“Stochastics measures the momentum of price. If you visualize a rocket going up in the air – before it can turn down, it must slow down. Momentum always changes direction before price.” – George Lane, the developer of the Stochastic indicator.
The STOCHASTIC indicator shows us information about momentum and trend strength. As we will see shortly, the indicator analyses price movements and tells us how fast and how strong the price moves.
We can use the Stochastic indicator for the following activities and purposes:
The basic premise of the indicator is that momentum precedes the price, so the Stochastic Oscillator, being a momentum indicator, could signal the actual movement just before it happens.
Before we get into using the Stochastic oscillator, we should be clear about what momentum actually is.
Investopedia defines momentum as “The rate of acceleration of the price of a security.”
We are always a fan of going into how an indicator analyzes price and without getting too deep into mathematics, this is how the indicator analyzes price:
The stochastic indicator analyzes a price range over a specific time period or price candles; the typical setting for the Stochastic is 14 periods/price candles. This means that the Stochastic indicator takes the absolute high and the absolute low of that period and compares it to the closing price.
The Formula For The Stochastic Oscillator Is
Where:
The general theory serving as the foundation for this forex indicator is that in a market trending upward, prices will close near the high, and in a market trending downward, prices close near the low. Transaction signals are created when the %K crosses through a three-period moving average, which is called the %D.
When your Stochastic is at a high value, it means that price closed near the top of the range over a certain time period or a number of price candles.
Conversely, a low Stochastic value indicates that the momentum to the downside is strong.
Continue reading for more information or join our online trading course and learn how to use stochastic oscillator in trading with step-by-step guidance and illustrations
Source: Forex Trading MasterClass
The misinterpretation of overbought and oversold is one of the biggest problems and faults in forex trading or stock trading. We’ll now take a look at those expressions and learn why there is nothing like overbought or oversold.
The Stochastic indicator does not show oversold or overbought prices. It shows momentum.
Generally, traders would say that a Stochastic over 80 means that the price is overbought and when the Stochastic is below 20, the price is considered oversold. And what traders then mean is that an oversold market has a high chance of going down and vice versa. This is wrong and very dangerous!
As we have seen above, when the Stochastic is above 80 it means that the trend is strong and not, that it is overbought and likely to reverse. A high Stochastic means that the price is able to close near the top and it keeps pushing higher. A trend where the Stochastic stays above 80 for a long time signals that momentum is high and not that you should get ready to short the market.
The image below shows the behavior of the Stochastic within a long uptrend and a downtrend. In both cases, the Stochastic entered “overbought” (above 80), “oversold” (below 20) and stayed there for quite some time, while the trends kept ongoing. Again, the belief that the Stochastic shows oversold/overbought is wrong and you will quickly run into problems when you trade this way. A high Stochastic value shows that the trend has strong momentum and NOT that it is overbought.
Finally, we want to provide the most common trading signals and ways how traders are using the Stochastic indicator:
As with any other trading concept or tool, you should not use the Stochastic indicator by itself. To receive meaningful signals and improve the quality of your trades, you can combine the Stochastic indicator with those 3 tools:
This section shows you how to set up a Stochastic Oscillator in MetaTrader. It assumes that you have opened a chart.
Add the Stochastic Oscillators and set the parameters of this indicator
Setting the common parameters
After you have completed the step above, the settings menu appears.
Most indicators can be controlled by several common parameters.
There are two types of parameters:
Changing parameters at a later time
To change the settings of the indicator directly on the chart at a later date:
The parameter menu appears again where you can change the indicator.
To delete the Stochastic Oscillator:
The Stochastic Oscillator will disappear from your chart.
Understanding what is a stochastic oscillator and how it works is important, but if you want some help, MetaTrader 5 AM Broker offers a useful Oscillators toolkit and our trainers can provide you the right guidance.
Play around in a demo account and notice how stochastic oscillators can make you serious money. Use an Expert Advisor Builder and generate automated trading strategies using the best stochastic oscillator settings in a few clicks, without writing codes.
>> Learn how to master the Stochastic Oscillator
Sources:
Stochastic Oscillator - https://github.com/Abhay64/Stochastic-Oscillator
Origins of the Stochastic Oscillator (Article) - https://cmtassociation.org/kb/origins-of-the-stochastic-oscillator-article/
Stochastic Oscillator Trading Indicator: Kindle edition by Abraham, Andrew. - https://www.amazon.com/Stochastic-Oscillator-Trading-Indicator-Determine-ebook/dp/B00BBY3GAU
Stochastic Oscillator Definition - https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/stochasticoscillator.asp
Stochastic Oscillator - https://cmtassociation.org/kb/stochastic-oscillator/
Technical Analysis of Stocks & Securities - https://www.cfainstitute.org/en/membership/professional-development/refresher-readings/technical-analysis