy is a simple yet powerful strategy. Using EMA is considered to be more profitable because it sticks closer to the price compared to SMA. This means it can show a more accurate bouncing line on the chart.

The strategy is easy enough even for novice traders and it is quite effective for short-term trading in a 15-minute chart. Still, don't forget to confirm the trend on the daily chart first and pay attention to the support and resistance zones.

Even if the 20 EMA strategy can still fail at some point, you can increase the chance of winning by using multiple time frames and adding more tools to the chart. Also, the probability of getting profit is still high considering that you are trading in the same direction as the major trend that has been confirmed on the daily chart. It may take a little while to finally get the hang of it, but this simple strategy is definitely worth trying. More importantly, you should try the strategy in a forex demo account before using it in a real account.

The Best Moving Average for 15-Minute Chart - Article (2024)

FAQs

The Best Moving Average for 15-Minute Chart - Article? ›

The best indicator to use on a 15-minute chart for optimum profits is the combination of the Supertrend indicator, the 5 EMA, and the 20 EMA. A Supertrend indicator is pretty similar to Moving Averages in the sense that it is plotted on price and can determine the current market price trends.

Which moving average is best for 15 min time frame? ›

Best MA for a 15-minute chart

Therefore, the best MA to use in a 15-minute chart should be relatively short. For example, it does not make any sense to use a 100-period MA on a 15-minute chart. It also does not make sense to use a 50-MA for such a chart. Instead, you should use relatively shorter-dated moving averages.

What is the best indicator for scalping 15 minutes? ›

15-Minute Forex Scalping Strategy

The MACD is a momentum oscillator indicator that helps traders identify trend direction and whether the bullish or bearish momentum in the price is strengthening or weakening.

What is the best ADX setting for a 15 minute chart? ›

The best ADX settings for a 15-minute chart depend on the trader's preferences and trading style. However, some commonly used settings are 14 for the period, and 25 for the threshold level.

What is the best moving average for a chart? ›

Common Moving Averages Periods

Traders and market analysts commonly use several periods in creating moving averages to plot their charts. For identifying significant, long-term support and resistance levels and overall trends, the 50-day, 100-day and 200-day moving averages are the most common.

What are the MACD settings for a 15-minute chart? ›

The best MACD settings for a 15-minute chart are parameters 24, 52, and 18. However, this setting is only a few percent better in our case study than the default setting 12,26,9. This setting is the best for small time frames.

What is the best time frame for EMA for scalping? ›

Traders calculate the MACD scalping indicator by subtracting the 26-day EMA (exponential moving average) from the 12-day EMA, with the 9-day EMA set as the MACD default setting or signal line to mark buying and selling triggers.

What is the most powerful indicator for scalping? ›

Place a 5-8-13 simple moving average (SMA) combination on the two-minute chart to identify strong trends that can be bought or sold short on counter swings, as well as to get a warning of impending trend changes that are inevitable in a typical market day. This scalp trading strategy is easy to master.

What time frame is best for scalpers? ›

Scalpers usually work within very small timeframes of one minute to 15 minutes. However, the one- or two-minute timeframes tend to be favoured among scalpers.

What is the best EMA crossover for 15 min chart? ›

The 20 EMA is the best moving averages to use in the 15-minute charts because the price follows it most accurately during multi-day trends. In other words, you can easily identify the trend from there.

Which is better RSI or ADX? ›

ADX and RSI

An RSI reading of above 70 implies overbought conditions, whereas a reading of below 30 implies oversold conditions. A buy order in a ranging market will be when the price is drifting lower, with an ADX reading of below 25, and when the RSI is showing oversold conditions.

What is the best time frame to use ADX indicator? ›

The traditional setting for the ADX indicator is 14 time periods, but analysts have commonly used the ADX with settings as low as 7 or as high as 30. Lower settings will make the average directional index respond more quickly to price movement but tend to generate more false signals.

Which moving average strategy is most accurate? ›

Exponential Moving Average (EMA or EWMA)

Exponential moving averages give more weight to the most recent periods. This makes them more reliable than the SMA and a better representation of the recent performance of the security and hence can be used to create a better moving average strategy.

What is the most responsive moving average? ›

Exponential Moving Average (EMA)

An exponential moving average tends to be more responsive to recent price changes, as compared to the simple moving average which applies equal weight to all price changes in the given period.

Which moving averages are most important? ›

The simple moving average (SMA) is the most widely used. It is called the simple moving average because each data point is equal-weighted in the calculation. The SMA can be 5-day, 13-day, 21-day or any period of time that a trader finds useful. Analysts can use the simple moving average as a signal to buy or sell.

Is 15 min chart good for day trading? ›

For day trading, 15-minute charts and 30-minute charts are the best. Day traders who use indicators in their day trading strategy can use a 15-minute or lower time frame. In the case of price action-based trading, a combination of the 15-minute and 30-minute time frames is the best.

Should we trade in first 15 minutes? ›

If you are a seasoned trader, trading within the first 15 minutes might not be as much of a risk. For beginners, it's recommended to wait until 9:30. The reason behind this is simple; in the first few minutes of the market opening, stocks are likely reacting to the previous night's news.

Should I trade in the first 15 minutes? ›

So if you're a novice, you may want to avoid trading during these volatile hours, or at least within the first hour. However, for seasoned day traders, the first 15 minutes following the opening bell is prime time, usually offering some of the biggest trades of the day on the initial trends.

What is the best MACD numbers to use? ›

When we apply 5,13,1 instead of the standard 12,26,9 settings, we can achieve a visual representation of the MACD patterns. These patterns could be applied to various trading strategies and systems, as an additional filter for taking trade entries. It is argued that the best MACD setting for a MACD pattern is 5,13,1.

What are the most reliable MACD settings? ›

Typical MACD Settings

The typical MACD default settings are (12,26, 9) and refers to the following: (12) – The 12 period exponentially weighted average (EMA) or 'fast line' (26) – The 26 period EMA or 'slow line' (9) – The 9 period EMA of the MACD line, known as the 'signal line'

What is a good MACD number? ›

MACD crossing above zero is considered bullish, while crossing below zero is bearish. Secondly, when MACD turns up from below zero it is considered bullish.

Which EMA is better for scalping? ›

In a scalping strategy, a buy position must match the following criteria: To establish a buy position, we must wait for the 50 EMA (Exponential Moving Average) to cross above the 100 EMA.

What time frame do scalper traders use? ›

Scalpers usually work within very small timeframes of one minute to 15 minutes. However, the one- or two-minute timeframes tend to be favoured among scalpers.

What is the most popular EMA for day trading? ›

The 8- and 20-day EMA tend to be the most popular time frames for day traders while the 50 and 200-day EMA are better suited for long term investors. Sometimes markets will flat-line, making moving averages hard to use, which is why trending markets will bring out their true benefits.

What is the best RRR for scalping? ›

In scalping, a 3:1 risk to reward ratio is common (although, lower risk/reward is always more favorable). This may sound backwards because it means risking $0.60 on a trade to make a $0.20 reward.

What is the easiest scalping strategy? ›

A one-minute scalping strategy is a great technique for beginners to implement. It involves opening a position, gaining some pips, and then closing the position shortly afterwards. It's widely regarded by professional traders as one of the best trading strategies, and it's also one of the easiest to master.

How many pips is good for scalping? ›

Scalpers like to try and scalp between five and 10 pips from each trade they make and to repeat this process over and over throughout the day. Pip is short for "percentage in point" and is the smallest exchange price movement a currency pair can take.

What time frame do institutional traders use? ›

These are commonly referred to as swing traders. Scalpers team to only use 1-minute and 5-minute they might only be in a trade for 1 to 2 minutes. Whereas day traders might be in a trade all day long, and institutional long-term or swing traders might be in a trade for days, weeks, months, or even years.

