Mega Trend Plus - S&P 500 Trend Follower / Market GaugeFirstly, 100% of the credit goes to Greg Morris @ Stockcharts.com for the article detailing the concept and most of the settings/components. I've simply implemented his idea. I haven't sought permission from him, but given that he was open with the components of the indicator I'm assuming he's happy for me to go ahead and code this in pinescript. See the article here: stockcharts.com
Okay, so this is part of a system/indicator Greg outlined in the article that he calls Trend Gauge. The idea is fairly simple: take a group of indexes that cover the breadth of the market you want to trade, track their relationship/position to their 200 period Exponential Moving Average (EMA), and assign scores to bull/bear crosses + relative location to the EMA. Once you've normalized and aggregated the scores you finish up with a trend following indicator that works surprisingly well.
This part is called Mega Trend Plus, and tracks whether an index is above or below its 200 period EMA. I'll be releasing the second part ("Trend Strength") soon. Once that's done I'll combine them to form the full "Trend Gauge" indicator.
I decided to provide the base version that people can then experiment with and tweak to their liking, so Greg's version shown in the article is smoother than the one provided here. It's up to you to play with smoothing options, and potentially tweak the weightings of the various components. Please see the script for info on what the various inputs are - I've added notes there.
So, how does it do? Well, as you can see from the chart above it works pretty well overall. The S&P 500 has been fairly trendy over the last few decades, so it's been prime territory for a system like this. It would have kept you out of the big bear markets (particularly GFC & 2015-16), and that's the goal of any trend-based system. They thrive on how little they lose, not necessarily on how much they make.
As you can see, the indicator is pretty choppy. So it's not designed (in the current configuration) to provide accurate buy/hold/sell signals. It currently functions more as a market gauge / strength indicator.
Hopefully you find this concept interesting. It's simple, but the best systems often are.
Please add comments below if you come up with an interesting configuration or variation.
Let me know if you have any queries.
DD
Pesquisar nos scripts por "摩根标普500指数基金的收益如何"
PnL Bubble [%] | Fractalyst1. What's the indicator purpose?
The PnL Bubble indicator transforms your strategy's trade PnL percentages into an interactive bubble chart with professional-grade statistics and performance analytics. It helps traders quickly assess system profitability, understand win/loss distribution patterns, identify outliers, and make data-driven strategy improvements.
How does it work?
Think of this indicator as a visual report card for your trading performance. Here's what it does:
What You See
Colorful Bubbles: Each bubble represents one of your trades
Blue/Cyan bubbles = Winning trades (you made money)
Red bubbles = Losing trades (you lost money)
Bigger bubbles = Bigger wins or losses
Smaller bubbles = Smaller wins or losses
How It Organizes Your Trades:
Like a Photo Album: Instead of showing all your trades at once (which would be messy), it shows them in "pages" of 500 trades each:
Page 1: Your first 500 trades
Page 2: Trades 501-1000
Page 3: Trades 1001-1500, etc.
What the Numbers Tell You:
Average Win: How much money you typically make on winning trades
Average Loss: How much money you typically lose on losing trades
Expected Value (EV): Whether your trading system makes money over time
Positive EV = Your system is profitable long-term
Negative EV = Your system loses money long-term
Payoff Ratio (R): How your average win compares to your average loss
R > 1 = Your wins are bigger than your losses
R < 1 = Your losses are bigger than your wins
Why This Matters:
At a Glance: You can instantly see if you're a profitable trader or not
Pattern Recognition: Spot if you have more big wins than big losses
Performance Tracking: Watch how your trading improves over time
Realistic Expectations: Understand what "average" performance looks like for your system
The Cool Visual Effects:
Animation: The bubbles glow and shimmer to make the chart more engaging
Highlighting: Your biggest wins and losses get extra attention with special effects
Tooltips: hover any bubble to see details about that specific trade.
What are the underlying calculations?
The indicator processes trade PnL data using a dual-matrix architecture for optimal performance:
Dual-Matrix System:
• Display Matrix (display_matrix): Bounded to 500 trades for rendering performance
• Statistics Matrix (stats_matrix): Unbounded storage for complete statistical accuracy
Trade Classification & Aggregation:
// Separate wins, losses, and break-even trades
if val > 0.0
pos_sum += val // Sum winning trades
pos_count += 1 // Count winning trades
else if val < 0.0
neg_sum += val // Sum losing trades
neg_count += 1 // Count losing trades
else
zero_count += 1 // Count break-even trades
Statistical Averages:
avg_win = pos_count > 0 ? pos_sum / pos_count : na
avg_loss = neg_count > 0 ? math.abs(neg_sum) / neg_count : na
Win/Loss Rates:
total_obs = pos_count + neg_count + zero_count
win_rate = pos_count / total_obs
loss_rate = neg_count / total_obs
Expected Value (EV):
ev_value = (avg_win × win_rate) - (avg_loss × loss_rate)
Payoff Ratio (R):
R = avg_win ÷ |avg_loss|
Contribution Analysis:
ev_pos_contrib = avg_win × win_rate // Positive EV contribution
ev_neg_contrib = avg_loss × loss_rate // Negative EV contribution
How to integrate with any trading strategy?
Equity Change Tracking Method:
//@version=6
strategy("Your Strategy with Equity Change Export", overlay=true)
float prev_trade_equity = na
float equity_change_pct = na
if barstate.isconfirmed and na(prev_trade_equity)
prev_trade_equity := strategy.equity
trade_just_closed = strategy.closedtrades != strategy.closedtrades
if trade_just_closed and not na(prev_trade_equity)
current_equity = strategy.equity
equity_change_pct := ((current_equity - prev_trade_equity) / prev_trade_equity) * 100
prev_trade_equity := current_equity
else
equity_change_pct := na
plot(equity_change_pct, "Equity Change %", display=display.data_window)
Integration Steps:
1. Add equity tracking code to your strategy
2. Load both strategy and PnL Bubble indicator on the same chart
3. In bubble indicator settings, select your strategy's equity tracking output as data source
4. Configure visualization preferences (colors, effects, page navigation)
How does the pagination system work?
The indicator uses an intelligent pagination system to handle large trade datasets efficiently:
Page Organization:
• Page 1: Trades 1-500 (most recent)
• Page 2: Trades 501-1000
• Page 3: Trades 1001-1500
• Page N: Trades to
Example: With 1,500 trades total (3 pages available):
• User selects Page 1: Shows trades 1-500
• User selects Page 4: Automatically falls back to Page 3 (trades 1001-1500)
5. Understanding the Visual Elements
Bubble Visualization:
• Color Coding: Cyan/blue gradients for wins, red gradients for losses
• Size Mapping: Bubble size proportional to trade magnitude (larger = bigger P&L)
• Priority Rendering: Largest trades displayed first to ensure visibility
• Gradient Effects: Color intensity increases with trade magnitude within each category
Interactive Tooltips:
Each bubble displays quantitative trade information:
tooltip_text = outcome + " | PnL: " + pnl_str +
"\nDate: " + date_str + " " + time_str +
"\nTrade #" + str.tostring(trade_number) + " (Page " + str.tostring(active_page) + ")" +
"\nRank: " + str.tostring(rank) + " of " + str.tostring(n_display_rows) +
"\nPercentile: " + str.tostring(percentile, "#.#") + "%" +
"\nMagnitude: " + str.tostring(magnitude_pct, "#.#") + "%"
Example Tooltip:
Win | PnL: +2.45%
Date: 2024.03.15 14:30
Trade #1,247 (Page 3)
Rank: 5 of 347
Percentile: 98.6%
Magnitude: 85.2%
Reference Lines & Statistics:
• Average Win Line: Horizontal reference showing typical winning trade size
• Average Loss Line: Horizontal reference showing typical losing trade size
• Zero Line: Threshold separating wins from losses
• Statistical Labels: EV, R-Ratio, and contribution analysis displayed on chart
What do the statistical metrics mean?
Expected Value (EV):
Represents the mathematical expectation per trade in percentage terms
EV = (Average Win × Win Rate) - (Average Loss × Loss Rate)
Interpretation:
• EV > 0: Profitable system with positive mathematical expectation
• EV = 0: Break-even system, profitability depends on execution
• EV < 0: Unprofitable system with negative mathematical expectation
Example: EV = +0.34% means you expect +0.34% profit per trade on average
Payoff Ratio (R):
Quantifies the risk-reward relationship of your trading system
R = Average Win ÷ |Average Loss|
Interpretation:
• R > 1.0: Wins are larger than losses on average (favorable risk-reward)
• R = 1.0: Wins and losses are equal in magnitude
• R < 1.0: Losses are larger than wins on average (unfavorable risk-reward)
Example: R = 1.5 means your average win is 50% larger than your average loss
Contribution Analysis (Σ):
Breaks down the components of expected value
Positive Contribution (Σ+) = Average Win × Win Rate
Negative Contribution (Σ-) = Average Loss × Loss Rate
Purpose:
• Shows how much wins contribute to overall expectancy
• Shows how much losses detract from overall expectancy
• Net EV = Σ+ - Σ- (Expected Value per trade)
Example: Σ+: 1.23% means wins contribute +1.23% to expectancy
Example: Σ-: -0.89% means losses drag expectancy by -0.89%
Win/Loss Rates:
Win Rate = Count(Wins) ÷ Total Trades
Loss Rate = Count(Losses) ÷ Total Trades
Shows the probability of winning vs losing trades
Higher win rates don't guarantee profitability if average losses exceed average wins
7. Demo Mode & Synthetic Data Generation
When using built-in sources (close, open, etc.), the indicator generates realistic demo trades for testing:
if isBuiltInSource(source_data)
// Generate random trade outcomes with realistic distribution
u_sign = prand(float(time), float(bar_index))
if u_sign < 0.5
v_push := -1.0 // Loss trade
else
// Skewed distribution favoring smaller wins (realistic)
u_mag = prand(float(time) + 9876.543, float(bar_index) + 321.0)
k = 8.0 // Skewness factor
t = math.pow(u_mag, k)
v_push := 2.5 + t * 8.0 // Win trade
Demo Characteristics:
• Realistic win/loss distribution mimicking actual trading patterns
• Skewed distribution favoring smaller wins over large wins
• Deterministic randomness for consistent demo results
• Includes jitter effects to prevent visual overlap
8. Performance Limitations & Optimizations
Display Constraints:
points_count = 500 // Maximum 500 dots per page for optimal performance
Pine Script v6 Limits:
• Label Count: Maximum 500 labels per indicator
• Line Count: Maximum 100 lines per indicator
• Box Count: Maximum 50 boxes per indicator
• Matrix Size: Efficient memory management with dual-matrix system
Optimization Strategies:
• Pagination System: Handle unlimited trades through 500-trade pages
• Priority Rendering: Largest trades displayed first for maximum visibility
• Dual-Matrix Architecture: Separate display (bounded) from statistics (unbounded)
• Smart Fallback: Automatic page clamping prevents empty displays
Impact & Workarounds:
• Visual Limitation: Only 500 trades visible per page
• Statistical Accuracy: Complete dataset used for all calculations
• Navigation: Use page input to browse through entire trade history
• Performance: Smooth operation even with thousands of trades
9. Statistical Accuracy Guarantees
Data Integrity:
• Complete Dataset: Statistics matrix stores ALL trades without limit
• Proper Aggregation: Separate tracking of wins, losses, and break-even trades
• Mathematical Precision: Pine Script v6's enhanced floating-point calculations
• Dual-Matrix System: Display limitations don't affect statistical accuracy
Calculation Validation:
// Verified formulas match standard trading mathematics
avg_win = pos_sum / pos_count // Standard average calculation
win_rate = pos_count / total_obs // Standard probability calculation
ev_value = (avg_win * win_rate) - (avg_loss * loss_rate) // Standard EV formula
Accuracy Features:
• Mathematical Correctness: Formulas follow established trading statistics
• Data Preservation: Complete dataset maintained for all calculations
• Precision Handling: Proper rounding and boundary condition management
• Real-Time Updates: Statistics recalculated on every new trade
10. Advanced Technical Features
Real-Time Animation Engine:
// Shimmer effects with sine wave modulation
offset = math.sin(shimmer_t + phase) * amp
// Dynamic transparency with organic flicker
new_transp = math.min(flicker_limit, math.max(-flicker_limit, cur_transp + dir * flicker_step))
• Sine Wave Shimmer: Dynamic glowing effects on bubbles
• Organic Flicker: Random transparency variations for natural feel
• Extreme Value Highlighting: Special visual treatment for outliers
• Smooth Animations: Tick-based updates for fluid motion
Magnitude-Based Priority Rendering:
// Sort trades by magnitude for optimal visual hierarchy
sort_indices_by_magnitude(values_mat)
• Largest First: Most important trades always visible
• Intelligent Sorting: Custom bubble sort algorithm for trade prioritization
• Performance Optimized: Efficient sorting for real-time updates
• Visual Hierarchy: Ensures critical trades never get hidden
Professional Tooltip System:
• Quantitative Data: Pure numerical information without interpretative language
• Contextual Ranking: Shows trade position within page dataset
• Percentile Analysis: Performance ranking as percentage
• Magnitude Scaling: Relative size compared to page maximum
• Professional Format: Clean, data-focused presentation
11. Quick Start Guide
Step 1: Add Indicator
• Search for "PnL Bubble | Fractalyst" in TradingView indicators
• Add to your chart (works on any timeframe)
Step 2: Configure Data Source
• Demo Mode: Leave source as "close" to see synthetic trading data
• Strategy Mode: Select your strategy's PnL% output as data source
Step 3: Customize Visualization
• Colors: Set positive (cyan), negative (red), and neutral colors
• Page Navigation: Use "Trade Page" input to browse trade history
• Visual Effects: Built-in shimmer and animation effects are enabled by default
Step 4: Analyze Performance
• Study bubble patterns for win/loss distribution
• Review statistical metrics: EV, R-Ratio, Win Rate
• Use tooltips for detailed trade analysis
• Navigate pages to explore full trade history
Step 5: Optimize Strategy
• Identify outlier trades (largest bubbles)
• Analyze risk-reward profile through R-Ratio
• Monitor Expected Value for system profitability
• Use contribution analysis to understand win/loss impact
12. Why Choose PnL Bubble Indicator?
Unique Advantages:
• Advanced Pagination: Handle unlimited trades with smart fallback system
• Dual-Matrix Architecture: Perfect balance of performance and accuracy
• Professional Statistics: Institution-grade metrics with complete data integrity
• Real-Time Animation: Dynamic visual effects for engaging analysis
• Quantitative Tooltips: Pure numerical data without subjective interpretations
• Priority Rendering: Intelligent magnitude-based display ensures critical trades are always visible
Technical Excellence:
• Built with Pine Script v6 for maximum performance and modern features
• Optimized algorithms for smooth operation with large datasets
• Complete statistical accuracy despite display optimizations
• Professional-grade calculations matching institutional trading analytics
Practical Benefits:
• Instantly identify system profitability through visual patterns
• Spot outlier trades and risk management issues
• Understand true risk-reward profile of your strategies
• Make data-driven decisions for strategy optimization
• Professional presentation suitable for performance reporting
Disclaimer & Risk Considerations:
Important: Historical performance metrics, including positive Expected Value (EV), do not guarantee future trading success. Statistical measures are derived from finite sample data and subject to inherent limitations:
• Sample Bias: Historical data may not represent future market conditions or regime changes
• Ergodicity Assumption: Markets are non-stationary; past statistical relationships may break down
• Survivorship Bias: Strategies showing positive historical EV may fail during different market cycles
• Parameter Instability: Optimal parameters identified in backtesting often degrade in forward testing
• Transaction Cost Evolution: Slippage, spreads, and commission structures change over time
• Behavioral Factors: Live trading introduces psychological elements absent in backtesting
• Black Swan Events: Extreme market events can invalidate statistical assumptions instantaneously
Risk Appetite & Directional Bias [NariCapitalTrading]Guide to the Risk Appetite & Directional Bias Indicator
This indicator is a tool designed to capture the relationship between Bitcoin and the S&P 500 (but could be any two assets of your choice, theoretically). This post aims to provide a detailed overview of the logic, components, and implementation of the indicator.
1. Introduction
This indicator leverages the relationship between Bitcoin and the S&P 500 to provide insights into the directional bias of the S&P 500 based on Bitcoin's movements. The premise is that Bitcoin, due to its 24/7 trading nature, often leads SP500 price movements. By dynamically adjusting the influence (beta) of Bitcoin based on historical data, this indicator aims to capture shifts in market sentiment or "risk appetite."
2. Core Concepts
a. Dynamic Weighting
The indicator uses a dynamic weighting mechanism to adjust the influence of Bitcoin on the S&P 500. The weight is based on the correlation between Bitcoin's and the S&P 500's returns, normalized by their respective volatilities.
// Calculate rolling correlation between Bitcoin and S&P 500
btcSp500Correlation = ta.correlation(btcChange, sp500Change, lookbackPeriod)
// Dynamic adjustment factor for Bitcoin influence on S&P 500
dynamicBtcWeight = btcWeightInput * btcSp500Correlation / normalizedBtcVolatility
b. Percentage Change and Volatility
Percentage change and volatility are critical components of the indicator. They are calculated for both Bitcoin and the S&P 500 to understand their respective behaviors over a defined lookback period.
// Function to calculate percentage change
f_change(src) =>
ta.change(src) * 100
// Function to calculate volatility
f_volatility(src, period) =>
ta.stdev(f_change(src), period)
These functions calculate the percentage change and standard deviation (volatility) of the asset prices.
c. Normalization
Normalization is applied to Bitcoin's volatility relative to the S&P 500's volatility to ensure that the influence of Bitcoin is appropriately scaled. This prevents Bitcoin's typically higher volatility from overwhelming the analysis.
// Normalize Bitcoin's volatility against S&P 500's volatility
normalizedBtcVolatility = sp500Volatility != 0 ? btcVolatility / sp500Volatility : na
3. Indicator Logic
The indicator's logic involves combining the historical change of the S&P 500 with the dynamically weighted influence of Bitcoin's change. The output is an "adjusted change" that reflects this combined impact.
// Combine the Bitcoin influence with S&P 500's historical change
adjustedChange = sp500Change + (dynamicBtcWeight * btcChange)
This adjusted change is used to determine the directional bias, categorized as "Bullish," "Bearish," or "Neutral."
4. Visualization
The indicator visualizes the predicted price of the S&P 500 based on the adjusted change. It uses different colors to represent different biases.
// Plot the predicted price with color indication based on bias
plotColor = bias == "Bullish" ? color.green : bias == "Bearish" ? color.red : color.blue
plot(predictedPrice, color=plotColor, title="Predicted SP500 Price", linewidth=2, style=plot.style_line)
Additionally, the adjusted change is plotted as a histogram.
5. Use Cases and Practical Applications
The indicator is particularly useful for day traders and swing traders who seek to anticipate market moves before they are fully reflected in traditional equity markets. This may/will require some parameter tuning and optimization on your part (the user).
For other researchers and quants: the dynamic weighting mechanism offers an example of how cross-asset relationships can be modeled and incorporated into pinescript studies.
6. Customization
Users can customize several aspects of the indicator:
Lookback Period: Defines the period over which correlation and volatility are calculated.
EMA Period: Adjusts the sensitivity of the indicator.
Initial Weight of Bitcoin Influence: Sets the starting point for Bitcoin's impact, which is then dynamically adjusted.
Dynamic Equity Allocation Model"Cash is Trash"? Not Always. Here's Why Science Beats Guesswork.
Every retail trader knows the frustration: you draw support and resistance lines, you spot patterns, you follow market gurus on social media—and still, when the next bear market hits, your portfolio bleeds red. Meanwhile, institutional investors seem to navigate market turbulence with ease, preserving capital when markets crash and participating when they rally. What's their secret?
The answer isn't insider information or access to exotic derivatives. It's systematic, scientifically validated decision-making. While most retail traders rely on subjective chart analysis and emotional reactions, professional portfolio managers use quantitative models that remove emotion from the equation and process multiple streams of market information simultaneously.
This document presents exactly such a system—not a proprietary black box available only to hedge funds, but a fully transparent, academically grounded framework that any serious investor can understand and apply. The Dynamic Equity Allocation Model (DEAM) synthesizes decades of financial research from Nobel laureates and leading academics into a practical tool for tactical asset allocation.
Stop drawing colorful lines on your chart and start thinking like a quant. This isn't about predicting where the market goes next week—it's about systematically adjusting your risk exposure based on what the data actually tells you. When valuations scream danger, when volatility spikes, when credit markets freeze, when multiple warning signals align—that's when cash isn't trash. That's when cash saves your portfolio.
The irony of "cash is trash" rhetoric is that it ignores timing. Yes, being 100% cash for decades would be disastrous. But being 100% equities through every crisis is equally foolish. The sophisticated approach is dynamic: aggressive when conditions favor risk-taking, defensive when they don't. This model shows you how to make that decision systematically, not emotionally.
Whether you're managing your own retirement portfolio or seeking to understand how institutional allocation strategies work, this comprehensive analysis provides the theoretical foundation, mathematical implementation, and practical guidance to elevate your investment approach from amateur to professional.
The choice is yours: keep hoping your chart patterns work out, or start using the same quantitative methods that professionals rely on. The tools are here. The research is cited. The methodology is explained. All you need to do is read, understand, and apply.
The Dynamic Equity Allocation Model (DEAM) is a quantitative framework for systematic allocation between equities and cash, grounded in modern portfolio theory and empirical market research. The model integrates five scientifically validated dimensions of market analysis—market regime, risk metrics, valuation, sentiment, and macroeconomic conditions—to generate dynamic allocation recommendations ranging from 0% to 100% equity exposure. This work documents the theoretical foundations, mathematical implementation, and practical application of this multi-factor approach.
1. Introduction and Theoretical Background
1.1 The Limitations of Static Portfolio Allocation
Traditional portfolio theory, as formulated by Markowitz (1952) in his seminal work "Portfolio Selection," assumes an optimal static allocation where investors distribute their wealth across asset classes according to their risk aversion. This approach rests on the assumption that returns and risks remain constant over time. However, empirical research demonstrates that this assumption does not hold in reality. Fama and French (1989) showed that expected returns vary over time and correlate with macroeconomic variables such as the spread between long-term and short-term interest rates. Campbell and Shiller (1988) demonstrated that the price-earnings ratio possesses predictive power for future stock returns, providing a foundation for dynamic allocation strategies.
The academic literature on tactical asset allocation has evolved considerably over recent decades. Ilmanen (2011) argues in "Expected Returns" that investors can improve their risk-adjusted returns by considering valuation levels, business cycles, and market sentiment. The Dynamic Equity Allocation Model presented here builds on this research tradition and operationalizes these insights into a practically applicable allocation framework.
1.2 Multi-Factor Approaches in Asset Allocation
Modern financial research has shown that different factors capture distinct aspects of market dynamics and together provide a more robust picture of market conditions than individual indicators. Ross (1976) developed the Arbitrage Pricing Theory, a model that employs multiple factors to explain security returns. Following this multi-factor philosophy, DEAM integrates five complementary analytical dimensions, each tapping different information sources and collectively enabling comprehensive market understanding.
2. Data Foundation and Data Quality
2.1 Data Sources Used
The model draws its data exclusively from publicly available market data via the TradingView platform. This transparency and accessibility is a significant advantage over proprietary models that rely on non-public data. The data foundation encompasses several categories of market information, each capturing specific aspects of market dynamics.
First, price data for the S&P 500 Index is obtained through the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (ticker: SPY). The use of a highly liquid ETF instead of the index itself has practical reasons, as ETF data is available in real-time and reflects actual tradability. In addition to closing prices, high, low, and volume data are captured, which are required for calculating advanced volatility measures.
Fundamental corporate metrics are retrieved via TradingView's Financial Data API. These include earnings per share, price-to-earnings ratio, return on equity, debt-to-equity ratio, dividend yield, and share buyback yield. Cochrane (2011) emphasizes in "Presidential Address: Discount Rates" the central importance of valuation metrics for forecasting future returns, making these fundamental data a cornerstone of the model.
Volatility indicators are represented by the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) and related metrics. The VIX, often referred to as the market's "fear gauge," measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 index options and serves as a proxy for market participants' risk perception. Whaley (2000) describes in "The Investor Fear Gauge" the construction and interpretation of the VIX and its use as a sentiment indicator.
Macroeconomic data includes yield curve information through US Treasury bonds of various maturities and credit risk premiums through the spread between high-yield bonds and risk-free government bonds. These variables capture the macroeconomic conditions and financing conditions relevant for equity valuation. Estrella and Hardouvelis (1991) showed that the shape of the yield curve has predictive power for future economic activity, justifying the inclusion of these data.
2.2 Handling Missing Data
A practical problem when working with financial data is dealing with missing or unavailable values. The model implements a fallback system where a plausible historical average value is stored for each fundamental metric. When current data is unavailable for a specific point in time, this fallback value is used. This approach ensures that the model remains functional even during temporary data outages and avoids systematic biases from missing data. The use of average values as fallback is conservative, as it generates neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic signals.
3. Component 1: Market Regime Detection
3.1 The Concept of Market Regimes
The idea that financial markets exist in different "regimes" or states that differ in their statistical properties has a long tradition in financial science. Hamilton (1989) developed regime-switching models that allow distinguishing between different market states with different return and volatility characteristics. The practical application of this theory consists of identifying the current market state and adjusting portfolio allocation accordingly.
DEAM classifies market regimes using a scoring system that considers three main dimensions: trend strength, volatility level, and drawdown depth. This multidimensional view is more robust than focusing on individual indicators, as it captures various facets of market dynamics. Classification occurs into six distinct regimes: Strong Bull, Bull Market, Neutral, Correction, Bear Market, and Crisis.
3.2 Trend Analysis Through Moving Averages
Moving averages are among the oldest and most widely used technical indicators and have also received attention in academic literature. Brock, Lakonishok, and LeBaron (1992) examined in "Simple Technical Trading Rules and the Stochastic Properties of Stock Returns" the profitability of trading rules based on moving averages and found evidence for their predictive power, although later studies questioned the robustness of these results when considering transaction costs.
The model calculates three moving averages with different time windows: a 20-day average (approximately one trading month), a 50-day average (approximately one quarter), and a 200-day average (approximately one trading year). The relationship of the current price to these averages and the relationship of the averages to each other provide information about trend strength and direction. When the price trades above all three averages and the short-term average is above the long-term, this indicates an established uptrend. The model assigns points based on these constellations, with longer-term trends weighted more heavily as they are considered more persistent.
3.3 Volatility Regimes
Volatility, understood as the standard deviation of returns, is a central concept of financial theory and serves as the primary risk measure. However, research has shown that volatility is not constant but changes over time and occurs in clusters—a phenomenon first documented by Mandelbrot (1963) and later formalized through ARCH and GARCH models (Engle, 1982; Bollerslev, 1986).
DEAM calculates volatility not only through the classic method of return standard deviation but also uses more advanced estimators such as the Parkinson estimator and the Garman-Klass estimator. These methods utilize intraday information (high and low prices) and are more efficient than simple close-to-close volatility estimators. The Parkinson estimator (Parkinson, 1980) uses the range between high and low of a trading day and is based on the recognition that this information reveals more about true volatility than just the closing price difference. The Garman-Klass estimator (Garman and Klass, 1980) extends this approach by additionally considering opening and closing prices.
The calculated volatility is annualized by multiplying it by the square root of 252 (the average number of trading days per year), enabling standardized comparability. The model compares current volatility with the VIX, the implied volatility from option prices. A low VIX (below 15) signals market comfort and increases the regime score, while a high VIX (above 35) indicates market stress and reduces the score. This interpretation follows the empirical observation that elevated volatility is typically associated with falling markets (Schwert, 1989).
3.4 Drawdown Analysis
A drawdown refers to the percentage decline from the highest point (peak) to the lowest point (trough) during a specific period. This metric is psychologically significant for investors as it represents the maximum loss experienced. Calmar (1991) developed the Calmar Ratio, which relates return to maximum drawdown, underscoring the practical relevance of this metric.
The model calculates current drawdown as the percentage distance from the highest price of the last 252 trading days (one year). A drawdown below 3% is considered negligible and maximally increases the regime score. As drawdown increases, the score decreases progressively, with drawdowns above 20% classified as severe and indicating a crisis or bear market regime. These thresholds are empirically motivated by historical market cycles, in which corrections typically encompassed 5-10% drawdowns, bear markets 20-30%, and crises over 30%.
3.5 Regime Classification
Final regime classification occurs through aggregation of scores from trend (40% weight), volatility (30%), and drawdown (30%). The higher weighting of trend reflects the empirical observation that trend-following strategies have historically delivered robust results (Moskowitz, Ooi, and Pedersen, 2012). A total score above 80 signals a strong bull market with established uptrend, low volatility, and minimal losses. At a score below 10, a crisis situation exists requiring defensive positioning. The six regime categories enable a differentiated allocation strategy that not only distinguishes binarily between bullish and bearish but allows gradual gradations.
4. Component 2: Risk-Based Allocation
4.1 Volatility Targeting as Risk Management Approach
The concept of volatility targeting is based on the idea that investors should maximize not returns but risk-adjusted returns. Sharpe (1966, 1994) defined with the Sharpe Ratio the fundamental concept of return per unit of risk, measured as volatility. Volatility targeting goes a step further and adjusts portfolio allocation to achieve constant target volatility. This means that in times of low market volatility, equity allocation is increased, and in times of high volatility, it is reduced.
Moreira and Muir (2017) showed in "Volatility-Managed Portfolios" that strategies that adjust their exposure based on volatility forecasts achieve higher Sharpe Ratios than passive buy-and-hold strategies. DEAM implements this principle by defining a target portfolio volatility (default 12% annualized) and adjusting equity allocation to achieve it. The mathematical foundation is simple: if market volatility is 20% and target volatility is 12%, equity allocation should be 60% (12/20 = 0.6), with the remaining 40% held in cash with zero volatility.
4.2 Market Volatility Calculation
Estimating current market volatility is central to the risk-based allocation approach. The model uses several volatility estimators in parallel and selects the higher value between traditional close-to-close volatility and the Parkinson estimator. This conservative choice ensures the model does not underestimate true volatility, which could lead to excessive risk exposure.
Traditional volatility calculation uses logarithmic returns, as these have mathematically advantageous properties (additive linkage over multiple periods). The logarithmic return is calculated as ln(P_t / P_{t-1}), where P_t is the price at time t. The standard deviation of these returns over a rolling 20-trading-day window is then multiplied by √252 to obtain annualized volatility. This annualization is based on the assumption of independently identically distributed returns, which is an idealization but widely accepted in practice.
The Parkinson estimator uses additional information from the trading range (High minus Low) of each day. The formula is: σ_P = (1/√(4ln2)) × √(1/n × Σln²(H_i/L_i)) × √252, where H_i and L_i are high and low prices. Under ideal conditions, this estimator is approximately five times more efficient than the close-to-close estimator (Parkinson, 1980), as it uses more information per observation.
4.3 Drawdown-Based Position Size Adjustment
In addition to volatility targeting, the model implements drawdown-based risk control. The logic is that deep market declines often signal further losses and therefore justify exposure reduction. This behavior corresponds with the concept of path-dependent risk tolerance: investors who have already suffered losses are typically less willing to take additional risk (Kahneman and Tversky, 1979).
The model defines a maximum portfolio drawdown as a target parameter (default 15%). Since portfolio volatility and portfolio drawdown are proportional to equity allocation (assuming cash has neither volatility nor drawdown), allocation-based control is possible. For example, if the market exhibits a 25% drawdown and target portfolio drawdown is 15%, equity allocation should be at most 60% (15/25).
4.4 Dynamic Risk Adjustment
An advanced feature of DEAM is dynamic adjustment of risk-based allocation through a feedback mechanism. The model continuously estimates what actual portfolio volatility and portfolio drawdown would result at the current allocation. If risk utilization (ratio of actual to target risk) exceeds 1.0, allocation is reduced by an adjustment factor that grows exponentially with overutilization. This implements a form of dynamic feedback that avoids overexposure.
Mathematically, a risk adjustment factor r_adjust is calculated: if risk utilization u > 1, then r_adjust = exp(-0.5 × (u - 1)). This exponential function ensures that moderate overutilization is gently corrected, while strong overutilization triggers drastic reductions. The factor 0.5 in the exponent was empirically calibrated to achieve a balanced ratio between sensitivity and stability.
5. Component 3: Valuation Analysis
5.1 Theoretical Foundations of Fundamental Valuation
DEAM's valuation component is based on the fundamental premise that the intrinsic value of a security is determined by its future cash flows and that deviations between market price and intrinsic value are eventually corrected. Graham and Dodd (1934) established in "Security Analysis" the basic principles of fundamental analysis that remain relevant today. Translated into modern portfolio context, this means that markets with high valuation metrics (high price-earnings ratios) should have lower expected returns than cheaply valued markets.
Campbell and Shiller (1988) developed the Cyclically Adjusted P/E Ratio (CAPE), which smooths earnings over a full business cycle. Their empirical analysis showed that this ratio has significant predictive power for 10-year returns. Asness, Moskowitz, and Pedersen (2013) demonstrated in "Value and Momentum Everywhere" that value effects exist not only in individual stocks but also in asset classes and markets.
5.2 Equity Risk Premium as Central Valuation Metric
The Equity Risk Premium (ERP) is defined as the expected excess return of stocks over risk-free government bonds. It is the theoretical heart of valuation analysis, as it represents the compensation investors demand for bearing equity risk. Damodaran (2012) discusses in "Equity Risk Premiums: Determinants, Estimation and Implications" various methods for ERP estimation.
DEAM calculates ERP not through a single method but combines four complementary approaches with different weights. This multi-method strategy increases estimation robustness and avoids dependence on single, potentially erroneous inputs.
The first method (35% weight) uses earnings yield, calculated as 1/P/E or directly from operating earnings data, and subtracts the 10-year Treasury yield. This method follows Fed Model logic (Yardeni, 2003), although this model has theoretical weaknesses as it does not consistently treat inflation (Asness, 2003).
The second method (30% weight) extends earnings yield by share buyback yield. Share buybacks are a form of capital return to shareholders and increase value per share. Boudoukh et al. (2007) showed in "The Total Shareholder Yield" that the sum of dividend yield and buyback yield is a better predictor of future returns than dividend yield alone.
The third method (20% weight) implements the Gordon Growth Model (Gordon, 1962), which models stock value as the sum of discounted future dividends. Under constant growth g assumption: Expected Return = Dividend Yield + g. The model estimates sustainable growth as g = ROE × (1 - Payout Ratio), where ROE is return on equity and payout ratio is the ratio of dividends to earnings. This formula follows from equity theory: unretained earnings are reinvested at ROE and generate additional earnings growth.
The fourth method (15% weight) combines total shareholder yield (Dividend + Buybacks) with implied growth derived from revenue growth. This method considers that companies with strong revenue growth should generate higher future earnings, even if current valuations do not yet fully reflect this.
The final ERP is the weighted average of these four methods. A high ERP (above 4%) signals attractive valuations and increases the valuation score to 95 out of 100 possible points. A negative ERP, where stocks have lower expected returns than bonds, results in a minimal score of 10.
5.3 Quality Adjustments to Valuation
Valuation metrics alone can be misleading if not interpreted in the context of company quality. A company with a low P/E may be cheap or fundamentally problematic. The model therefore implements quality adjustments based on growth, profitability, and capital structure.
Revenue growth above 10% annually adds 10 points to the valuation score, moderate growth above 5% adds 5 points. This adjustment reflects that growth has independent value (Modigliani and Miller, 1961, extended by later growth theory). Net margin above 15% signals pricing power and operational efficiency and increases the score by 5 points, while low margins below 8% indicate competitive pressure and subtract 5 points.
Return on equity (ROE) above 20% characterizes outstanding capital efficiency and increases the score by 5 points. Piotroski (2000) showed in "Value Investing: The Use of Historical Financial Statement Information" that fundamental quality signals such as high ROE can improve the performance of value strategies.
Capital structure is evaluated through the debt-to-equity ratio. A conservative ratio below 1.0 multiplies the valuation score by 1.2, while high leverage above 2.0 applies a multiplier of 0.8. This adjustment reflects that high debt constrains financial flexibility and can become problematic in crisis times (Korteweg, 2010).
6. Component 4: Sentiment Analysis
6.1 The Role of Sentiment in Financial Markets
Investor sentiment, defined as the collective psychological attitude of market participants, influences asset prices independently of fundamental data. Baker and Wurgler (2006, 2007) developed a sentiment index and showed that periods of high sentiment are followed by overvaluations that later correct. This insight justifies integrating a sentiment component into allocation decisions.
Sentiment is difficult to measure directly but can be proxied through market indicators. The VIX is the most widely used sentiment indicator, as it aggregates implied volatility from option prices. High VIX values reflect elevated uncertainty and risk aversion, while low values signal market comfort. Whaley (2009) refers to the VIX as the "Investor Fear Gauge" and documents its role as a contrarian indicator: extremely high values typically occur at market bottoms, while low values occur at tops.
6.2 VIX-Based Sentiment Assessment
DEAM uses statistical normalization of the VIX by calculating the Z-score: z = (VIX_current - VIX_average) / VIX_standard_deviation. The Z-score indicates how many standard deviations the current VIX is from the historical average. This approach is more robust than absolute thresholds, as it adapts to the average volatility level, which can vary over longer periods.
A Z-score below -1.5 (VIX is 1.5 standard deviations below average) signals exceptionally low risk perception and adds 40 points to the sentiment score. This may seem counterintuitive—shouldn't low fear be bullish? However, the logic follows the contrarian principle: when no one is afraid, everyone is already invested, and there is limited further upside potential (Zweig, 1973). Conversely, a Z-score above 1.5 (extreme fear) adds -40 points, reflecting market panic but simultaneously suggesting potential buying opportunities.
6.3 VIX Term Structure as Sentiment Signal
The VIX term structure provides additional sentiment information. Normally, the VIX trades in contango, meaning longer-term VIX futures have higher prices than short-term. This reflects that short-term volatility is currently known, while long-term volatility is more uncertain and carries a risk premium. The model compares the VIX with VIX9D (9-day volatility) and identifies backwardation (VIX > 1.05 × VIX9D) and steep backwardation (VIX > 1.15 × VIX9D).
Backwardation occurs when short-term implied volatility is higher than longer-term, which typically happens during market stress. Investors anticipate immediate turbulence but expect calming. Psychologically, this reflects acute fear. The model subtracts 15 points for backwardation and 30 for steep backwardation, as these constellations signal elevated risk. Simon and Wiggins (2001) analyzed the VIX futures curve and showed that backwardation is associated with market declines.
6.4 Safe-Haven Flows
During crisis times, investors flee from risky assets into safe havens: gold, US dollar, and Japanese yen. This "flight to quality" is a sentiment signal. The model calculates the performance of these assets relative to stocks over the last 20 trading days. When gold or the dollar strongly rise while stocks fall, this indicates elevated risk aversion.
The safe-haven component is calculated as the difference between safe-haven performance and stock performance. Positive values (safe havens outperform) subtract up to 20 points from the sentiment score, negative values (stocks outperform) add up to 10 points. The asymmetric treatment (larger deduction for risk-off than bonus for risk-on) reflects that risk-off movements are typically sharper and more informative than risk-on phases.
Baur and Lucey (2010) examined safe-haven properties of gold and showed that gold indeed exhibits negative correlation with stocks during extreme market movements, confirming its role as crisis protection.
7. Component 5: Macroeconomic Analysis
7.1 The Yield Curve as Economic Indicator
The yield curve, represented as yields of government bonds of various maturities, contains aggregated expectations about future interest rates, inflation, and economic growth. The slope of the yield curve has remarkable predictive power for recessions. Estrella and Mishkin (1998) showed that an inverted yield curve (short-term rates higher than long-term) predicts recessions with high reliability. This is because inverted curves reflect restrictive monetary policy: the central bank raises short-term rates to combat inflation, dampening economic activity.
DEAM calculates two spread measures: the 2-year-minus-10-year spread and the 3-month-minus-10-year spread. A steep, positive curve (spreads above 1.5% and 2% respectively) signals healthy growth expectations and generates the maximum yield curve score of 40 points. A flat curve (spreads near zero) reduces the score to 20 points. An inverted curve (negative spreads) is particularly alarming and results in only 10 points.
The choice of two different spreads increases analysis robustness. The 2-10 spread is most established in academic literature, while the 3M-10Y spread is often considered more sensitive, as the 3-month rate directly reflects current monetary policy (Ang, Piazzesi, and Wei, 2006).
7.2 Credit Conditions and Spreads
Credit spreads—the yield difference between risky corporate bonds and safe government bonds—reflect risk perception in the credit market. Gilchrist and Zakrajšek (2012) constructed an "Excess Bond Premium" that measures the component of credit spreads not explained by fundamentals and showed this is a predictor of future economic activity and stock returns.
The model approximates credit spread by comparing the yield of high-yield bond ETFs (HYG) with investment-grade bond ETFs (LQD). A narrow spread below 200 basis points signals healthy credit conditions and risk appetite, contributing 30 points to the macro score. Very wide spreads above 1000 basis points (as during the 2008 financial crisis) signal credit crunch and generate zero points.
Additionally, the model evaluates whether "flight to quality" is occurring, identified through strong performance of Treasury bonds (TLT) with simultaneous weakness in high-yield bonds. This constellation indicates elevated risk aversion and reduces the credit conditions score.
7.3 Financial Stability at Corporate Level
While the yield curve and credit spreads reflect macroeconomic conditions, financial stability evaluates the health of companies themselves. The model uses the aggregated debt-to-equity ratio and return on equity of the S&P 500 as proxies for corporate health.
A low leverage level below 0.5 combined with high ROE above 15% signals robust corporate balance sheets and generates 20 points. This combination is particularly valuable as it represents both defensive strength (low debt means crisis resistance) and offensive strength (high ROE means earnings power). High leverage above 1.5 generates only 5 points, as it implies vulnerability to interest rate increases and recessions.
Korteweg (2010) showed in "The Net Benefits to Leverage" that optimal debt maximizes firm value, but excessive debt increases distress costs. At the aggregated market level, high debt indicates fragilities that can become problematic during stress phases.
8. Component 6: Crisis Detection
8.1 The Need for Systematic Crisis Detection
Financial crises are rare but extremely impactful events that suspend normal statistical relationships. During normal market volatility, diversified portfolios and traditional risk management approaches function, but during systemic crises, seemingly independent assets suddenly correlate strongly, and losses exceed historical expectations (Longin and Solnik, 2001). This justifies a separate crisis detection mechanism that operates independently of regular allocation components.
Reinhart and Rogoff (2009) documented in "This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly" recurring patterns in financial crises: extreme volatility, massive drawdowns, credit market dysfunction, and asset price collapse. DEAM operationalizes these patterns into quantifiable crisis indicators.
8.2 Multi-Signal Crisis Identification
The model uses a counter-based approach where various stress signals are identified and aggregated. This methodology is more robust than relying on a single indicator, as true crises typically occur simultaneously across multiple dimensions. A single signal may be a false alarm, but the simultaneous presence of multiple signals increases confidence.
The first indicator is a VIX above the crisis threshold (default 40), adding one point. A VIX above 60 (as in 2008 and March 2020) adds two additional points, as such extreme values are historically very rare. This tiered approach captures the intensity of volatility.
The second indicator is market drawdown. A drawdown above 15% adds one point, as corrections of this magnitude can be potential harbingers of larger crises. A drawdown above 25% adds another point, as historical bear markets typically encompass 25-40% drawdowns.
The third indicator is credit market spreads above 500 basis points, adding one point. Such wide spreads occur only during significant credit market disruptions, as in 2008 during the Lehman crisis.
The fourth indicator identifies simultaneous losses in stocks and bonds. Normally, Treasury bonds act as a hedge against equity risk (negative correlation), but when both fall simultaneously, this indicates systemic liquidity problems or inflation/stagflation fears. The model checks whether both SPY and TLT have fallen more than 10% and 5% respectively over 5 trading days, adding two points.
The fifth indicator is a volume spike combined with negative returns. Extreme trading volumes (above twice the 20-day average) with falling prices signal panic selling. This adds one point.
A crisis situation is diagnosed when at least 3 indicators trigger, a severe crisis at 5 or more indicators. These thresholds were calibrated through historical backtesting to identify true crises (2008, 2020) without generating excessive false alarms.
8.3 Crisis-Based Allocation Override
When a crisis is detected, the system overrides the normal allocation recommendation and caps equity allocation at maximum 25%. In a severe crisis, the cap is set at 10%. This drastic defensive posture follows the empirical observation that crises typically require time to develop and that early reduction can avoid substantial losses (Faber, 2007).
This override logic implements a "safety first" principle: in situations of existential danger to the portfolio, capital preservation becomes the top priority. Roy (1952) formalized this approach in "Safety First and the Holding of Assets," arguing that investors should primarily minimize ruin probability.
9. Integration and Final Allocation Calculation
9.1 Component Weighting
The final allocation recommendation emerges through weighted aggregation of the five components. The standard weighting is: Market Regime 35%, Risk Management 25%, Valuation 20%, Sentiment 15%, Macro 5%. These weights reflect both theoretical considerations and empirical backtesting results.
The highest weighting of market regime is based on evidence that trend-following and momentum strategies have delivered robust results across various asset classes and time periods (Moskowitz, Ooi, and Pedersen, 2012). Current market momentum is highly informative for the near future, although it provides no information about long-term expectations.
The substantial weighting of risk management (25%) follows from the central importance of risk control. Wealth preservation is the foundation of long-term wealth creation, and systematic risk management is demonstrably value-creating (Moreira and Muir, 2017).
The valuation component receives 20% weight, based on the long-term mean reversion of valuation metrics. While valuation has limited short-term predictive power (bull and bear markets can begin at any valuation), the long-term relationship between valuation and returns is robustly documented (Campbell and Shiller, 1988).
Sentiment (15%) and Macro (5%) receive lower weights, as these factors are subtler and harder to measure. Sentiment is valuable as a contrarian indicator at extremes but less informative in normal ranges. Macro variables such as the yield curve have strong predictive power for recessions, but the transmission from recessions to stock market performance is complex and temporally variable.
9.2 Model Type Adjustments
DEAM allows users to choose between four model types: Conservative, Balanced, Aggressive, and Adaptive. This choice modifies the final allocation through additive adjustments.
Conservative mode subtracts 10 percentage points from allocation, resulting in consistently more cautious positioning. This is suitable for risk-averse investors or those with limited investment horizons. Aggressive mode adds 10 percentage points, suitable for risk-tolerant investors with long horizons.
Adaptive mode implements procyclical adjustment based on short-term momentum: if the market has risen more than 5% in the last 20 days, 5 percentage points are added; if it has declined more than 5%, 5 points are subtracted. This logic follows the observation that short-term momentum persists (Jegadeesh and Titman, 1993), but the moderate size of adjustment avoids excessive timing bets.
Balanced mode makes no adjustment and uses raw model output. This neutral setting is suitable for investors who wish to trust model recommendations unchanged.
9.3 Smoothing and Stability
The allocation resulting from aggregation undergoes final smoothing through a simple moving average over 3 periods. This smoothing is crucial for model practicality, as it reduces frequent trading and thus transaction costs. Without smoothing, the model could fluctuate between adjacent allocations with every small input change.
The choice of 3 periods as smoothing window is a compromise between responsiveness and stability. Longer smoothing would excessively delay signals and impede response to true regime changes. Shorter or no smoothing would allow too much noise. Empirical tests showed that 3-period smoothing offers an optimal ratio between these goals.
10. Visualization and Interpretation
10.1 Main Output: Equity Allocation
DEAM's primary output is a time series from 0 to 100 representing the recommended percentage allocation to equities. This representation is intuitive: 100% means full investment in stocks (specifically: an S&P 500 ETF), 0% means complete cash position, and intermediate values correspond to mixed portfolios. A value of 60% means, for example: invest 60% of wealth in SPY, hold 40% in money market instruments or cash.
The time series is color-coded to enable quick visual interpretation. Green shades represent high allocations (above 80%, bullish), red shades low allocations (below 20%, bearish), and neutral colors middle allocations. The chart background is dynamically colored based on the signal, enhancing readability in different market phases.
10.2 Dashboard Metrics
A tabular dashboard presents key metrics compactly. This includes current allocation, cash allocation (complement), an aggregated signal (BULLISH/NEUTRAL/BEARISH), current market regime, VIX level, market drawdown, and crisis status.
Additionally, fundamental metrics are displayed: P/E Ratio, Equity Risk Premium, Return on Equity, Debt-to-Equity Ratio, and Total Shareholder Yield. This transparency allows users to understand model decisions and form their own assessments.
Component scores (Regime, Risk, Valuation, Sentiment, Macro) are also displayed, each normalized on a 0-100 scale. This shows which factors primarily drive the current recommendation. If, for example, the Risk score is very low (20) while other scores are moderate (50-60), this indicates that risk management considerations are pulling allocation down.
10.3 Component Breakdown (Optional)
Advanced users can display individual components as separate lines in the chart. This enables analysis of component dynamics: do all components move synchronously, or are there divergences? Divergences can be particularly informative. If, for example, the market regime is bullish (high score) but the valuation component is very negative, this signals an overbought market not fundamentally supported—a classic "bubble warning."
This feature is disabled by default to keep the chart clean but can be activated for deeper analysis.
10.4 Confidence Bands
The model optionally displays uncertainty bands around the main allocation line. These are calculated as ±1 standard deviation of allocation over a rolling 20-period window. Wide bands indicate high volatility of model recommendations, suggesting uncertain market conditions. Narrow bands indicate stable recommendations.
This visualization implements a concept of epistemic uncertainty—uncertainty about the model estimate itself, not just market volatility. In phases where various indicators send conflicting signals, the allocation recommendation becomes more volatile, manifesting in wider bands. Users can understand this as a warning to act more cautiously or consult alternative information sources.
11. Alert System
11.1 Allocation Alerts
DEAM implements an alert system that notifies users of significant events. Allocation alerts trigger when smoothed allocation crosses certain thresholds. An alert is generated when allocation reaches 80% (from below), signaling strong bullish conditions. Another alert triggers when allocation falls to 20%, indicating defensive positioning.
These thresholds are not arbitrary but correspond with boundaries between model regimes. An allocation of 80% roughly corresponds to a clear bull market regime, while 20% corresponds to a bear market regime. Alerts at these points are therefore informative about fundamental regime shifts.
11.2 Crisis Alerts
Separate alerts trigger upon detection of crisis and severe crisis. These alerts have highest priority as they signal large risks. A crisis alert should prompt investors to review their portfolio and potentially take defensive measures beyond the automatic model recommendation (e.g., hedging through put options, rebalancing to more defensive sectors).
11.3 Regime Change Alerts
An alert triggers upon change of market regime (e.g., from Neutral to Correction, or from Bull Market to Strong Bull). Regime changes are highly informative events that typically entail substantial allocation changes. These alerts enable investors to proactively respond to changes in market dynamics.
11.4 Risk Breach Alerts
A specialized alert triggers when actual portfolio risk utilization exceeds target parameters by 20%. This is a warning signal that the risk management system is reaching its limits, possibly because market volatility is rising faster than allocation can be reduced. In such situations, investors should consider manual interventions.
12. Practical Application and Limitations
12.1 Portfolio Implementation
DEAM generates a recommendation for allocation between equities (S&P 500) and cash. Implementation by an investor can take various forms. The most direct method is using an S&P 500 ETF (e.g., SPY, VOO) for equity allocation and a money market fund or savings account for cash allocation.
A rebalancing strategy is required to synchronize actual allocation with model recommendation. Two approaches are possible: (1) rule-based rebalancing at every 10% deviation between actual and target, or (2) time-based monthly rebalancing. Both have trade-offs between responsiveness and transaction costs. Empirical evidence (Jaconetti, Kinniry, and Zilbering, 2010) suggests rebalancing frequency has moderate impact on performance, and investors should optimize based on their transaction costs.
12.2 Adaptation to Individual Preferences
The model offers numerous adjustment parameters. Component weights can be modified if investors place more or less belief in certain factors. A fundamentally-oriented investor might increase valuation weight, while a technical trader might increase regime weight.
Risk target parameters (target volatility, max drawdown) should be adapted to individual risk tolerance. Younger investors with long investment horizons can choose higher target volatility (15-18%), while retirees may prefer lower volatility (8-10%). This adjustment systematically shifts average equity allocation.
Crisis thresholds can be adjusted based on preference for sensitivity versus specificity of crisis detection. Lower thresholds (e.g., VIX > 35 instead of 40) increase sensitivity (more crises are detected) but reduce specificity (more false alarms). Higher thresholds have the reverse effect.
12.3 Limitations and Disclaimers
DEAM is based on historical relationships between indicators and market performance. There is no guarantee these relationships will persist in the future. Structural changes in markets (e.g., through regulation, technology, or central bank policy) can break established patterns. This is the fundamental problem of induction in financial science (Taleb, 2007).
The model is optimized for US equities (S&P 500). Application to other markets (international stocks, bonds, commodities) would require recalibration. The indicators and thresholds are specific to the statistical properties of the US equity market.
The model cannot eliminate losses. Even with perfect crisis prediction, an investor following the model would lose money in bear markets—just less than a buy-and-hold investor. The goal is risk-adjusted performance improvement, not risk elimination.
Transaction costs are not modeled. In practice, spreads, commissions, and taxes reduce net returns. Frequent trading can cause substantial costs. Model smoothing helps minimize this, but users should consider their specific cost situation.
The model reacts to information; it does not anticipate it. During sudden shocks (e.g., 9/11, COVID-19 lockdowns), the model can only react after price movements, not before. This limitation is inherent to all reactive systems.
12.4 Relationship to Other Strategies
DEAM is a tactical asset allocation approach and should be viewed as a complement, not replacement, for strategic asset allocation. Brinson, Hood, and Beebower (1986) showed in their influential study "Determinants of Portfolio Performance" that strategic asset allocation (long-term policy allocation) explains the majority of portfolio performance, but this leaves room for tactical adjustments based on market timing.
The model can be combined with value and momentum strategies at the individual stock level. While DEAM controls overall market exposure, within-equity decisions can be optimized through stock-picking models. This separation between strategic (market exposure) and tactical (stock selection) levels follows classical portfolio theory.
The model does not replace diversification across asset classes. A complete portfolio should also include bonds, international stocks, real estate, and alternative investments. DEAM addresses only the US equity allocation decision within a broader portfolio.
13. Scientific Foundation and Evaluation
13.1 Theoretical Consistency
DEAM's components are based on established financial theory and empirical evidence. The market regime component follows from regime-switching models (Hamilton, 1989) and trend-following literature. The risk management component implements volatility targeting (Moreira and Muir, 2017) and modern portfolio theory (Markowitz, 1952). The valuation component is based on discounted cash flow theory and empirical value research (Campbell and Shiller, 1988; Fama and French, 1992). The sentiment component integrates behavioral finance (Baker and Wurgler, 2006). The macro component uses established business cycle indicators (Estrella and Mishkin, 1998).
This theoretical grounding distinguishes DEAM from purely data-mining-based approaches that identify patterns without causal theory. Theory-guided models have greater probability of functioning out-of-sample, as they are based on fundamental mechanisms, not random correlations (Lo and MacKinlay, 1990).
13.2 Empirical Validation
While this document does not present detailed backtest analysis, it should be noted that rigorous validation of a tactical asset allocation model should include several elements:
In-sample testing establishes whether the model functions at all in the data on which it was calibrated. Out-of-sample testing is crucial: the model should be tested in time periods not used for development. Walk-forward analysis, where the model is successively trained on rolling windows and tested in the next window, approximates real implementation.
Performance metrics should be risk-adjusted. Pure return consideration is misleading, as higher returns often only compensate for higher risk. Sharpe Ratio, Sortino Ratio, Calmar Ratio, and Maximum Drawdown are relevant metrics. Comparison with benchmarks (Buy-and-Hold S&P 500, 60/40 Stock/Bond portfolio) contextualizes performance.
Robustness checks test sensitivity to parameter variation. If the model only functions at specific parameter settings, this indicates overfitting. Robust models show consistent performance over a range of plausible parameters.
13.3 Comparison with Existing Literature
DEAM fits into the broader literature on tactical asset allocation. Faber (2007) presented a simple momentum-based timing system that goes long when the market is above its 10-month average, otherwise cash. This simple system avoided large drawdowns in bear markets. DEAM can be understood as a sophistication of this approach that integrates multiple information sources.
Ilmanen (2011) discusses various timing factors in "Expected Returns" and argues for multi-factor approaches. DEAM operationalizes this philosophy. Asness, Moskowitz, and Pedersen (2013) showed that value and momentum effects work across asset classes, justifying cross-asset application of regime and valuation signals.
Ang (2014) emphasizes in "Asset Management: A Systematic Approach to Factor Investing" the importance of systematic, rule-based approaches over discretionary decisions. DEAM is fully systematic and eliminates emotional biases that plague individual investors (overconfidence, hindsight bias, loss aversion).
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Ray Dalio's All Weather Strategy - Portfolio CalculatorTHE ALL WEATHER STRATEGY INDICATOR: A GUIDE TO RAY DALIO'S LEGENDARY PORTFOLIO APPROACH
Introduction: The Genesis of Financial Resilience
In the sprawling corridors of Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund managing over 150 billion dollars in assets, Ray Dalio conceived what would become one of the most influential investment strategies of the modern era. The All Weather Strategy, born from decades of market observation and rigorous backtesting, represents a paradigm shift from traditional portfolio construction methods that have dominated Wall Street since Harry Markowitz's seminal work on Modern Portfolio Theory in 1952.
Unlike conventional approaches that chase returns through market timing or stock picking, the All Weather Strategy embraces a fundamental truth that has humbled countless investors throughout history: nobody can consistently predict the future direction of markets. Instead of fighting this uncertainty, Dalio's approach harnesses it, creating a portfolio designed to perform reasonably well across all economic environments, hence the evocative name "All Weather."
The strategy emerged from Bridgewater's extensive research into economic cycles and asset class behavior, culminating in what Dalio describes as "the Holy Grail of investing" in his bestselling book "Principles" (Dalio, 2017). This Holy Grail isn't about achieving spectacular returns, but rather about achieving consistent, risk-adjusted returns that compound steadily over time, much like the tortoise defeating the hare in Aesop's timeless fable.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION
The All Weather Strategy's origins trace back to the tumultuous economic periods of the 1970s and 1980s, when traditional portfolio construction methods proved inadequate for navigating simultaneous inflation and recession. Raymond Thomas Dalio, born in 1949 in Queens, New York, founded Bridgewater Associates from his Manhattan apartment in 1975, initially focusing on currency and fixed-income consulting for corporate clients.
Dalio's early experiences during the 1970s stagflation period profoundly shaped his investment philosophy. Unlike many of his contemporaries who viewed inflation and deflation as opposing forces, Dalio recognized that both conditions could coexist with either economic growth or contraction, creating four distinct economic environments rather than the traditional two-factor models that dominated academic finance.
The conceptual breakthrough came in the late 1980s when Dalio began systematically analyzing asset class performance across different economic regimes. Working with a small team of researchers, Bridgewater developed sophisticated models that decomposed economic conditions into growth and inflation components, then mapped historical asset class returns against these regimes. This research revealed that traditional portfolio construction, heavily weighted toward stocks and bonds, left investors vulnerable to specific economic scenarios.
The formal All Weather Strategy emerged in 1996 when Bridgewater was approached by a wealthy family seeking a portfolio that could protect their wealth across various economic conditions without requiring active management or market timing. Unlike Bridgewater's flagship Pure Alpha fund, which relied on active trading and leverage, the All Weather approach needed to be completely passive and unleveraged while still providing adequate diversification.
Dalio and his team spent months developing and testing various allocation schemes, ultimately settling on the 30/40/15/7.5/7.5 framework that balances risk contributions rather than dollar amounts. This approach was revolutionary because it focused on risk budgeting—ensuring that no single asset class dominated the portfolio's risk profile—rather than the traditional approach of equal dollar allocations or market-cap weighting.
The strategy's first institutional implementation began in 1996 with a family office client, followed by gradual expansion to other wealthy families and eventually institutional investors. By 2005, Bridgewater was managing over $15 billion in All Weather assets, making it one of the largest systematic strategy implementations in institutional investing.
The 2008 financial crisis provided the ultimate test of the All Weather methodology. While the S&P 500 declined by 37% and many hedge funds suffered double-digit losses, the All Weather strategy generated positive returns, validating Dalio's risk-balancing approach. This performance during extreme market stress attracted significant institutional attention, leading to rapid asset growth in subsequent years.
The strategy's theoretical foundations evolved throughout the 2000s as Bridgewater's research team, led by co-chief investment officers Greg Jensen and Bob Prince, refined the economic framework and incorporated insights from behavioral economics and complexity theory. Their research, published in numerous institutional white papers, demonstrated that traditional portfolio optimization methods consistently underperformed simpler risk-balanced approaches across various time periods and market conditions.
Academic validation came through partnerships with leading business schools and collaboration with prominent economists. The strategy's risk parity principles influenced an entire generation of institutional investors, leading to the creation of numerous risk parity funds managing hundreds of billions in aggregate assets.
In recent years, the democratization of sophisticated financial tools has made All Weather-style investing accessible to individual investors through ETFs and systematic platforms. The availability of high-quality, low-cost ETFs covering each required asset class has eliminated many of the barriers that previously limited sophisticated portfolio construction to institutional investors.
The development of advanced portfolio management software and platforms like TradingView has further democratized access to institutional-quality analytics and implementation tools. The All Weather Strategy Indicator represents the culmination of this trend, providing individual investors with capabilities that previously required teams of portfolio managers and risk analysts.
Understanding the Four Economic Seasons
The All Weather Strategy's theoretical foundation rests on Dalio's observation that all economic environments can be characterized by two primary variables: economic growth and inflation. These variables create four distinct "economic seasons," each favoring different asset classes. Rising growth benefits stocks and commodities, while falling growth favors bonds. Rising inflation helps commodities and inflation-protected securities, while falling inflation benefits nominal bonds and stocks.
This framework, detailed extensively in Bridgewater's research papers from the 1990s, suggests that by holding assets that perform well in each economic season, an investor can create a portfolio that remains resilient regardless of which season unfolds. The elegance lies not in predicting which season will occur, but in being prepared for all of them simultaneously.
Academic research supports this multi-environment approach. Ang and Bekaert (2002) demonstrated that regime changes in economic conditions significantly impact asset returns, while Fama and French (2004) showed that different asset classes exhibit varying sensitivities to economic factors. The All Weather Strategy essentially operationalizes these academic insights into a practical investment framework.
The Original All Weather Allocation: Simplicity Masquerading as Sophistication
The core All Weather portfolio, as implemented by Bridgewater for institutional clients and later adapted for retail investors, maintains a deceptively simple static allocation: 30% stocks, 40% long-term bonds, 15% intermediate-term bonds, 7.5% commodities, and 7.5% Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS). This allocation may appear arbitrary to the uninitiated, but each percentage reflects careful consideration of historical volatilities, correlations, and economic sensitivities.
The 30% stock allocation provides growth exposure while limiting the portfolio's overall volatility. Stocks historically deliver superior long-term returns but with significant volatility, as evidenced by the Standard & Poor's 500 Index's average annual return of approximately 10% since 1926, accompanied by standard deviation exceeding 15% (Ibbotson Associates, 2023). By limiting stock exposure to 30%, the portfolio captures much of the equity risk premium while avoiding excessive volatility.
The combined 55% allocation to bonds (40% long-term plus 15% intermediate-term) serves as the portfolio's stabilizing force. Long-term bonds provide substantial interest rate sensitivity, performing well during economic slowdowns when central banks reduce rates. Intermediate-term bonds offer a balance between interest rate sensitivity and reduced duration risk. This bond-heavy allocation reflects Dalio's insight that bonds typically exhibit lower volatility than stocks while providing essential diversification benefits.
The 7.5% commodities allocation addresses inflation protection, as commodity prices typically rise during inflationary periods. Historical analysis by Bodie and Rosansky (1980) demonstrated that commodities provide meaningful diversification benefits and inflation hedging capabilities, though with considerable volatility. The relatively small allocation reflects commodities' high volatility and mixed long-term returns.
Finally, the 7.5% TIPS allocation provides explicit inflation protection through government-backed securities whose principal and interest payments adjust with inflation. Introduced by the U.S. Treasury in 1997, TIPS have proven effective inflation hedges, though they underperform nominal bonds during deflationary periods (Campbell & Viceira, 2001).
Historical Performance: The Evidence Speaks
Analyzing the All Weather Strategy's historical performance reveals both its strengths and limitations. Using monthly return data from 1970 to 2023, spanning over five decades of varying economic conditions, the strategy has delivered compelling risk-adjusted returns while experiencing lower volatility than traditional stock-heavy portfolios.
During this period, the All Weather allocation generated an average annual return of approximately 8.2%, compared to 10.5% for the S&P 500 Index. However, the strategy's annual volatility measured just 9.1%, substantially lower than the S&P 500's 15.8% volatility. This translated to a Sharpe ratio of 0.67 for the All Weather Strategy versus 0.54 for the S&P 500, indicating superior risk-adjusted performance.
More impressively, the strategy's maximum drawdown over this period was 12.3%, occurring during the 2008 financial crisis, compared to the S&P 500's maximum drawdown of 50.9% during the same period. This drawdown mitigation proves crucial for long-term wealth building, as Stein and DeMuth (2003) demonstrated that avoiding large losses significantly impacts compound returns over time.
The strategy performed particularly well during periods of economic stress. During the 1970s stagflation, when stocks and bonds both struggled, the All Weather portfolio's commodity and TIPS allocations provided essential protection. Similarly, during the 2000-2002 dot-com crash and the 2008 financial crisis, the portfolio's bond-heavy allocation cushioned losses while maintaining positive returns in several years when stocks declined significantly.
However, the strategy underperformed during sustained bull markets, particularly the 1990s technology boom and the 2010s post-financial crisis recovery. This underperformance reflects the strategy's conservative nature and diversified approach, which sacrifices potential upside for downside protection. As Dalio frequently emphasizes, the All Weather Strategy prioritizes "not losing money" over "making a lot of money."
Implementing the All Weather Strategy: A Practical Guide
The All Weather Strategy Indicator transforms Dalio's institutional-grade approach into an accessible tool for individual investors. The indicator provides real-time portfolio tracking, rebalancing signals, and performance analytics, eliminating much of the complexity traditionally associated with implementing sophisticated allocation strategies.
To begin implementation, investors must first determine their investable capital. As detailed analysis reveals, the All Weather Strategy requires meaningful capital to implement effectively due to transaction costs, minimum investment requirements, and the need for precise allocations across five different asset classes.
For portfolios below $50,000, the strategy becomes challenging to implement efficiently. Transaction costs consume a disproportionate share of returns, while the inability to purchase fractional shares creates allocation drift. Consider an investor with $25,000 attempting to allocate 7.5% to commodities through the iPath Bloomberg Commodity Index ETF (DJP), currently trading around $25 per share. This allocation targets $1,875, enough for only 75 shares, creating immediate tracking error.
At $50,000, implementation becomes feasible but not optimal. The 30% stock allocation ($15,000) purchases approximately 37 shares of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) at current prices around $400 per share. The 40% long-term bond allocation ($20,000) buys 200 shares of the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) at approximately $100 per share. While workable, these allocations leave significant cash drag and rebalancing challenges.
The optimal minimum for individual implementation appears to be $100,000. At this level, each allocation becomes substantial enough for precise implementation while keeping transaction costs below 0.4% annually. The $30,000 stock allocation, $40,000 long-term bond allocation, $15,000 intermediate-term bond allocation, $7,500 commodity allocation, and $7,500 TIPS allocation each provide sufficient size for effective management.
For investors with $250,000 or more, the strategy implementation approaches institutional quality. Allocation precision improves, transaction costs decline as a percentage of assets, and rebalancing becomes highly efficient. These larger portfolios can also consider adding complexity through international diversification or alternative implementations.
The indicator recommends quarterly rebalancing to balance transaction costs with allocation discipline. Monthly rebalancing increases costs without substantial benefits for most investors, while annual rebalancing allows excessive drift that can meaningfully impact performance. Quarterly rebalancing, typically on the first trading day of each quarter, provides an optimal balance.
Understanding the Indicator's Functionality
The All Weather Strategy Indicator operates as a comprehensive portfolio management system, providing multiple analytical layers that professional money managers typically reserve for institutional clients. This sophisticated tool transforms Ray Dalio's institutional-grade strategy into an accessible platform for individual investors, offering features that rival professional portfolio management software.
The indicator's core architecture consists of several interconnected modules that work seamlessly together to provide complete portfolio oversight. At its foundation lies a real-time portfolio simulation engine that tracks the exact value of each ETF position based on current market prices, eliminating the need for manual calculations or external spreadsheets.
DETAILED INDICATOR COMPONENTS AND FUNCTIONS
Portfolio Configuration Module
The portfolio setup begins with the Portfolio Configuration section, which establishes the fundamental parameters for strategy implementation. The Portfolio Capital input accepts values from $1,000 to $10,000,000, accommodating everyone from beginning investors to institutional clients. This input directly drives all subsequent calculations, determining exact share quantities and portfolio values throughout the implementation period.
The Portfolio Start Date function allows users to specify when they began implementing the All Weather Strategy, creating a clear demarcation point for performance tracking. This feature proves essential for investors who want to track their actual implementation against theoretical performance, providing realistic assessment of strategy effectiveness including timing differences and implementation costs.
Rebalancing Frequency settings offer two options: Monthly and Quarterly. While monthly rebalancing provides more precise allocation control, quarterly rebalancing typically proves more cost-effective for most investors due to reduced transaction costs. The indicator automatically detects the first trading day of each period, ensuring rebalancing occurs at optimal times regardless of weekends, holidays, or market closures.
The Rebalancing Threshold parameter, adjustable from 0.5% to 10%, determines when allocation drift triggers rebalancing recommendations. Conservative settings like 1-2% maintain tight allocation control but increase trading frequency, while wider thresholds like 3-5% reduce trading costs but allow greater allocation drift. This flexibility accommodates different risk tolerances and cost structures.
Visual Display System
The Show All Weather Calculator toggle controls the main dashboard visibility, allowing users to focus on chart visualization when detailed metrics aren't needed. When enabled, this comprehensive dashboard displays current portfolio value, individual ETF allocations, target versus actual weights, rebalancing status, and performance metrics in a professionally formatted table.
Economic Environment Display provides context about current market conditions based on growth and inflation indicators. While simplified compared to Bridgewater's sophisticated regime detection, this feature helps users understand which economic "season" currently prevails and which asset classes should theoretically benefit.
Rebalancing Signals illuminate when portfolio drift exceeds user-defined thresholds, highlighting specific ETFs that require adjustment. These signals use color coding to indicate urgency: green for balanced allocations, yellow for moderate drift, and red for significant deviations requiring immediate attention.
Advanced Label System
The rebalancing label system represents one of the indicator's most innovative features, providing three distinct detail levels to accommodate different user needs and experience levels. The "None" setting displays simple symbols marking portfolio start and rebalancing events without cluttering the chart with text. This minimal approach suits experienced investors who understand the implications of each symbol.
"Basic" label mode shows essential information including portfolio values at each rebalancing point, enabling quick assessment of strategy performance over time. These labels display "START $X" for portfolio initiation and "RBL $Y" for rebalancing events, providing clear performance tracking without overwhelming detail.
"Detailed" labels provide comprehensive trading instructions including exact buy and sell quantities for each ETF. These labels might display "RBL $125,000 BUY 15 SPY SELL 25 TLT BUY 8 IEF NO TRADES DJP SELL 12 SCHP" providing complete implementation guidance. This feature essentially transforms the indicator into a personal portfolio manager, eliminating guesswork about exact trades required.
Professional Color Themes
Eight professionally designed color themes adapt the indicator's appearance to different aesthetic preferences and market analysis styles. The "Gold" theme reflects traditional wealth management aesthetics, while "EdgeTools" provides modern professional appearance. "Behavioral" uses psychologically informed colors that reinforce disciplined decision-making, while "Quant" employs high-contrast combinations favored by quantitative analysts.
"Ocean," "Fire," "Matrix," and "Arctic" themes provide distinctive visual identities for traders who prefer unique chart aesthetics. Each theme automatically adjusts for dark or light mode optimization, ensuring optimal readability across different TradingView configurations.
Real-Time Portfolio Tracking
The portfolio simulation engine continuously tracks five separate ETF positions: SPY for stocks, TLT for long-term bonds, IEF for intermediate-term bonds, DJP for commodities, and SCHP for TIPS. Each position's value updates in real-time based on current market prices, providing instant feedback about portfolio performance and allocation drift.
Current share calculations determine exact holdings based on the most recent rebalancing, while target shares reflect optimal allocation based on current portfolio value. Trade calculations show precisely how many shares to buy or sell during rebalancing, eliminating manual calculations and potential errors.
Performance Analytics Suite
The indicator's performance measurement capabilities rival professional portfolio analysis software. Sharpe ratio calculations incorporate current risk-free rates obtained from Treasury yield data, providing accurate risk-adjusted performance assessment. Volatility measurements use rolling periods to capture changing market conditions while maintaining statistical significance.
Portfolio return calculations track both absolute and relative performance, comparing the All Weather implementation against individual asset classes and benchmark indices. These metrics update continuously, providing real-time assessment of strategy effectiveness and implementation quality.
Data Quality Monitoring
Sophisticated data quality checks ensure reliable indicator operation across different market conditions and potential data interruptions. The system monitors all five ETF price feeds plus economic data sources, providing quality scores that alert users to potential data issues that might affect calculations.
When data quality degrades, the indicator automatically switches to fallback values or alternative data sources, maintaining functionality during temporary market data interruptions. This robust design ensures consistent operation even during volatile market conditions when data feeds occasionally experience disruptions.
Risk Management and Behavioral Considerations
Despite its sophisticated design, the All Weather Strategy faces behavioral challenges that have derailed countless well-intentioned investment plans. The strategy's conservative nature means it will underperform growth stocks during bull markets, potentially by substantial margins. Maintaining discipline during these periods requires understanding that the strategy optimizes for risk-adjusted returns over absolute returns.
Behavioral finance research by Kahneman and Tversky (1979) demonstrates that investors feel losses approximately twice as intensely as equivalent gains. This loss aversion creates powerful psychological pressure to abandon defensive strategies during bull markets when aggressive portfolios appear more attractive. The All Weather Strategy's bond-heavy allocation will seem overly conservative when technology stocks double in value, as occurred repeatedly during the 2010s.
Conversely, the strategy's defensive characteristics provide psychological comfort during market stress. When stocks crash 30-50%, as they periodically do, the All Weather portfolio's modest losses feel manageable rather than catastrophic. This emotional stability enables investors to maintain their investment discipline when others capitulate, often at the worst possible times.
Rebalancing discipline presents another behavioral challenge. Selling winners to buy losers contradicts natural human tendencies but remains essential for the strategy's success. When stocks have outperformed bonds for several quarters, rebalancing requires selling high-performing stock positions to purchase seemingly stagnant bond positions. This action feels counterintuitive but captures the strategy's systematic approach to risk management.
Tax considerations add complexity for taxable accounts. Frequent rebalancing generates taxable events that can erode after-tax returns, particularly for high-income investors facing elevated capital gains rates. Tax-advantaged accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs provide ideal vehicles for All Weather implementation, eliminating tax friction from rebalancing activities.
Capital Requirements and Cost Analysis
Comprehensive cost analysis reveals the capital requirements for effective All Weather implementation. Annual expenses include management fees for each ETF, transaction costs from rebalancing, and bid-ask spreads from trading less liquid securities.
ETF expense ratios vary significantly across asset classes. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF charges 0.09% annually, while the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF charges 0.20%. The iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF charges 0.15%, the Schwab US TIPS ETF charges 0.05%, and the iPath Bloomberg Commodity Index ETF charges 0.75%. Weighted by the All Weather allocations, total expense ratios average approximately 0.19% annually.
Transaction costs depend heavily on broker selection and account size. Premium brokers like Interactive Brokers charge $1-2 per trade, resulting in $20-40 annually for quarterly rebalancing. Discount brokers may charge higher per-trade fees but offer commission-free ETF trading for selected funds. Zero-commission brokers eliminate explicit trading costs but often impose wider bid-ask spreads that function as hidden fees.
Bid-ask spreads represent the difference between buying and selling prices for each security. Highly liquid ETFs like SPY maintain spreads of 1-2 basis points, while less liquid commodity ETFs may exhibit spreads of 5-10 basis points. These costs accumulate through rebalancing activities, typically totaling 10-15 basis points annually.
For a $100,000 portfolio, total annual costs including expense ratios, transaction fees, and spreads typically range from 0.35% to 0.45%, or $350-450 annually. These costs decline as a percentage of assets as portfolio size increases, reaching approximately 0.25% for portfolios exceeding $250,000.
Comparing costs to potential benefits reveals the strategy's value proposition. Historical analysis suggests the All Weather approach reduces portfolio volatility by 35-40% compared to stock-heavy allocations while maintaining competitive returns. This volatility reduction provides substantial value during market stress, potentially preventing behavioral mistakes that destroy long-term wealth.
Alternative Implementations and Customizations
While the original All Weather allocation provides an excellent starting point, investors may consider modifications based on personal circumstances, market conditions, or geographic considerations. International diversification represents one potential enhancement, adding exposure to developed and emerging market bonds and equities.
Geographic customization becomes important for non-US investors. European investors might replace US Treasury bonds with German Bunds or broader European government bond indices. Currency hedging decisions add complexity but may reduce volatility for investors whose spending occurs in non-dollar currencies.
Tax-location strategies optimize after-tax returns by placing tax-inefficient assets in tax-advantaged accounts while holding tax-efficient assets in taxable accounts. TIPS and commodity ETFs generate ordinary income taxed at higher rates, making them candidates for retirement account placement. Stock ETFs generate qualified dividends and long-term capital gains taxed at lower rates, making them suitable for taxable accounts.
Some investors prefer implementing the bond allocation through individual Treasury securities rather than ETFs, eliminating management fees while gaining precise maturity control. Treasury auctions provide access to new securities without bid-ask spreads, though this approach requires more sophisticated portfolio management.
Factor-based implementations replace broad market ETFs with factor-tilted alternatives. Value-tilted stock ETFs, quality-focused bond ETFs, or momentum-based commodity indices may enhance returns while maintaining the All Weather framework's diversification benefits. However, these modifications introduce additional complexity and potential tracking error.
Conclusion: Embracing the Long Game
The All Weather Strategy represents more than an investment approach; it embodies a philosophy of financial resilience that prioritizes sustainable wealth building over speculative gains. In an investment landscape increasingly dominated by algorithmic trading, meme stocks, and cryptocurrency volatility, Dalio's methodical approach offers a refreshing alternative grounded in economic theory and historical evidence.
The strategy's greatest strength lies not in its potential for extraordinary returns, but in its capacity to deliver reasonable returns across diverse economic environments while protecting capital during market stress. This characteristic becomes increasingly valuable as investors approach or enter retirement, when portfolio preservation assumes greater importance than aggressive growth.
Implementation requires discipline, adequate capital, and realistic expectations. The strategy will underperform growth-oriented approaches during bull markets while providing superior downside protection during bear markets. Investors must embrace this trade-off consciously, understanding that the strategy optimizes for long-term wealth building rather than short-term performance.
The All Weather Strategy Indicator democratizes access to institutional-quality portfolio management, providing individual investors with tools previously available only to wealthy families and institutions. By automating allocation tracking, rebalancing signals, and performance analysis, the indicator removes much of the complexity that has historically limited sophisticated strategy implementation.
For investors seeking a systematic, evidence-based approach to long-term wealth building, the All Weather Strategy provides a compelling framework. Its emphasis on diversification, risk management, and behavioral discipline aligns with the fundamental principles that have created lasting wealth throughout financial history. While the strategy may not generate headlines or inspire cocktail party conversations, it offers something more valuable: a reliable path toward financial security across all economic seasons.
As Dalio himself notes, "The biggest mistake investors make is to believe that what happened in the recent past is likely to persist, and they design their portfolios accordingly." The All Weather Strategy's enduring appeal lies in its rejection of this recency bias, instead embracing the uncertainty of markets while positioning for success regardless of which economic season unfolds.
STEP-BY-STEP INDICATOR SETUP GUIDE
Setting up the All Weather Strategy Indicator requires careful attention to each configuration parameter to ensure optimal implementation. This comprehensive setup guide walks through every setting and explains its impact on strategy performance.
Initial Setup Process
Begin by adding the indicator to your TradingView chart. Search for "Ray Dalio's All Weather Strategy" in the indicator library and apply it to any chart. The indicator operates independently of the underlying chart symbol, drawing data directly from the five required ETFs regardless of which security appears on the chart.
Portfolio Configuration Settings
Start with the Portfolio Capital input, which drives all subsequent calculations. Enter your exact investable capital, ranging from $1,000 to $10,000,000. This input determines share quantities, trade recommendations, and performance calculations. Conservative recommendations suggest minimum capitals of $50,000 for basic implementation or $100,000 for optimal precision.
Select your Portfolio Start Date carefully, as this establishes the baseline for all performance calculations. Choose the date when you actually began implementing the All Weather Strategy, not when you first learned about it. This date should reflect when you first purchased ETFs according to the target allocation, creating realistic performance tracking.
Choose your Rebalancing Frequency based on your cost structure and precision preferences. Monthly rebalancing provides tighter allocation control but increases transaction costs. Quarterly rebalancing offers the optimal balance for most investors between allocation precision and cost control. The indicator automatically detects appropriate trading days regardless of your selection.
Set the Rebalancing Threshold based on your tolerance for allocation drift and transaction costs. Conservative investors preferring tight control should use 1-2% thresholds, while cost-conscious investors may prefer 3-5% thresholds. Lower thresholds maintain more precise allocations but trigger more frequent trading.
Display Configuration Options
Enable Show All Weather Calculator to display the comprehensive dashboard containing portfolio values, allocations, and performance metrics. This dashboard provides essential information for portfolio management and should remain enabled for most users.
Show Economic Environment displays current economic regime classification based on growth and inflation indicators. While simplified compared to Bridgewater's sophisticated models, this feature provides useful context for understanding current market conditions.
Show Rebalancing Signals highlights when portfolio allocations drift beyond your threshold settings. These signals use color coding to indicate urgency levels, helping prioritize rebalancing activities.
Advanced Label Customization
Configure Show Rebalancing Labels based on your need for chart annotations. These labels mark important portfolio events and can provide valuable historical context, though they may clutter charts during extended time periods.
Select appropriate Label Detail Levels based on your experience and information needs. "None" provides minimal symbols suitable for experienced users. "Basic" shows portfolio values at key events. "Detailed" provides complete trading instructions including exact share quantities for each ETF.
Appearance Customization
Choose Color Themes based on your aesthetic preferences and trading style. "Gold" reflects traditional wealth management appearance, while "EdgeTools" provides modern professional styling. "Behavioral" uses psychologically informed colors that reinforce disciplined decision-making.
Enable Dark Mode Optimization if using TradingView's dark theme for optimal readability and contrast. This setting automatically adjusts all colors and transparency levels for the selected theme.
Set Main Line Width based on your chart resolution and visual preferences. Higher width values provide clearer allocation lines but may overwhelm smaller charts. Most users prefer width settings of 2-3 for optimal visibility.
Troubleshooting Common Setup Issues
If the indicator displays "Data not available" messages, verify that all five ETFs (SPY, TLT, IEF, DJP, SCHP) have valid price data on your selected timeframe. The indicator requires daily data availability for all components.
When rebalancing signals seem inconsistent, check your threshold settings and ensure sufficient time has passed since the last rebalancing event. The indicator only triggers signals on designated rebalancing days (first trading day of each period) when drift exceeds threshold levels.
If labels appear at unexpected chart locations, verify that your chart displays percentage values rather than price values. The indicator forces percentage formatting and 0-40% scaling for optimal allocation visualization.
COMPREHENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING
PRIMARY SOURCES AND RAY DALIO WORKS
Dalio, R. (2017). Principles: Life and work. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Dalio, R. (2018). A template for understanding big debt crises. Bridgewater Associates.
Dalio, R. (2021). Principles for dealing with the changing world order: Why nations succeed and fail. New York: Simon & Schuster.
BRIDGEWATER ASSOCIATES RESEARCH PAPERS
Jensen, G., Kertesz, A. & Prince, B. (2010). All Weather strategy: Bridgewater's approach to portfolio construction. Bridgewater Associates Research.
Prince, B. (2011). An in-depth look at the investment logic behind the All Weather strategy. Bridgewater Associates Daily Observations.
Bridgewater Associates. (2015). Risk parity in the context of larger portfolio construction. Institutional Research.
ACADEMIC RESEARCH ON RISK PARITY AND PORTFOLIO CONSTRUCTION
Ang, A. & Bekaert, G. (2002). International asset allocation with regime shifts. The Review of Financial Studies, 15(4), 1137-1187.
Bodie, Z. & Rosansky, V. I. (1980). Risk and return in commodity futures. Financial Analysts Journal, 36(3), 27-39.
Campbell, J. Y. & Viceira, L. M. (2001). Who should buy long-term bonds? American Economic Review, 91(1), 99-127.
Clarke, R., De Silva, H. & Thorley, S. (2013). Risk parity, maximum diversification, and minimum variance: An analytic perspective. Journal of Portfolio Management, 39(3), 39-53.
Fama, E. F. & French, K. R. (2004). The capital asset pricing model: Theory and evidence. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 18(3), 25-46.
BEHAVIORAL FINANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES
Kahneman, D. & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect theory: An analysis of decision under risk. Econometrica, 47(2), 263-292.
Thaler, R. H. & Sunstein, C. R. (2008). Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Montier, J. (2007). Behavioural investing: A practitioner's guide to applying behavioural finance. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
MODERN PORTFOLIO THEORY AND QUANTITATIVE METHODS
Markowitz, H. (1952). Portfolio selection. The Journal of Finance, 7(1), 77-91.
Sharpe, W. F. (1964). Capital asset prices: A theory of market equilibrium under conditions of risk. The Journal of Finance, 19(3), 425-442.
Black, F. & Litterman, R. (1992). Global portfolio optimization. Financial Analysts Journal, 48(5), 28-43.
PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION AND ETF ANALYSIS
Gastineau, G. L. (2010). The exchange-traded funds manual. 2nd ed. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Poterba, J. M. & Shoven, J. B. (2002). Exchange-traded funds: A new investment option for taxable investors. American Economic Review, 92(2), 422-427.
Israelsen, C. L. (2005). A refinement to the Sharpe ratio and information ratio. Journal of Asset Management, 5(6), 423-427.
ECONOMIC CYCLE ANALYSIS AND ASSET CLASS RESEARCH
Ilmanen, A. (2011). Expected returns: An investor's guide to harvesting market rewards. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
Swensen, D. F. (2009). Pioneering portfolio management: An unconventional approach to institutional investment. Rev. ed. New York: Free Press.
Siegel, J. J. (2014). Stocks for the long run: The definitive guide to financial market returns & long-term investment strategies. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
RISK MANAGEMENT AND ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES
Taleb, N. N. (2007). The black swan: The impact of the highly improbable. New York: Random House.
Lowenstein, R. (2000). When genius failed: The rise and fall of Long-Term Capital Management. New York: Random House.
Stein, D. M. & DeMuth, P. (2003). Systematic withdrawal from retirement portfolios: The impact of asset allocation decisions on portfolio longevity. AAII Journal, 25(7), 8-12.
CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENTS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Asness, C. S., Frazzini, A. & Pedersen, L. H. (2012). Leverage aversion and risk parity. Financial Analysts Journal, 68(1), 47-59.
Roncalli, T. (2013). Introduction to risk parity and budgeting. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Ibbotson Associates. (2023). Stocks, bonds, bills, and inflation 2023 yearbook. Chicago: Morningstar.
PERIODICALS AND ONGOING RESEARCH
Journal of Portfolio Management - Quarterly publication featuring cutting-edge research on portfolio construction and risk management
Financial Analysts Journal - Bi-monthly publication of the CFA Institute with practical investment research
Bridgewater Associates Daily Observations - Regular market commentary and research from the creators of the All Weather Strategy
RECOMMENDED READING SEQUENCE
For investors new to the All Weather Strategy, begin with Dalio's "Principles" for philosophical foundation, then proceed to the Bridgewater research papers for technical details. Supplement with Markowitz's original portfolio theory work and behavioral finance literature from Kahneman and Tversky.
Intermediate students should focus on academic papers by Ang & Bekaert on regime shifts, Clarke et al. on risk parity methods, and Ilmanen's comprehensive analysis of expected returns across asset classes.
Advanced practitioners will benefit from Roncalli's technical treatment of risk parity mathematics, Asness et al.'s academic critique of leverage aversion, and ongoing research in the Journal of Portfolio Management.
Volume Profile (Maps) [LuxAlgo]The Pine Script® developers have unleashed "maps"!
Volume Profile (Maps) displays volume, associated with price, above and below the latest price, by using maps
The largest and second-largest volume is highlighted.
🔶 USAGE
The proposed script can highlight more frequent closing prices/prices with the highest volume, potentially highlighting more liquid areas. The prices with the highest associated volume (in red and orange in the indicator) can eventually be used as support/resistance levels.
Voids within the volume profile can highlight large price displacements (volatile variations).
🔶 CONCEPTS
🔹 Maps
A map object is a collection that consists of key - value pairs
Each key is unique and can only appear once. When adding a new value with a key that the map already contains, that value replaces the old value associated with the key .
You can change the value of a particular key though, for example adding volume (value) at the same price (key), the latter technique is used in this script.
Volume is added to the map, associated with a particular price (default close, can be set at high, low, open,...)
When the map already contains the same price (key), the value (volume) is added to the existing volume at the associated price.
A map can contain maximum 50K values, which is more than enough to hold 20K bars (Basic 5K - Premium plan 20K), so the whole history can be put into a map.
🔹 Visible line/box limit
We can only display maximum 500 line.new() though.
The code locates the current (last) close, and displays volume values around this price, using lines, for example 250 lines above and 250 lines below current price.
If one side contains fewer values, the other side can show more lines, taking the maximum out of the 500 visible line limitation.
Example (max. 500 lines visible)
• 100 values below close
• 2000 values above close
-> 100 values will be displayed below close
-> 400 remaining -> 400 values will be displayed above close
Pushing the limits even further, when ' Amount of bars ' is set higher than 500, boxes - box.new() - will be used as well.
These have a limit of 500 as well, bringing the total limit to 1000.
Note that there are visual differences when boxes overlap against lines.
If this is confusing, please keep ' Amount of bars ' at max. 500 (then only lines will be used).
🔹 Rounding function
This publication contains 2 round functions, which can be used to widen the Volume Profile
Round
• "Round" set at zero -> nothing changes to the source number
• "Round" set below zero -> x digit(s) after the decimal point, starting from the right side, and rounded.
• "Round" set above zero -> x digit(s) before the decimal point, starting from the right side, and rounded.
Example: 123456.789
0->123456.789
1->123456.79
2->123456.8
3->123457
-1->123460
-2->123500
Step
Another option is custom steps.
After setting "Round" to "Step", choose the desired steps in price,
Examples
• 2 -> 1234.00, 1236.00, 1238.00, 1240.00
• 5 -> 1230.00, 1235.00, 1240.00, 1245.00
• 100 -> 1200.00, 1300.00, 1400.00, 1500.00
• 0.05 -> 1234.00, 1234.05, 1234.10, 1234.15
•••
🔶 FEATURES
🔹 Adjust position & width
🔹 Table
The table shows the details:
• Size originalMap : amount of elements in original map
• # higher: amount of elements, higher than last "close" (source)
• index "close" : index of last "close" (source), or # element, lower than source
• Size newMap : amount of elements in new map (used for display lines)
• # higher : amount of elements in newMap, higher than last "close" (source)
• # lower : amount of elements in newMap, lower than last "close" (source)
🔹 Volume * currency
Let's take as example BTCUSD, relative to USD, 10 volume at a price of 100 BTCUSD will be very different than 10 volume at a price of 30000 (1K vs. 300K)
If you want volume to be associated with USD, enable Volume * currency . Volume will then be multiplied by the price:
• 10 volume, 1 BTC = 100 -> 1000
• 10 volume, 1 BTC = 30K -> 300K
Disabled
Enabled
🔶 DETAILS
🔹 Put
When the map doesn't contain a price, it will be added, using map.put(id, key, value)
In our code:
map.put(originalMap, price, volume)
or
originalMap.put(price, volume)
A key (price) is now associated with a value (volume) -> key : value
Since all keys are unique, we don't have to know its position to extract the value, we just need to know the key -> map.get(id, key)
We use map.get() when a certain key already exists in the map, and we want to add volume with that value.
if originalMap.contains(price)
originalMap.put(price, originalMap.get(price) + volume)
-> At the last bar, all prices (source) are now associated with volume.
🔹 Copy & sort
Next, every key of the map is copied and sorted (array of keys), after which the index (idx) is retrieved of last (current) price.
copyK = originalMap.keys().copy()
copyK.sort()
idx = copyK.binary_search_leftmost(src)
Then left and right side of idx is investigated to show a maximum amount of lines at both sides of last price.
🔹 New map & display
The keys (from sorted array of copied keys) that will be displayed are put in a new map, with the associated volume values from the original map.
newMap = map.new()
🔹 Re-cap
• put in original amp (price key, volume value)
• copy & sort
• find index of last price
• fetch relevant keys left/right from that index
• put keys in new map and fetch volume associated with these keys (from original map)
Simple example (only show 5 lines)
bar 0, price = 2, volume = 23
bar 1, price = 4, volume = 3
bar 2, price = 8, volume = 21
bar 3, price = 6, volume = 7
bar 4, price = 9, volume = 13
bar 5, price = 5, volume = 85
bar 6, price = 3, volume = 13
bar 7, price = 1, volume = 4
bar 8, price = 7, volume = 9
Original map:
Copied keys array:
Sorted:
-> 5 keys around last price (7) are fetched (5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-> keys are placed into new map + volume values from original map
Lastly, these values are displayed.
🔶 SETTINGS
Source : Set source of choice; default close , can be set as high , low , open , ...
Volume & currency : Enable to multiply volume with price (see Features )
Amount of bars : Set amount of bars which you want to include in the Volume Profile
Max lines : maximum 1000 (if you want to use only lines, and no boxes -> max. 500, see Concepts )
🔹 Round -> ' Round/Step '
Round -> see Concepts
Step -> see Concepts
🔹 Display Volume Profile
Offset: shifts the Volume Profile (max. 500 bars to the right of last bar, see Features )
Max width Volume Profile: largest volume will be x bars wide, the rest is displayed as a ratio against largest volume (see Features )
Show table : Show details (see Features )
🔶 LIMITATIONS
• Lines won't go further than first bar (coded).
• The Volume Profile can be placed maximum 500 bar to the right of last price.
• Maximum 500 lines/boxes can be displayed
S&P 2024: Magnificent 7 vs. the rest of S&PThis chart is designed to calculate and display the percentage change of the Magnificent 7 (M7) stocks and the S&P 500 excluding the M7 (Ex-M7) from the beginning of 2024 to the most recent data point. The Magnificent 7 consists of seven major technology stocks: Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL), Meta (META), Nvidia (NVDA), and Tesla (TSLA). These stocks are a significant part of the S&P 500 and can have a substantial impact on its overall performance.
Key Components and Functionality:
1. Start of 2024 Baseline:
- The script identifies the closing prices of the S&P 500 and each of the Magnificent 7 stocks on the first trading day of 2024. These values serve as the baseline for calculating percentage changes.
2. Current Value Calculation:
- It then fetches the most recent closing prices of these stocks and the S&P 500 index to calculate their current values.
3. Percentage Change Calculation:
- The script calculates the percentage change for the M7 by comparing the sum of the current prices of the M7 stocks to their combined value at the start of 2024.
- Similarly, it calculates the percentage change for the Ex-M7 by comparing the current value of the S&P 500 excluding the M7 to its value at the start of 2024.
4. Plotting:
- The calculated percentage changes are plotted on the chart, with the M7’s percentage change shown in red and the Ex-M7’s percentage change shown in blue.
Use Case:
This indicator is particularly useful for investors and analysts who want to understand how much the performance of the S&P 500 in 2024 is driven by the Magnificent 7 stocks compared to the rest of the index. By showing the percentage change from the start of the year, it provides clear insights into the relative growth or decline of these two segments of the market over the course of the year.
Visualization:
- Red Line (M7 % Change): Displays the percentage change of the combined value of the Magnificent 7 stocks since the start of 2024.
- Blue Line (Ex-M7 % Change): Displays the percentage change of the S&P 500 excluding the Magnificent 7 since the start of 2024.
This script enables a straightforward comparison of the performance of the M7 and Ex-M7, highlighting which segment is contributing more to the overall movement of the S&P 500 in 2024.
BTC Transaction Indicator Name: "Bitcoin On-Chain Volume & Dynamic Parabolic Curve Signals"
Purpose:
This indicator is designed for Bitcoin traders and long-term holders. It combines the analysis of Bitcoin's on-chain transaction volume with price action to generate "Whale" and "Bear" signals. Additionally, it features a unique dynamic parabolic curve that acts as a visual support line, adapting its visibility based on price interaction with a key Exponential Moving Average (EMA).
Key Components:
On-Chain Volume Analysis:
Utilizes Estimated Transaction Volume (ETRAV) data from the Bitcoin blockchain.
Calculates fast and slow Simple Moving Averages (SMAs) of this volume.
Identifies volume trends (up/down) and significant volume increases/decreases.
Employs fixed thresholds (2,500,000 for low volume and 25,000,000 for high volume) to define key activity levels, similar to how historical on-chain analysis defined accumulation and distribution zones.
Price Action Analysis:
Calculates fast and slow SMAs of the price.
Detects price trends (up/down), recoveries, and declines based on these price SMAs.
"Whale" and "Bear" Signals:
Whale Signals (Buy-side): Generated when there's an upward volume trend, significant volume increase, and a downward price trend followed by price recovery. These indicate potential accumulation phases.
Bear Signals (Sell-side): Generated when there's a downward volume trend, significant volume decrease, and an upward price trend followed by price decline. These indicate potential distribution phases.
Visuals: Both types of signals are plotted as small, colored circles directly on the price chart, with corresponding text labels ("Whale," "Buy," "Bear," "Sell," "Price Recovering," "Price Declining").
Dynamic Parabolic Curve:
Concept: A green parabolic (exponential) curve that serves as a dynamic visual support line.
Activation: The curve starts drawing automatically only when the price crosses over the EMA 500 (Exponential Moving Average of 500 periods). The curve's starting point is set at a user-defined percentage below the EMA 500 value at that exact crossover point.
Visibility: The curve remains visible and continues its trajectory only as long as the price stays above the EMA 500.
Deactivation: The curve disappears instantly if the price falls below or equals the EMA 500. It will only reappear if the price crosses above the EMA 500 again.
Customization: The curve's steepness (Tasa Crecimiento Curva) and its initial distance from the EMA 500 (Inicio Curva % por debajo de EMA500) are adjustable.
Dynamic Label: A "Parabólico" text label is plotted near the center of the active curve segment, with an adjustable vertical offset to ensure it stays visually appealing below the curve.
What is PLOTTED on the chart:
The small, colored circle signals for Whale/Buy and Bear/Sell activity.
The green dynamic parabolic curve.
What is NOT PLOTTED:
EMA 200, EMA 500 lines (though they are calculated internally for logic).
Raw volume data or volume Moving Averages (these are only used for signal calculation, not plotted).
Ideal for:
Bitcoin traders and investors focused on long-term trends and cycle analysis, who want visual cues for accumulation/distribution phases based on on-chain activity, complemented by a unique, dynamically appearing parabolic support curve.
Important Notes:
Relies on the availability of external on-chain data (QUANDL:BCHAIN) within TradingView.
Functions best on a daily timeframe for optimal on-chain data relevance.
Rounded Grid Levels🟩 Rounded Grid Levels is a visual tool that helps traders quickly identify key psychological price levels on any chart. By dynamically adapting to the user's visible screen area, it provides consistent, easy-to-read round number grids that align with price action. The indicator offers a traditional visualization of horizontal round level grids, along with enhanced options such as tilted grids that align with market sentiment, and fan-shaped grids for alternative price interaction views. It serves purely as a visual aid, providing an adaptable way to observe rounded price levels without making predictions or generating trading signals.
⚡ OVERVIEW ⚡
The Rounded Grid Levels indicator is a visual tool designed to help traders identify and track price levels that may hold psychological significance, such as round numbers or significant milestones. These levels often serve as potential areas for price reactions, including support, resistance, or points of market interest. The indicator's gridlines are determined by user-defined settings and adjust dynamically based on the visible chart area, meaning they are influenced by the user's current zoom level and perspective. This behavior is similar to TradingView's built-in grid lines found in the chart settings canvas, which also adjust in real-time based on the visible screen, ensuring the most relevant price levels are displayed. By default, the indicator provides consistent gridlines to represent traditional round number levels, offering a straightforward view of key psychological areas. Additionally, users have access to experimental and novel configurations, such as fan-shaped layouts, which expand from a central point and adapt directionally based on user settings. This configuration can provide an alternate perspective for traders, especially useful in analyzing broader market moves and visualizing expansion relative to the current price.
Users can display the gridlines in a variety of configurations, including horizontal, neutral, auto, or fan-shaped layouts, depending on their preferred method of analysis. This flexibility allows traders to focus on different types of price action without overcrowding the visual representation of price movements.
This indicator is intended purely as a visual aid for understanding how price interacts with rounded levels over time. It does not generate predictive trading signals or recommendations but rather provides traders with a customizable framework to enhance their market analysis.
⭕ ROUND NUMBERS IN MARKET PSYCHOLOGY ⭕
Round numbers hold a significant place in financial markets, largely due to the psychological tendencies of traders and investors. These levels often represent areas of interest where human behavior, market biases, and trading strategies converge. Whether it's prices ending in 000, 500, or other recognizable values, these levels naturally attract more attention and influence decision-making.
Round numbers can act as key support or resistance levels and often become focal points in market activity. They are frequently highlighted by financial media, embedded in products like options, and serve as foundations for various trading theories. Their impact extends across different market participants and strategies, making them important focal points in both short-term and long-term market analysis.
Round numbers play an important role in guiding trader behavior and market activity. To better understand why these levels are so impactful, there are several key factors that highlight their significance in trading and price dynamics:
Psychological Impact : Humans naturally gravitate toward round numbers, such as prices ending in 000, 500, or 00. These levels tend to draw attention as traders perceive them as psychologically significant. This behavior is rooted in the cognitive bias known as "left-digit bias," where people assign greater importance to rounded, more recognizable numbers. In trading, this means that prices at these levels are more memorable and thus more likely to attract attention, creating an area where traders focus their buying or selling decisions.
Order Clustering : Traders often place buy and sell orders around these rounded levels, either manually or automatically through stop and limit orders. This clustering leads to the formation of visible support or resistance zones, as the concentrated orders tend to influence price behavior around these key levels. Market participants tend to converge their orders around these price points because of their perceived psychological importance, creating a liquidity pocket. As a result, these areas often act as barriers that the price either struggles to cross or uses as springboards for further movement.
External Influences : Financial media frequently highlights round-number milestones, amplifying market sentiment and drawing traders' attention to these levels. Additionally, algorithmic trading systems often react to round-number thresholds, which can further reinforce price movements, creating self-reinforcing reactions at these levels. As media and analysts emphasize these milestones, more traders pay attention to them, leading to increased volume and often heightened volatility at those points. This self-reinforcing cycle makes round numbers an area where price movement can either accelerate due to a breakout or stall because of clustering interest.
Option Strike Prices : Options contracts typically have strike prices set at round numbers, and as expiration approaches, these levels can influence the price of the underlying asset due to concentrated trading activity. The behavior around these levels, often called "pinning," happens because traders adjust their positions to avoid unfavorable scenarios at these key strikes. This activity tends to concentrate price movement toward these levels as traders hedge their positions, leading to increased liquidity and the potential for abrupt price reactions near option expiration dates.
Whole Number Theory : This theory suggests that whole numbers act as natural psychological barriers, where traders tend to make decisions, place orders, or expect price reactions, making these levels crucial for analysis. Whole numbers are simple to remember and are often used as informal targets for profit-taking or stop placement. This behavior leads to a natural ebb and flow around these levels, where the market finds equilibrium temporarily before deciding on a future direction. Whole numbers tend to work like magnets, drawing price to them and often creating reactions that are visible across different timeframes.
Quarters Theory : Commonly used in Forex markets, this theory focuses on quarter-point increments (e.g., 1.0000, 1.2500, 1.5000) as key levels where price often pauses or reverses. These quarter levels are treated as important psychological barriers, with price frequently interacting at these intervals. Traders use these points to gauge market strength or weakness because quarter levels divide larger round-number ranges into more manageable and meaningful segments. For example, in highly traded forex pairs like EUR/USD, traders might treat 1.2500 as a significant barrier because it represents a halfway point between 1.0000 and 1.5000, offering a balanced reference point for decision-making.
Big Round Numbers : Major round numbers, such as 100, 500, or 1000, often attract significant attention and serve as psychological thresholds. Traders anticipate strong reactions when prices approach or cross these levels. This is often because large round numbers symbolize major milestones, and price behavior around them tends to signal important market sentiment shifts. When price crosses a major level, such as a stock moving above $100 or Bitcoin crossing $50,000, it often creates a surge in trading activity as it is viewed as a validation or invalidation of market trends, drawing in momentum traders and triggering both retail and institutional responses.
By visualizing these round levels on the chart, the Rounded Grid Levels indicator helps traders identify areas where price may pause, reverse, or gain momentum. While round numbers provide useful insights, they should be used in conjunction with other technical analysis tools for a comprehensive trading strategy.
🛠️ CONFIGURATION AND SETTINGS 🛠️
The Rounded Grid Levels indicator offers a variety of configurable settings to tailor the visualization according to individual trader preferences. Below are the key settings available for customization:
Custom Settings
Rounding Step : The Rounding Step parameter sets the minimum interval between gridlines. This value determines how closely spaced the rounded levels are on the chart. For example, if the Rounding Step is set to 100, gridlines will be displayed at every 100 points (e.g., $100, $200, $300) relative to the current price level. The Rounding Step is scaled to the chart's visible area, meaning users should adjust it appropriately for different assets to ensure effective visualization. Lower values provide a more granular view, while larger values give a broader, higher-level perspective.
Major Grids : Defines the interval at which major gridlines will appear compared to minor ones. For example, if the Rounding Step is 100 and Major Grids is set to 10, major gridlines will be displayed every $1,000, while minor gridlines will be at every $100. This distinction allows traders to better visualize key psychological levels by emphasizing significant price intervals.
Direction : Users can select the gridline direction, choosing between options such as 'Up', 'Down', 'Auto', or 'Neutral'. This setting controls how the gridlines extend relative to the current price level, which can help in analyzing directional trends.
Neutral Direction : This option provides balanced gridlines both above and below the current price, allowing traders to visualize support and resistance levels symmetrically. This is useful for analyzing sideways or ranging markets without directional bias.
Up Direction : The gridlines are tilted upwards, starting from visible lows and extending toward the rounded level at the current price. By choosing Up , traders emphasize an upward sentiment, visualizing price action that aligns with rising trends. This option helps illustrate potential areas where pullbacks may occur, as well as how price might expand upwards in the current market context.
Down Direction : The gridlines are tilted downwards, starting from visible highs and extending toward the rounded level at the current price. Selecting Down allows traders to emphasize a downward sentiment, visualizing how price may expand downwards, which is particularly useful when analyzing downtrends or potential correction levels. The gridlines provide an illustrative view of how price interacts with lower levels during market declines.
Auto Direction : The gridlines automatically adjust their direction based on recent market trends. This adaptive option allows traders to visualize gridlines that dynamically change according to price action, making it suitable for evolving market conditions where the direction is uncertain. It’s useful for traders looking for an indicator that moves in sync with market shifts and doesn’t require manual adjustment.
Grid Type : Allows users to choose between 'Linear' or 'Fan' grid types. The Linear type creates evenly spaced gridlines that can be either horizontal or tilted, depending on the chosen direction setting, providing a straightforward view of price levels. The Fan type radiates lines from a central point, offering a more dynamic perspective for analyzing price expansions relative to the current price. These grid types introduce experimental visualizations influenced by chart properties, including visible highs, lows, and the current price. Regardless of the configuration, the gridlines will always end at the current bar, which represents a rounded price level, ensuring consistency in how key price areas are displayed.
Extend : This setting allows gridlines to be projected into the future, helping traders see potential levels beyond the current bar. When enabled, the behavior of the extended lines varies based on the selected grid type and direction. For Neutral and Horizontal Linear settings, the extended gridlines maintain their round-number alignment indefinitely. However, for Up , Down , or Auto directions, the angle of the extended gridlines can change dynamically based on the chart’s visible high and low or the latest price action. As a result, extended lines may not continue to align with round-number levels beyond the current bar, reflecting instead the current trend and sentiment of the market. Regardless of direction, extended gridlines remain consistently spaced and either parallel or evenly distributed, ensuring a structured visual representation.
Color Settings : Users can customize the colors for resistance, support, and minor gridlines at the current price. This helps in visually distinguishing between different grid types and their significance on the chart.
Color Options
These configuration options make the Rounded Grid Levels indicator a versatile tool for traders looking to customize their charts based on their personal trading strategies and analytical preferences.
🖼️ CHART EXAMPLES 🖼️
The following chart examples illustrate different configurations available in the Rounded Grid Levels indicator. These examples show how variations in grid type, direction, and rounding step settings impact the visualization of price levels. Traders may find that smaller rounding steps are more effective on lower time frames, where precision is key, whereas larger rounding steps help to reduce clutter and highlight key levels on higher time frames. Each image includes a caption to explain the specific configuration used, helping users better understand how to apply these settings in different market conditions.
Smaller Rounding Step (100) : With a smaller rounding step, the gridlines are spaced closely together. This setting is particularly useful for lower time frames where price action is more granular and finer details are needed. It allows traders to track price interactions at narrower levels, but on higher time frames, it may lead to clutter and exceed Pine Script's 500-line limit.
Larger Rounding Step (1000) : With a larger rounding step, the gridlines are spaced farther apart. This visualization is better suited for higher time frames or broader market overviews, allowing users to focus on major psychological levels without overloading the chart. On lower time frames, this may result in fewer actionable levels, but it helps in maintaining clarity and staying within Pine Script's line limit.
Linear Grid Type, Neutral Direction (Traditional Rounded Price Levels) : The Linear gridlines are displayed in a neutral fashion, representing traditional round-number levels with consistent spacing above and below the current price. This layout helps visualize key psychological price levels over time in a straightforward manner.
Linear Grid Type, Down Direction : The Linear gridlines are tilted downwards, remaining parallel and ending at the rounded level at the current price. This setup emphasizes downward market sentiment, allowing traders to visualize price expansion towards lower levels, which is useful when analyzing downtrends or potential correction levels.
Linear Grid Type, Down Direction : The Linear gridlines are tilted downwards, extending from the current price to lower levels. Useful for observing downtrending price movements and visualizing pullback areas during uptrends.
Linear Grid Type, Auto Direction : The Linear gridlines adjust dynamically, tilting either upwards or downwards to align with recent price trends, remaining parallel and ending at the rounded level at the current price. This configuration reflects the current market sentiment and offers traders a flexible way to observe price dynamics as they develop in real time.
Fan Grid Type, Neutral Direction : The fan-shaped gridlines radiate symmetrically from a central point, ending at the rounded level at the current price. This configuration provides an unbiased view of price action, giving traders a balanced visualization of rounded levels without directional influence.
Fan Grid Type, Up Direction : The fan-shaped gridlines originate from lower visible price points and radiate upwards, ending at the rounded level at the current price. This layout helps visualize potential price expansion to higher levels, offering insights into upward momentum while maintaining a dynamic and evolving perspective on market conditions.
Fan Grid Type, Down Direction : The fan-shaped gridlines originate from higher visible price points and radiate downwards, ending at the rounded level at the current price. This setup is particularly useful for observing potential price expansion towards lower levels, illustrating areas where the price might extend during a downtrend.
Fan Grid Type, Auto Direction : The fan-shaped gridlines dynamically adjust, originating from visible chart points based on the current market trend, and radiate outward, ending at the rounded level at the current price. This adaptive visualization offers a continuously evolving representation that aligns with changing market sentiment, helping traders assess price expansion dynamically.
📊 SUMMARY 📊
The Rounded Grid Levels indicator helps traders highlight important round-number price levels on their charts, providing a dynamic way to visualize these psychological areas. With customizable gridline options—including traditional, tilted, and fan-shaped styles—users can adapt the indicator to suit their analysis needs. The gridlines adjust with chart zoom or scale, offering a flexible tool for observing price action, without providing specific trading signals or predictions.
⚙️ COMPATIBILITY AND LIMITATIONS ⚙️
Asset Compatibility :
The Rounded Grid Levels indicator is compatible with all asset classes, including cryptocurrencies, forex, stocks, and commodities. Users should adjust both the Rounding Step and the Major Grid settings to ensure the correct scale is used for the specific asset. This adjustment ensures that the most relevant round price levels are displayed effectively regardless of the instrument being analyzed. For instance, when analyzing BTCUSD, a higher Rounding Step may be needed compared to forex pairs like EURUSD, and the Major Grid value should also be adjusted to appropriately emphasize significant levels.
Line Limitations in Pine Script :
The Rounded Grid Levels indicator is subject to Pine Script's 500-line limit. This means that it cannot draw more than 500 gridlines on the chart at any given time. The number of gridlines depends directly on the chosen Rounding Step . If the steps are too small, the gridlines will be spaced too closely, causing the indicator to quickly reach the line limit. For example, if Ethereum is trading around $2,500, a Rounding Step of 100 might be appropriate, but a step of 1.00 would create too many gridlines, exceeding Pine Script's limit. Users should consider appropriate settings to avoid running into this constraint.
Runtime Error Considerations
When using the Rounded Grid Levels indicator, users might encounter a runtime error in specific scenarios. This typically happens if the Rounding Step is set too small, causing the indicator to exceed Pine Script's line limit or take too long to process. This can often occur when switching between charts that have significantly different price ranges. Since the Rounding Step requires flexibility to work with a wide variety of assets—ranging from decimals to thousands—it is not practically limited within the script itself. If a runtime error occurs, the recommended solution is to increase the Rounding Step to a larger value that better matches the current asset's price range.
Runtime Error: If the Rounding Step is too small for the current asset or chart, the indicator may generate a runtime error. Users should increase the Rounding Step to ensure proper visualization.
⚠️ DISCLAIMER ⚠️
The Rounded Grid Levels indicator is not designed as a predictive tool. While it extends gridlines into the future, this extension is purely for visual continuity and does not imply any forecast of future price movements. The primary function of this indicator is to help users visualize significant round number price levels.
The gridlines adjust dynamically based on the visible chart range, ensuring that the most relevant round price levels are displayed. This behavior allows the indicator to adapt to your current view of the market, but it should not be used to predict price movements. The indicator is intended as a visual aid and should be used alongside other tools in a comprehensive market analysis approach.
While gridlines may align with significant price levels in hindsight, they should not be interpreted as indicators of future price movements. Traders are encouraged to adjust settings based on their strategy and market conditions.
🧠 BEYOND THE CODE 🧠
The Rounded Grid Levels indicator, like other xxattaxx indicators , is designed with education and community collaboration in mind. Its open-source nature encourages exploration, experimentation, and the development of new grid calculation indicators, drawings, and strategies. We hope this indicator serves as a framework and a starting point for future innovations in grid trading.
Your comments, suggestions, and discussions are invaluable in shaping the future of this project. We actively encourage your feedback and contributions, which will directly help us refine and improve the Rounded Grid Levels indicator. We look forward to seeing the creative ways in which you use and enhance this tool.
Smart Breadth [smartcanvas]Overview
This indicator is a market breadth analysis tool focused on the S&P 500 index. It visualizes the percentage of S&P 500 constituents trading above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, integrates the McClellan Oscillator for advance-decline analysis, and detects various breadth-based signals such as thrusts, divergences, and trend changes. The indicator is displayed in a separate pane and provides visual cues, a summary label with tooltip, and alert conditions to highlight potential market conditions.
The tool uses data symbols like S5FI (percentage above 50-day MA), S5TH (percentage above 200-day MA), ADVN/DECN (S&P advances/declines), and optionally NYSE advances/declines for certain calculations. If primary data is unavailable, it falls back to calculated breadth from advance-decline ratios.
This indicator is intended for educational and analytical purposes to help users observe market internals. My intention was to pack in one indicator things you will only find in a few. It does not provide trading signals as financial advice, and users are encouraged to use it in conjunction with their own research and risk management strategies. No performance guarantees are implied, and historical patterns may not predict future market behavior.
Key Components and Visuals
Plotted Lines:
Aqua line: Percentage of S&P 500 stocks above their 50-day MA.
Purple line: Percentage of S&P 500 stocks above their 200-day MA.
Optional orange line (enabled via "Show Momentum Line"): 10-day momentum of the 50-day MA breadth, shifted by +50 for scaling.
Optional line plot (enabled via "Show McClellan Oscillator"): McClellan Oscillator, colored green when positive and red when negative. Can use actual scale or normalized to fit breadth percentages (0-100).
Horizontal Levels:
Dotted green at 70%: "Strong" level.
Dashed green at user-defined green threshold (default 60%): "Buy Zone".
Dashed yellow at user-defined yellow threshold (default 50%): "Neutral".
Dotted red at 30%: "Oversold" level.
Optional dotted lines for McClellan (when shown and not using actual scale): Overbought (red), Oversold (green), and Zero (gray), scaled to fit.
Background Coloring:
Green shades for bullish/strong bullish states.
Yellow for neutral.
Orange for caution.
Red for bearish.
Signal Shapes:
Rocket emoji (🚀) at bottom for Zweig Breadth Thrust trigger.
Green circle at bottom for recovery signal.
Red triangle down at top for negative divergence warning.
Green triangle up at bottom for positive divergence.
Light green triangle up at bottom for McClellan oversold bounce.
Green diamond at bottom for capitulation signal.
Summary Label (Right Side):
Displays current action (e.g., "BUY", "HOLD") with emoji, breadth percentages with colored circles, McClellan value with emoji, market state, risk/reward stars, and active signals.
Hover tooltip provides detailed breakdown: action priority, breadth metrics, McClellan status, momentum/trend, market state, active signals, data quality, thresholds, recent changes, and a general recommendation category.
Calculations and Logic
Breadth Percentages: Derived from S5FI/S5TH or calculated from advances/(advances + declines) * 100, with fallback adjustments.
McClellan Oscillator: Difference between fast (default 19) and slow (default 39) EMAs of net advances (advances - declines).
Momentum: 10-day change in 50-day MA breadth percentage.
Trend Analysis: Counts consecutive rising days in breadth to detect upward trends.
Breadth Thrust (Zweig): 10-day EMA of advances/total issues crossing from below a bottom level (default 40) to above a top level (default 61.5). Can use S&P or NYSE data.
Divergences: Compares S&P 500 price highs/lows with breadth or McClellan over a lookback period (default 20) to detect positive (bullish) or negative (bearish) divergences.
Market States: Determined by breadth levels relative to thresholds, trend direction, and McClellan conditions (e.g., strong bullish if above green threshold, rising, and McClellan supportive).
Actions: Prioritized logic (0-10) selects an action like "BUY" or "AVOID LONGS" based on signals, states, and conditions. Higher priority (e.g., capitulation at 10) overrides lower ones.
Alerts: Triggered on new occurrences of key conditions, such as breadth thrust, divergences, state changes, etc.
Input Parameters
The indicator offers customization through grouped inputs, but the use of defaults is encouraged.
Usage Notes
Add the indicator to a chart of any symbol (though designed around S&P 500 data; works best on daily or higher timeframes). Monitor the label and tooltip for a consolidated view of conditions. Set up alerts for specific events.
This script relies on external security requests, which may have data availability issues on certain exchanges or timeframes. The fallback mechanism ensures continuity but may differ slightly from primary sources.
Disclaimer
This indicator is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, financial recommendations, or an endorsement of any trading strategy. Market conditions can change rapidly, and users should not rely solely on this tool for decision-making. Always perform your own due diligence, consult with qualified professionals if needed, and be aware of the risks involved in trading. The author and TradingView are not responsible for any losses incurred from using this script.
Quarterly Cycle Theory with DST time AdjustedThe Quarterly Theory removes ambiguity, as it gives specific time-based reference points to look for when entering trades. Before being able to apply this theory to trading, one must first understand that time is fractal:
Yearly Quarters = 4 quarters of three months each.
Monthly Quarters = 4 quarters of one week each.
Weekly Quarters = 4 quarters of one day each (Monday - Thursday). Friday has its own specific function.
Daily Quarters = 4 quarters of 6 hours each = 4 trading sessions of a trading day.
Sessions Quarters = 4 quarters of 90 minutes each.
90 Minute Quarters = 4 quarters of 22.5 minutes each.
Yearly Cycle: Analogously to financial quarters, the year is divided in four sections of three months each:
Q1 - January, February, March.
Q2 - April, May, June (True Open, April Open).
Q3 - July, August, September.
Q4 - October, November, December.
S&P 500 E-mini Futures (daily candles) — Monthly Cycle.
Monthly Cycle: Considering that we have four weeks in a month, we start the cycle on the first month’s Monday (regardless of the calendar Day):
Q1 - Week 1: first Monday of the month.
Q2 - Week 2: second Monday of the month (True Open, Daily Candle Open Price).
Q3 - Week 3: third Monday of the month.
Q4 - Week 4: fourth Monday of the month.
S&P 500 E-mini Futures (4 hour candles) — Weekly Cycle.
Weekly Cycle: Daye determined that although the trading week is composed by 5 trading days, we should ignore Friday, and the small portion of Sunday’s price action:
Q1 - Monday.
Q2 - Tuesday (True Open, Daily Candle Open Price).
Q3 - Wednesday.
Q4 - Thursday.
S&P 500 E-mini Futures (1 hour candles) — Daily Cycle.
Daily Cycle: The Day can be broken down into 6 hour quarters. These times roughly define the sessions of the trading day, reinforcing the theory’s validity:
Q1 - 18:00 - 00:00 Asia.
Q2 - 00:00 - 06:00 London (True Open).
Q3 - 06:00 - 12:00 NY AM.
Q4 - 12:00 - 18:00 NY PM.
S&P 500 E-mini Futures (15 minute candles) — 6 Hour Cycle.
6 Hour Quarters or 90 Minute Cycle / Sessions divided into four sections of 90 minutes each (EST/EDT):
Asian Session
Q1 - 18:00 - 19:30
Q2 - 19:30 - 21:00 (True Open)
Q3 - 21:00 - 22:30
Q4 - 22:30 - 00:00
London Session
Q1 - 00:00 - 01:30
Q2 - 01:30 - 03:00 (True Open)
Q3 - 03:00 - 04:30
Q4 - 04:30 - 06:00
NY AM Session
Q1 - 06:00 - 07:30
Q2 - 07:30 - 09:00 (True Open)
Q3 - 09:00 - 10:30
Q4 - 10:30 - 12:00
NY PM Session
Q1 - 12:00 - 13:30
Q2 - 13:30 - 15:00 (True Open)
Q3 - 15:00 - 16:30
Q4 - 16:30 - 18:00
S&P 500 E-mini Futures (5 minute candles) — 90 Minute Cycle.
Micro Cycles: Dividing the 90 Minute Cycle yields 22.5 Minute Quarters, also known as Micro Sessions or Micro Quarters:
Asian Session
Q1/1 18:00:00 - 18:22:30
Q2 18:22:30 - 18:45:00
Q3 18:45:00 - 19:07:30
Q4 19:07:30 - 19:30:00
Q2/1 19:30:00 - 19:52:30 (True Session Open)
Q2/2 19:52:30 - 20:15:00
Q2/3 20:15:00 - 20:37:30
Q2/4 20:37:30 - 21:00:00
Q3/1 21:00:00 - 21:23:30
etc. 21:23:30 - 21:45:00
London Session
00:00:00 - 00:22:30 (True Daily Open)
00:22:30 - 00:45:00
00:45:00 - 01:07:30
01:07:30 - 01:30:00
01:30:00 - 01:52:30 (True Session Open)
01:52:30 - 02:15:00
02:15:00 - 02:37:30
02:37:30 - 03:00:00
03:00:00 - 03:22:30
03:22:30 - 03:45:00
03:45:00 - 04:07:30
04:07:30 - 04:30:00
04:30:00 - 04:52:30
04:52:30 - 05:15:00
05:15:00 - 05:37:30
05:37:30 - 06:00:00
New York AM Session
06:00:00 - 06:22:30
06:22:30 - 06:45:00
06:45:00 - 07:07:30
07:07:30 - 07:30:00
07:30:00 - 07:52:30 (True Session Open)
07:52:30 - 08:15:00
08:15:00 - 08:37:30
08:37:30 - 09:00:00
09:00:00 - 09:22:30
09:22:30 - 09:45:00
09:45:00 - 10:07:30
10:07:30 - 10:30:00
10:30:00 - 10:52:30
10:52:30 - 11:15:00
11:15:00 - 11:37:30
11:37:30 - 12:00:00
New York PM Session
12:00:00 - 12:22:30
12:22:30 - 12:45:00
12:45:00 - 13:07:30
13:07:30 - 13:30:00
13:30:00 - 13:52:30 (True Session Open)
13:52:30 - 14:15:00
14:15:00 - 14:37:30
14:37:30 - 15:00:00
15:00:00 - 15:22:30
15:22:30 - 15:45:00
15:45:00 - 15:37:30
15:37:30 - 16:00:00
16:00:00 - 16:22:30
16:22:30 - 16:45:00
16:45:00 - 17:07:30
17:07:30 - 18:00:00
S&P 500 E-mini Futures (30 second candles) — 22.5 Minute Cycle.
VIX Statistical Sentiment Index [Nasan]** THIS IS ONLY FOR US STOCK MARKET**
The indicator analyzes market sentiment by computing the Rate of Change (ROC) for the VIX and S&P 500, visualizing the data as histograms with conditional coloring. It measures the correlation between the VIX, the specific stock, and the S&P 500, displaying the results on the chart. The reliability measure combines these correlations, offering an overall assessment of data robustness. One can use this information to gauge the inverse relationship between VIX and S&P 500, the alignment of the specific stock with the market, and the overall reliability of the correlations for informed decision-making based on the inverse relationship of VIX and price movement.
**WHEN THE VIX ROC IS ABOVE ZERO (RED COLOR) AND RASING ONE CAN EXPECT THE PRICE TO MOVE DOWNWARDS, WHEN THE VIX ROC IS BELOW ZERO (GREEN)AND DECREASING ONE CAN EXPECT THE PRICE TO MOVE UPWARDS"
Understanding the VIX Concept:
The VIX, or Volatility Index, is a widely used indicator in finance that measures the market's expectation of volatility over the next 30 days. Here are key points about the VIX:
Fear Gauge:
Often referred to as the "fear gauge," the VIX tends to rise during periods of market uncertainty or fear and fall during calmer market conditions.
Inverse Relationship with Market:
The VIX typically has an inverse relationship with the stock market. When the stock market experiences a sell-off, the VIX tends to rise, indicating increased expected volatility.
Implied Volatility:
The VIX is derived from the prices of options on the S&P 500. It represents the market's expectations for future volatility and is often referred to as "implied volatility."
Contrarian Indicator:
Extremely high VIX levels may indicate oversold conditions, suggesting a potential market rebound. Conversely, very low VIX levels may signal complacency and a potential reversal.
VIX vs. SPX Correlation:
This correlation measures the strength and direction of the relationship between the VIX (Volatility Index) and the S&P 500 (SPX).
A negative correlation indicates an inverse relationship. When the VIX goes up, the SPX tends to go down, and vice versa.
The correlation value closer to -1 suggests a stronger inverse relationship between VIX and SPX.
Stock vs. SPX Correlation:
This correlation measures the strength and direction of the relationship between the closing price of the stock (retrieved using src1) and the S&P 500 (SPX).
This correlation helps assess how closely the stock's price movements align with the broader market represented by the S&P 500.
A positive correlation suggests that the stock tends to move in the same direction as the S&P 500, while a negative correlation indicates an opposite movement.
Reliability Measure:
Combines the squared values of the VIX vs. SPX and Stock vs. SPX correlations and takes the square root to create a reliability measure.
This measure provides an overall assessment of how reliable the correlation information is in guiding decision-making.
Interpretation:
A higher reliability measure implies that the correlations between VIX and SPX, as well as between the stock and SPX, are more robust and consistent.
One can use this reliability measure to gauge the confidence they can place in the correlations when making decisions about the specific stock based on VIX data and its correlation with the broader market.
Rule of 16 - LowerThe "Rule of 16" is a simple guideline used by traders and investors to estimate the expected annualized volatility of the S&P 500 Index (SPX) based on the level of the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX). The VIX, often referred to as the "fear gauge" or "fear index," measures the market's expectations for future volatility. It is calculated using the implied volatility of a specific set of S&P 500 options.
The Rule of 16 provides a rough approximation of the expected annualized percentage change in the S&P 500 based on the VIX level. Here's how it works:
Find the VIX level: Look up the current value of the VIX. Let's say it's currently at 20.
Apply the Rule of 16: Divide the VIX level by 16. In this example, 20 divided by 16 equals 1.25.
Result: The result of this calculation represents the expected annualized percentage change in the S&P 500. In this case, 1.25% is the estimated annualized volatility.
So, according to the Rule of 16, a VIX level of 20 suggests an expected annualized volatility of approximately 1.25% in the S&P 500.
Here's how you can use the Rule of 16:
Market Sentiment: The VIX is often used as an indicator of market sentiment. When the VIX is high (above its historical average), it suggests that investors expect higher market volatility, indicating potential uncertainty or fear in the markets. Conversely, when the VIX is low, it suggests lower expected volatility and potentially more confidence in the markets.
Risk Management: Traders and investors can use the Rule of 16 to estimate the potential risk associated with their portfolios. For example, if you have a portfolio of S&P 500 stocks and the VIX is at 20, you can use the Rule of 16 to estimate that the annualized volatility of your portfolio may be around 1.25%. This information can help you make decisions about position sizing and risk management.
Option Pricing: Options traders may use the Rule of 16 to get a quick estimate of the implied annualized volatility priced into S&P 500 options. It can help them assess whether options are relatively expensive or cheap based on the VIX level.
It's important to note that the Rule of 16 is a simplification and provides only a rough estimate of expected volatility. Market conditions and the relationship between the VIX and the S&P 500 can change over time. Therefore, it should be used as a guideline rather than a precise forecasting tool. Traders and investors should consider other factors and use additional analysis to make informed decisions.
LineWrapperLibrary "LineWrapper"
Wrapper Type for Line. Useful when you want to store the line details without drawing them. Can also be used in scnearios where you collect lines to be drawn and draw together towards the end.
draw(this)
draws line as per the wrapper object contents
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
Returns: current Line object
draw(this)
draws lines as per the wrapper object array
Parameters:
this : (series array) Array of Line object.
Returns: current Array of Line objects
update(this)
updates or redraws line as per the wrapper object contents
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
Returns: current Line object
update(this)
updates or redraws lines as per the wrapper object array
Parameters:
this : (series array) Array of Line object.
Returns: current Array of Line objects
get_price(this, bar)
get line price based on bar
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
bar : (series/int) bar at which line price need to be calculated
Returns: line price at given bar.
get_x1(this)
Returns UNIX time or bar index (depending on the last xloc value set) of the first point of the line.
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
Returns: UNIX timestamp (in milliseconds) or bar index.
get_x2(this)
Returns UNIX time or bar index (depending on the last xloc value set) of the second point of the line.
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
Returns: UNIX timestamp (in milliseconds) or bar index.
get_y1(this)
Returns price of the first point of the line.
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
Returns: Price value.
get_y2(this)
Returns price of the second point of the line.
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
Returns: Price value.
set_x1(this, x, draw, update)
Sets bar index or bar time (depending on the xloc) of the first point.
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
x : (series int) Bar index or bar time. Note that objects positioned using xloc.bar_index cannot be drawn further than 500 bars into the future.
draw : (series bool) draw line after setting attribute
update : (series bool) update line instead of redraw. Only valid if draw is set.
Returns: Current Line object
set_x2(this, x, draw, update)
Sets bar index or bar time (depending on the xloc) of the second point.
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
x : (series int) Bar index or bar time. Note that objects positioned using xloc.bar_index cannot be drawn further than 500 bars into the future.
draw : (series bool) draw line after setting attribute
update : (series bool) update line instead of redraw. Only valid if draw is set.
Returns: Current Line object
set_y1(this, y, draw, update)
Sets price of the first point
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
y : (series int/float) Price.
draw : (series bool) draw line after setting attribute
update : (series bool) update line instead of redraw. Only valid if draw is set.
Returns: Current Line object
set_y2(this, y, draw, update)
Sets price of the second point
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
y : (series int/float) Price.
draw : (series bool) draw line after setting attribute
update : (series bool) update line instead of redraw. Only valid if draw is set.
Returns: Current Line object
set_color(this, color, draw, update)
Sets the line color
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
color : (series color) New line color
draw : (series bool) draw line after setting attribute
update : (series bool) update line instead of redraw. Only valid if draw is set.
Returns: Current Line object
set_extend(this, extend, draw, update)
Sets extending type of this line object. If extend=extend.none, draws segment starting at point (x1, y1) and ending at point (x2, y2). If extend is equal to extend.right or extend.left, draws a ray starting at point (x1, y1) or (x2, y2), respectively. If extend=extend.both, draws a straight line that goes through these points.
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
extend : (series string) New extending type.
draw : (series bool) draw line after setting attribute
update : (series bool) update line instead of redraw. Only valid if draw is set.
Returns: Current Line object
set_style(this, style, draw, update)
Sets the line style
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
style : (series string) New line style.
draw : (series bool) draw line after setting attribute
update : (series bool) update line instead of redraw. Only valid if draw is set.
Returns: Current Line object
set_width(this, width, draw, update)
Sets the line width.
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
width : (series int) New line width in pixels.
draw : (series bool) draw line after setting attribute
update : (series bool) update line instead of redraw. Only valid if draw is set.
Returns: Current Line object
set_xloc(this, x1, x2, xloc, draw, update)
Sets x-location and new bar index/time values.
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
x1 : (series int) Bar index or bar time of the first point.
x2 : (series int) Bar index or bar time of the second point.
xloc : (series string) New x-location value.
draw : (series bool) draw line after setting attribute
update : (series bool) update line instead of redraw. Only valid if draw is set.
Returns: Current Line object
set_xy1(this, x, y, draw, update)
Sets bar index/time and price of the first point.
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
x : (series int) Bar index or bar time. Note that objects positioned using xloc.bar_index cannot be drawn further than 500 bars into the future.
y : (series int/float) Price.
draw : (series bool) draw line after setting attribute
update : (series bool) update line instead of redraw. Only valid if draw is set.
Returns: Current Line object
set_xy2(this, x, y, draw, update)
Sets bar index/time and price of the second point
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
x : (series int) Bar index or bar time. Note that objects positioned using xloc.bar_index cannot be drawn further than 500 bars into the future.
y : (series int/float) Price.
draw : (series bool) draw line after setting attribute
update : (series bool) update line instead of redraw. Only valid if draw is set.
Returns: Current Line object
delete(this)
Deletes the underlying line drawing object
Parameters:
this : (series Line) Line object.
Returns: Current Line object
Line
Line Wrapper object
Fields:
x1 : (series int) Bar index (if xloc = xloc.bar_index) or bar UNIX time (if xloc = xloc.bar_time) of the first point of the line. Note that objects positioned using xloc.bar_index cannot be drawn further than 500 bars into the future.
y1 : (series int/float) Price of the first point of the line.
x2 : (series int) Bar index (if xloc = xloc.bar_index) or bar UNIX time (if xloc = xloc.bar_time) of the second point of the line. Note that objects positioned using xloc.bar_index cannot be drawn further than 500 bars into the future.
y2 : (series int/float) Price of the second point of the line.
xloc : (series string) See description of x1 argument. Possible values: xloc.bar_index and xloc.bar_time. Default is xloc.bar_index.
extend : (series string) If extend=extend.none, draws segment starting at point (x1, y1) and ending at point (x2, y2). If extend is equal to extend.right or extend.left, draws a ray starting at point (x1, y1) or (x2, y2), respectively. If extend=extend.both, draws a straight line that goes through these points. Default value is extend.none.
color : (series color) Line color.
style : (series string) Line style. Possible values: line.style_solid, line.style_dotted, line.style_dashed, line.style_arrow_left, line.style_arrow_right, line.style_arrow_both.
width : (series int) Line width in pixels.
obj : line object
[fikira] Fibonacci MA / EMA's (Fibma / Fibema)I've made SMA/EMA's NOT based on the principle of the 2(1+1), 3(2+1),
5(3+2), 8(5+3), 13(8+5), 21(13+8), 34(21+13), 55(34+21), ... numbers,
but based on these following Fibonacci numbers:
0,236
0,382
0,500
0,618
0,764
1
Ending up with 2 series of Fibma / Fibema:
"Tiny Fibma / Fibema":
24, 38, 50, 62, 76, 100
"Big Fibma / Fibema":
236, 382, 500, 618, 764, 1000
IMHO it is striking how these lines often act as Resistance/Support,
although (except the 50, 100 & 500) they are not typical MA/EMA's.
They perform very well on every Timeframe as well!
Week:
3 Days:
1 Day:
4h:
1h:
Even on the 15 minutes:
Or 5':
Things to watch for:
Price compared to the Tiny or Big Fibma / Fibema (below or above)
Price compared to important Fibma / Fibema (for example below or
above MA 236, MA 764, MA 1000, ...)
Crossing of Fibma / Fibema 24/76, 236/764 and 38/62, 382/618
(bullish crossover = Lime coloured "cloud", bearish crossunder = Red coloured "cloud"),
...
I've made a change in barcolor if the close crosses the "Big Fibma / Fibema 500"
If price closes above MA/EMA 500, the first bar is yellow coloured,
if price stays above this level, candles are coloured lime/orange (= very bullish)
If price closes under MA/EMA 500, the first bar is purple,
if price stays under this level, candles are standard coloured (= very bearish)
Strategy will follow,
Thanks!
The RSP/VOO indicatorThe RSP/VOO indicator refers to the ratio between the performance of two exchange-traded funds (ETFs): RSP (Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF) and VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF). RSP tracks an equal-weighted version of the S&P 500 index, meaning each of the 500 stocks in the index is given the same weight regardless of company size. In contrast, VOO is a market-cap-weighted ETF, where larger companies (like Apple or Microsoft) have a greater influence on the fund's performance based on their market capitalization.
This ratio (RSP divided by VOO) is often used as a market breadth indicator in finance. When the RSP/VOO ratio rises, it suggests that smaller or mid-sized stocks in the S&P 500 are outperforming the largest ones, indicating broader market participation and potentially healthier overall market conditions. Conversely, when the ratio falls, it implies that a few mega-cap stocks are driving the market's gains, which can signal increased concentration risk or a narrower rally. For example, RSP provides more diversified exposure by reducing concentration in large-cap stocks, while VOO reflects the dominance of top-weighted holdings. Investors might monitor this ratio to gauge market sentiment, with RSP historically showing higher expense ratios (around 0.20%) compared to VOO's lower fees (about 0.03%), but offering potentially better risk-adjusted returns in certain environments.1.6秒
Magnificent 7 OscillatorThe Magnificent 7 Oscillator is a sophisticated momentum-based technical indicator designed to analyze the collective performance of the seven largest technology companies in the U.S. stock market (Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, NVIDIA, Tesla, and Meta). This indicator incorporates established momentum factor research and provides three distinct analytical modes: absolute momentum tracking, equal-weighted market comparison, and relative performance analysis. The tool integrates five different oscillator methodologies and includes advanced breadth analysis capabilities.
Theoretical Foundation
Momentum Factor Research
The indicator's foundation rests on seminal momentum research in financial markets. Jegadeesh and Titman (1993) demonstrated that stocks with strong price performance over 3-12 month periods tend to continue outperforming in subsequent periods¹. This momentum effect was later incorporated into formal factor models by Carhart (1997), who extended the Fama-French three-factor model to include a momentum factor (UMD - Up Minus Down)².
The momentum calculation methodology follows the academic standard:
Momentum(t) = / P(t-n) × 100
Where P(t) is the current price and n is the lookback period.
The focus on the "Magnificent 7" stocks reflects the increasing market concentration observed in recent years. Fama and French (2015) noted that a small number of large-cap stocks can drive significant market movements due to their substantial index weights³. The combined market capitalization of these seven companies often exceeds 25% of the total S&P 500, making their collective momentum a critical market indicator.
Indicator Architecture
Core Components
1. Data Collection and Processing
The indicator employs robust data collection with error handling for missing or invalid security data. Each stock's momentum is calculated independently using the specified lookback period (default: 14 periods).
2. Composite Oscillator Calculation
Following Fama-French factor construction methodology, the indicator offers two weighting schemes:
- Equal Weight: Each active stock receives identical weighting (1/n)
- Market Cap Weight: Reserved for future enhancement
3. Oscillator Transformation Functions
The indicator provides five distinct oscillator types, each with established technical analysis foundations:
a) Momentum Oscillator (Default)
- Pure rate-of-change calculation
- Centered around zero
- Direct implementation of Jegadeesh & Titman methodology
b) RSI (Relative Strength Index)
- Wilder's (1978) relative strength methodology
- Transformed to center around zero for consistency
- Scale: -50 to +50
c) Stochastic Oscillator
- George Lane's %K methodology
- Measures current position within recent range
- Transformed to center around zero
d) Williams %R
- Larry Williams' range-based oscillator
- Inverse stochastic calculation
- Adjusted for zero-centered display
e) CCI (Commodity Channel Index)
- Donald Lambert's mean reversion indicator
- Measures deviation from moving average
- Scaled for optimal visualization
Operational Modes
Mode 1: Magnificent 7 Analysis
Tracks the collective momentum of the seven constituent stocks. This mode is optimal for:
- Technology sector analysis
- Growth stock momentum assessment
- Large-cap performance tracking
Mode 2: S&P 500 Equal Weight Comparison
Analyzes momentum using an equal-weighted S&P 500 reference (typically RSP ETF). This mode provides:
- Broader market momentum context
- Size-neutral market analysis
- Comparison baseline for relative performance
Mode 3: Relative Performance Analysis
Calculates the momentum differential between Magnificent 7 and S&P 500 Equal Weight. This mode enables:
- Sector rotation analysis
- Style factor assessment (Growth vs. Value)
- Relative strength identification
Formula: Relative Performance = MAG7_Momentum - SP500EW_Momentum
Signal Generation and Thresholds
Signal Classification
The indicator generates three signal states:
- Bullish: Oscillator > Upper Threshold (default: +2.0%)
- Bearish: Oscillator < Lower Threshold (default: -2.0%)
- Neutral: Oscillator between thresholds
Relative Performance Signals
In relative performance mode, specialized thresholds apply:
- Outperformance: Relative momentum > +1.0%
- Underperformance: Relative momentum < -1.0%
Alert System
Comprehensive alert conditions include:
- Threshold crossovers (bullish/bearish signals)
- Zero-line crosses (momentum direction changes)
- Relative performance shifts
- Breadth Analysis Component
The indicator incorporates market breadth analysis, calculating the percentage of constituent stocks with positive momentum. This feature provides insights into:
- Strong Breadth (>60%): Broad-based momentum
- Weak Breadth (<40%): Narrow momentum leadership
- Mixed Breadth (40-60%): Neutral momentum distribution
Visual Design and User Interface
Theme-Adaptive Display
The indicator automatically adjusts color schemes for dark and light chart themes, ensuring optimal visibility across different user preferences.
Professional Data Table
A comprehensive data table displays:
- Current oscillator value and percentage
- Active mode and oscillator type
- Signal status and strength
- Component breakdowns (in relative performance mode)
- Breadth percentage
- Active threshold levels
Custom Color Options
Users can override default colors with custom selections for:
- Neutral conditions (default: Material Blue)
- Bullish signals (default: Material Green)
- Bearish signals (default: Material Red)
Practical Applications
Portfolio Management
- Sector Allocation: Use relative performance mode to time technology sector exposure
- Risk Management: Monitor breadth deterioration as early warning signal
- Entry/Exit Timing: Utilize threshold crossovers for position sizing decisions
Market Analysis
- