Many times overbought (oversold) conditions can be a sign of a strengthening trend and not necessarily an impending reversal. The Stochastic Oscillator is a popular, widely-used momentum indicator. Traders often use divergence signals from the oscillator to identify possible market reversal points. However, the oscillator is prone to generating false signals.

14 is a standard setting, so we will use it to explain the oscillator. Martin Pring’s Technical Analysis Explained explains the basics of momentum indicators by covering divergences, crossovers, and other signals. There are two more chapters covering specific momentum indicators, each containing a number of examples. The benefit of having an indicator on your chart is that it adds an objective confluence factor to your decision-making. Many traders struggle because their trading approaches are too discretionary and their decisions are often too subjective. Adding objective tools to your trading can often make a big difference.

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He believed the indicator could be profitably used in conjunction with Fibonacci retracement cycles or with Elliot Wave theory. An overbought sell signal is generated when the oscillator moves higher than 80, and the blue line crosses the red line while still above the 80 level as in the image above. Crossovers in the overbought or oversold region occur when both lines in the stochastic indicator cross in either the overbought or oversold zone. Similarly, a bearish or negative divergence occurs when the indicator moves lower as the security moves higher instead of moving in alignment with the price action.

Part of the momentum family of indicators, the Stochastic Oscillator was developed by George Lane at the end of… Part of the momentum family of indicators, the Stochastic Oscillator was developed by George Lane at the end of the 1950s. I feel like I am on an oscillator craze lately, but if it feels right, why fight it? The Williams %R indicator is pronounced Williams Percent R. The indicator is the creation of famous technical… The absolute sweet spot for using the Stochastics RSI or Stochasitic indicators is on low volatility stocks. I know what you are saying, “low volatility stocks are boring”.

Signals Summary

The primary limitation of the stochastic oscillator is that it has been known to produce false signals. This is when a trading signal is generated by the indicator, yet the price does not actually follow through, which can end up as a losing trade. During volatile market conditions, this can happen quite regularly. One way to help with this is to take the price trend as a filter, where signals are only taken if they are in the same direction as the trend. Meanwhile, the RSI tracks overbought and oversold levels by measuring the velocity of price movements.

Generally, the RSI has overbought and oversold values of 70 and 30. Traders look to enter a trade when the RSI is oversold and exit or trim their positions when the RSI is overbought. But when the RSI starts to move within this range, traders are often left on the sidelines. The Stochastic Slow might be viewed as superior due to the smoothing effects of the moving averages which equates to less false potential buy and sell signals.

Three Stochastic Versions: Fast, Slow, and Full

And then all you do is see how close the price is closing to the highest high or the lowest low. Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when spread betting and/or trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider https://www.bigshotrading.info/blog/what-is-limit-order-in-trading/ whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Here is a great video on YouTube from Investor Trading Academy that covers oscillators in general. This is a short video which can whet your appetite a little more in these types of indicators.

The default setting is 14 periods, which can be any timeframe, ranging from months to minutes. A great way to get entry and exit signals from the stochastic oscillator is to use crossovers. You should note that the stochastic indicator may offer a divergence signal a while before price action changes stochastic indicator explained direction. Divergence alone should never be the reason to enter a trade. Whenever you’re acting on a signal from the stochastic indicator, always confirm with another technical analysis indicator. The stochastic reading for a possible overbought market condition occurs when it’s above 80.