Simple Moving Average is the most basic type of moving average, calculating the average by giving equal weight to all prices in the specified period. SMA provides a smooth view of price trends and is a cornerstone of technical analysis.
SMA = (P1 + P2 + P3 + ... + Pn) / n Where: P1, P2, ..., Pn = Closing prices for each period n = Number of periods Example: 10-day SMA = (Sum of last 10 closing prices) / 10
Ultra-short SMA (5-10 periods): For intraday trading and quick market response
Short-term SMA (10-20 periods): Suitable for short-term trading and swing operations
Medium-term SMA (50 periods): Important trend dividing line, commonly used for medium-term trend judgment
Long-term SMA (100-200 periods): Identifies major trends, key level watched by institutional investors
Ultra-long SMA (200+ periods): For long-term investment decisions and market cycle analysis
Price Position Signal: Price above SMA indicates uptrend, below indicates downtrend
SMA Crossover Signal: Short-term SMA crossing above long-term SMA is golden cross (buy), below is death cross (sell)
SMA Support/Resistance: SMA acts as dynamic support or resistance where price often bounces or retreats
SMA Slope: Upward slope indicates uptrend, downward slope indicates downtrend, horizontal indicates consolidation
Multiple SMA Alignment: Bullish alignment (short>medium>long) indicates strong uptrend, bearish alignment indicates strong downtrend
In actual trading, 200-day SMA is viewed as bull/bear dividing line, a key level watched by institutional investors. 50-day SMA is commonly used for medium-term trend judgment. Traders often use SMA combinations like 20/50/200-day SMA system to identify trends across different timeframes. SMA is also widely used for setting stop losses, such as placing stops at a certain distance below SMA.
Simple and intuitive calculation, good smoothing effect, reduces market noise, provides clear trend view, widely recognized and used, suitable for long-term trend analysis
Significant lag, slow response to sudden price movements, generates many false signals in ranging markets, equal weighting may ignore importance of recent prices, not suitable for fast trading
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