Professional traders may love the free indicators as they serve a valuable purpose, but the professionals will always rely on the premium indicators in the market. Premium indicators can be more precise, offer more information, and be as flexible as the trader needs them to be, which is why they are premium. KST aggregates multiple rate-of-change calculations, providing a smoothed view of price trends while filtering out market noise.

Top 3 Momentum Trading Strategies – A Complete Guide

It often requires frequent trading, sophisticated analysis, and the ability to closely monitor market trends—tasks that can be time-consuming and potentially costly for the average investor. A Relative Strength Indicator (RSI) is a momentum indicator that is used to track the price changes in security. RSI – 14D measures the speed and change of price movement over a 14-trading day period to determine whether a stock is in the overbought or oversold range. A simple average of daily price gains and daily price losses is compared with each other to calculate relative strength.

Robo-Advisors with Momentum Tilts

The most basic momentum indicator compares the last closing price to a previous closing price from a set number of periods ago. The default setting is 14, but ome traders use 30 to further smooth out the signals. Momentum indicators help traders understand the strength of a price trend – they measure the rate of the rise or a fall in stock prices. They are called “momentum” indicators as the principles behind price movements are similar to the ones used to calculate speed, momentum, and acceleration. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is one of the top momentum indicators for trend continuation. It works by comparing a longer exponential moving average (EMA) to a shorter-term EMA to produce the MACD line.

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By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different momentum indicators and incorporating them into your trading strategies, you can increase your chances of success in the stock market. Momentum indicators are powerful tools that help traders identify the strength and direction of a trend. However, interpreting these indicators can be challenging for beginners. In this section, we will explore some key concepts to help you better understand how to interpret momentum indicators. The stochastic oscillator is a momentum indicator that compares a stock’s closing price to its price range over a specified period. It ranges from 0 to 100, with readings above 80 indicating overbought conditions and below 20 indicating oversold conditions.

Momentum Indicators

“With nearly half of 2025 booked and less inventory remaining for sale than the prior year, we are leveraging strong demand to achieve record ticket pricing,” Weinstein said in the release. “Likewise, 2026 is off to an unprecedented start achieving record booking volumes in the last three months.” The firm also expects Royal Caribbean to announce a long-term plan within the next two quarters, likely in conjunction with its Q3 or Q4 report.

Top Indicators and Tools for Momentum Trading Strategies

• A positive MACD line 2 value indicated that the MACD line 1 value is greater than the signal line value.
• That means if you buy at the wrong time or in the wrong stock, you could see a dramatic loss rather than the big profit you had hoped for.
• Remember that no single indicator is foolproof, and it’s important to use a combination of indicators and other tools to analyze the stock market and identify profitable trading opportunities.
• Understanding overbought and oversold conditions, divergence, and centerline crossovers can help you better interpret these indicators and make more informed trading decisions.
• High or increasing volume is commonly interpreted as a sign that the existing trend has strong momentum.
• Viking Holdings (VIK) jumped 2.6% Wednesday to clear a 37.25 buy point for an 11-week consolidation.

Momentum trading is designed to capitalize on trading opportunities presented by stocks that are strongly trending. The idea of this strategy is simple – Momentum trading capitalizes on the continuation of existing market trends, leveraging the inertia that drives financial markets. This approach is particularly attractive because it doesn’t require pinpoint predictions about market tops and bottoms. Instead, it focuses on catching the wave of market movements, riding the momentum already established by prevailing trends. The strength of momentum trading is in alignment with the fundamental principle of the market – that trends, once established, tend to persist. Each of these strategies – the pullback strategy and the breakout trading strategy – requires a different level of market analysis and understanding of technical indicators.

Momentum indicator trading strategies

If two momentum indicators show the same thing, it could give the trader more confidence to take the trade. For example, traders are advised to avoid using a momentum indicator suited for sideways markets when a market is trending. Swing trading requires a different entry and exit approach than day trading.

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For instance, the RSI may remain in an overbought zone for an extended period without a corresponding trend reversal. Hence, it’s advisable to use the RSI in conjunction with other technical indicators to gain a more comprehensive view of the market conditions. This approach enhances the accuracy and reliability of trading decisions based on the RSI. This indicator operates on the principle that price retracements within specific levels can reveal discernible market trends. However, in momentum trading, the strategy is actually to enter and exit trades based on these trends rather than attempting to pinpoint the absolute highs and lows of the market. Different momentum indicators have different formulas and serve different purposes.

Sources for Momentum Data

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is the most commonly used momentum trading indicator. It works by comparing the average number of higher closes in a given period, divided by the average number of lower closes. It then inverts it to create an oscillator of 0 to 100, with overbought and oversold levels at 70% and 30%, respectively. There is no single momentum technical indicator that fits all occasions. That’s why it’s essential to know different indicators and how to use them in different trading strategies.

• Business then slowed considerably, causing the stock to retreat from its all-time highs before it found momentum again, with a 46% gain barely four months into 2024.
• NCLH has been mired in consolidation for 15 months, but the stock jumped 15% this year.
• The second month sees it drop further to $40, followed by a decrease to $35 in the third month.
• Momentum is the rate of acceleration of a security’s price—that is, the speed at which the price is changing.
• Conversely, when a stock is oversold, the price has fallen too far, too fast, and is due for a rebound.
• Positive momentum can indicate a potential bullish trend while negative momentum can indicate a bearish trend.
• The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is widely regarded as one of the best technical analysis indicators for momentum trading.
• There is no single momentum technical indicator that fits all occasions.
• For example, some equity traders closely watch the Treasury yield curve and use it as a momentum signal for equity entries and exits.

What Technical Indicators Can Momentum Traders Use?

It involves holding overnight positions, so closing prices and next-day opening prices impact. If the surge doesn’t happen but remains within your risk management threshold, you can look for another opportunity to buy or sell the next day. Candlestick charts are the best to analyze setups for both day traders and swing traders. A green or white candlestick means the close was higher than the previous close for a particular session, whereas a red or black candlestick indicates a lower finish from the last close.

ETFs and Alternatives for Momentum Investing

For value investors, it’s all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks. The high of day momentum scanner identifies stocks trading at the high of the day with high relative volume.

MSCI and FTSE Russell are two companies that have introduced momentum indexes. Positive momentum can indicate a potential bullish trend while negative momentum can indicate a bearish trend. Broadly, momentum can be measured across both asset classes and individual securities, with market momentum, in particular, referring to the overall market. Momentum investing works best in a bull market because investors tend to herd a lot more. In a bear market, the margin for profit on momentum investing shrinks in accordance with increased investor caution.

What is momentum investing?

Divergence occurs when the price of a stock moves in one direction while the momentum indicator moves in the opposite direction. This can signify that the trend is losing momentum and may be due for a reversal. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns, but it is often a good indicator of positive trends in a business, which can certainly lead to superior returns over time. Plus, bull markets can be a great opportunity to take advantage of strong momentum in excellent, well-run businesses. If you’re looking for stocks that can thrive in the new bull market, this list represents a good starting point. Just like any other trading style, there are risks that come with momentum trading.

Recent Commentary & News

• This indicator, often overlooked due to its simplicity, is another essential tool.
• The more you focus your research on this strategy, the better your chances of consistently earning money in the market.
• Below is our take on some of the most popular momentum indicators available on the Capital.com platform, and how one could incorporate them into their trading strategy.
• The high of day momentum scanner identifies stocks trading at the high of the day with high relative volume.
• Without looking at the price of the S&P and only using momentum, we can see that it’s likely the S&P index rallied in tandem with the spikes above zero on the momentum indicator below.
• Momentum investing works best in a bull market because investors tend to herd a lot more.
• Futures and options trading has large potential rewards, but also large potential risk.

At the bottom of the RSI chart, settings of 70 and 30 are considered standards that serve as clear warnings of, respectively, overbought and oversold assets. A trader with today’s simple-to-use software may choose to reset the indicators’ parameters to 80 and 20. This helps the trader to be sure when Stock Momentum making the decision to buy or sell an issue and not pull the trigger too fast. Stop losses are crucial in momentum trading because they protect against sudden reversals that can quickly erode gains. They help traders limit losses by automatically exiting a position if the trade moves against them.

Lagging Indicators

The past performance of any trading system or methodology is not necessarily indicative of future results. Candlesticks present a compelling visual presentation; it gives clues to which prices the market likes the most for buying and selling. A stock that surges in volume on good news is often a good candidate for trading momentum. No indicator or strategy is foolproof, and the market can be unpredictable. However, incorporating momentum indicators into your trading strategy can increase your chances of success and help you make more informed decisions. For example, you might be tempted to buy if you’re trading a stock in a downtrend for months and see a bullish signal on your momentum indicator.

Below is our take on some of the most popular momentum indicators available on the Capital.com platform, and how one could incorporate them into their trading strategy. U.S. Government Required Disclaimer – Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Futures and options trading has large potential rewards, but also large potential risk. You must be aware of the risks and be willing to accept them in order to invest in the futures and options markets. This website is neither a solicitation nor an offer to Buy/Sell futures or options. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those discussed on this website.

He is a CFA charterholder as well as holding FINRA Series 7, 55 & 63 licenses. He currently researches and teaches economic sociology and the social studies of finance at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Of course, once the revenue and earnings are realized, the market usually adjusts its expectations and the price retraces or comes back down to reflect the financial performance of the company. It takes discipline to trade this way because the trade must be closed at the first sign of weakness, and the funds must be immediately placed into a different asset showing strength. To illustrate how momentum investing works, let’s consider a hypothetical scenario involving Stock A and Stock B. Exit when the price is moving rapidly into an overextended technical state.

MACD divergence is a signal of waning momentum and, therefore, of a possible impending trend change. In the stock market, momentum trading looks to profit from investing in “hot” stocks – expecting them to stay hot – and dumping “cold” stocks, expecting them to stay cold. Many momentum traders use momentum scanners to help them identify trades with the best potential for making a profit by comparing stocks against one another. Momentum in the stock market refers to the sustained increase or decrease in the price of a stock. In technical terms, momentum in a stock is a measure of the velocity at which the price of stock changes. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a critical tool in momentum trading, acting as an oscillator that fluctuates between zero and 100 on its scale.