What is the 5 3 1 trading strategy? ›

The number 5 stands for choosing 5 currency pairs that a trader would like to trade. The number 3 stands for developing 3 strategies with multiple combinations of trading styles, technical indicators and risk management measures. The number 1 guides traders to choose the most suitable time for trading.

How long do scalpers trade a day? ›

First, scalping refers to a situation where a trader holds a financial asset for less than 5 minutes. In most cases, a scalper can hold a trade for even two minutes. Day traders, on the other hand, can hold trades for several hours. Second, scalping requires opening tens or even hundreds of trades per day.

What time frame is best for 50 EMA? ›

What Timeframe to Use for the 50 EMA Strategy. The 50 EMA strategy is typically used on medium-term timeframes, such as the 4-hour or daily charts. Using a longer timeframe can help to filter out noise and provide a clearer picture of the trend.

What is the best value for EMA cross? ›

In general, the EMA is set at 9 by default. This is good for the short term, but most intraday traders pick the value of 8 or 20 to get a better interpretation of price information and to make trade decisions. Here the price trending above the moving average gives the bullish signal.

What EMA crossover is best for positional trading? ›

50-days and 200-days EMA Crossover

50-days and 200-days EMA's are considered best suited moving averages for positional trading strategy.

What is the disadvantage of ADX indicator? ›

Limitations of ADX

It is a lagging indicator. ADX may not be a good indicator for less volatile stocks, and for the more volatile ones, there may be too many false signals generated. ADX is not sufficient. It needs to be used in conjunction with other indicators for the purpose of trading.

What are the cons of ADX indicator? ›

First, it is a relatively difficult indicator to calculate. Second, when used alone, the ADX indicator can show you the wrong signals as shown above. Finally, it can only be used in some market conditions such as when the asset is trending.

What is an alternative to ADX indicator? ›

The Aroon Indicator. The ADX indicator is composed of a total of three lines, while the Aroon indicator is composed of two. The two indicators are similar in that they both have lines representing positive and negative movement, which helps to identify trend direction.

What are the best ADX settings for daily chart? ›

Which Settings Are Best for ADX? The most common settings for ADX usually are a 14-period length together with a high volatility threshold at 25, and a low volatility threshold at 20. In other words, a market is thought to be volatile when ADX is above 25, and calm when it's below 20.

What is the 2 period ADX strategy? ›

In the 2-period ADX Trend Trading Strategy, we are using a 2-period ADX to catch low risk entries in a trending market. The concept underlying the 2-period ADX is to find the perfect pause in the market. By using such a short look-back period for the ADX indicator, it becomes extremely sensitive.

Which is better ADX or MACD? ›

The MACD is going to detect the trend reversals, while the ADX is showing either the trend is strong or fading.

What is the fastest moving average indicator? ›

The Hull Moving Average (HMA), developed by Alan Hull, is an extremely fast and smooth moving average.

Which moving average is best for stop loss? ›

#4 Moving averages

The “well known” moving averages, such as the 50, 100, 200 daily moving averages act as natural support and resistance. Thus, it can pay off to have them on your charts and place your stops outside of those moving averages.

Which moving average has the least lag? ›

The zero-lag exponential moving average (ZLEMA) is a type of exponential moving average that seeks to reduce the inherent lag seen in a typical moving average. It was designed to track the price more closely and give a clearer view of the trend with no lags.

Which moving average is best for support and resistance? ›

The 100-period moving average is considered to provide stronger support for price when compared to the 9-period moving average. Traders can use any moving average that they like, some common lengths are the 9, 21, 50, 100 and 200 period moving averages.

What moving averages can swing traders use? ›

Swing traders can use moving average crossovers as strategies to enter trades. They can calculate the average closing price of a share over 20 days, 50 days, 200 days etc. These are known as simple moving averages (SMA) and are represented as a line of the chart.

Which moving average is best simple or exponential? ›

Since EMAs place a higher weighting on recent data than on older data, they are more reactive to the latest price changes than SMAs are, which makes the results from EMAs more timely and explains why the EMA is the preferred average among many traders.

What EMA setting should be used for a 15 minute chart? ›

The 20 EMA is the best moving averages to use in the 15-minute charts because the price follows it most accurately during multi-day trends. In other words, you can easily identify the trend from there.

What are the best moving average settings for short-term trading? ›

For short-term trades the 5, 10, and 20 period moving averages are best, while longer-term trading makes best use of the 50, 100, and 200 period moving averages.

What is the best time frame for EMA? ›

The 8- and 20-day EMA tend to be the most popular time frames for day traders while the 50 and 200-day EMA are better suited for long term investors.

What is moving average for each time frame? ›

The moving average (MA) is a simple technical analysis tool that smooths out price data by creating a constantly updated average price. The average is taken over a specific period of time, like 10 days, 20 minutes, 30 weeks, or any time period the trader chooses.

How do you use 20 and 50 EMA? ›

A common trading strategy utilizing EMAs is to trade based on the position of a shorter-term EMA in relation to a longer-term EMA. For example, traders are bullish when the 20 EMA crosses above the 50 EMA or remains above the 50 EMA, and only turn bearish if the 20 EMA falls below the 50 EMA.

How do you use 8 and 20 EMA? ›

The EMA 8/20 strategy uses two exponential moving averages:

The moving averages allow us to determine the direction of the trend that we will trade with and the level that will trigger our trade (open PUT in a downtrend or CALL in an uptrend).

What is the most accurate moving average for day trading? ›

5-8-13 Moving Averages

The combination of five, eight, and 13-bar simple moving averages (SMAs) offers a perfect fit for day trading strategies. These are Fibonacci-tuned settings that have withstood the test of time, but interpretive skills are required to use the settings appropriately.

What are the most popular moving averages trading? ›

The most commonly used moving average is a so-called simple moving average (SMA), which is the average closing price of a given security over a specific number of days. For example, you can find a stock's 20-day SMA by adding its prices over 20 days, then dividing that number by 20.

What is the 5 and 8 EMA strategy? ›

If the faster EMA (5 EMA) crosses the slow EMA (8 EMA) to the upside then its sign of an uptrend. If 5 EMA crosses 8 EMA to the downside, Its a sign of a downtrend. Strategy: You can use this strategy for any Stocks, Forex and Commodities. Buying Rules: Wait for 5 EMA to cross 8 EMA to the upside.

What is the 9 EMA strategy? ›

The 9-EMA strategy is a technical analysis strategy that uses the 9-day exponential moving average (EMA) to generate buy and sell signals for trading securities. It uses 9-EMA to identify short-term market swings in the price of a security.

What is the 21 EMA strategy? ›

The 21-day exponential moving average (EMA) can be a powerful tool for investors. Though it is most powerful in a bull market, it has plenty of use during bear markets as well. Like the commonly used 50-day moving average, the 21-day takes the closing prices of the past 21 sessions and averages them out.

Which EMA is best for scalping? ›

Traders calculate the MACD scalping indicator by subtracting the 26-day EMA (exponential moving average) from the 12-day EMA, with the 9-day EMA set as the MACD default setting or signal line to mark buying and selling triggers.

Which moving average is faster? ›

A short term moving average is faster because it only considers prices over short period of time and is thus more reactive to daily price changes. On the other hand, a long term moving average is deemed slower as it encapsulates prices over a longer period and is more lethargic.

What is the best EMA crossover for a 5 min chart? ›

It makes EMA more sensitive and more responsive to the current market conditions. Therefore, the exponential moving average may be considered the best moving average for a 5 min chart. A 20-period moving average will suit best. The MACD indicator is based on the exponential moving averages.

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