We just deployed a new strategy: MACD Cross. Pro+ available across all asset classes — and now part of the daily snapshot pipeline.
Three lines, one strategy
MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence) was built by Gerald Appel in the late 1970s. Today it's one of the most-watched momentum indicators on TradingView. It's made of three EMA-based components:
- MACD line = EMA(close, 12) − EMA(close, 26) — the difference between fast and slow EMA. Above 0 = bullish momentum, below 0 = bearish.
- Signal line = EMA(MACD, 9) — the smoothed MACD line itself. Used as a trigger.
- Histogram = MACD − Signal — the gap between the two. Positive histogram = momentum accelerating, negative = decelerating.
Default parameters are 12/26/9 — Appel's textbook values, now industry standard. You can change them: 5/35/5 for faster reaction, 19/39/9 for weekly-position trading.
Two modes
Here's the actual marketing point: the same indicator gives you two strategy variants that differ systematically.
Cross mode (default). Classic: BUY when MACD line crosses above Signal line, SELL when it crosses below. Reacts immediately — as soon as MACD line crosses Signal, the signal fires. More trades, better entry timing in strong trends, more vulnerable to whipsaws.
Histogram mode. BUY when histogram flips from negative to positive, SELL when it flips back. The condition is subtly different: histogram > 0 requires BOTH MACD AND Signal to be on the same side — that's a built-in confirmation layer. Generates slightly fewer and somewhat later signals, but with higher conviction.
In most backtests we've run so far, histogram mode has a slightly better win rate on daily-crypto timeframes, at the cost of fewer trades. On weekly timeframes both modes converge — the differences almost disappear.
What's different from OBV-MACD?
OBV-MACD is already in the platform and gets confused with it. The difference: OBV-MACD applies the MACD formula to On-Balance Volume (cumulative volume), not price. Measures momentum in money flow, not in price action.
Plain MACD here works purely on close prices. They're often correlated — but can diverge: when price keeps making new highs but OBV-MACD flattens, that's a classic volume-divergence warning. Running both gives you two independent momentum perspectives.
Where available
Pro+ feature, live now at /dashboard/crypto:
- 3 input fields for Fast/Slow EMA + Signal period
- Dropdown for mode (Cross / Histogram)
- All standard filters (200 WMA, ATR Volatility, Altcoin Season, Bullmarket Gauge, Min Profit Guard) combinable
- Works as Live Alert and in the Gauge
- Strategy Library detail page with pseudo-code + FAQ at /strategies/macd-cross
What we don't know yet
MACD Cross launched today. The daily snapshot pipeline is building the coverage database for it now — both modes, all filter combinations, all pairs and timeframes.
In a few weeks we'll be able to show concretely: "Cross-mode or histogram-mode — which variant has the edge in which market regime?" And the more interesting comparison: "MACD Cross vs OBV-MACD — does the volume indicator beat the pure price indicator?"
Until then: try it yourself, run both modes.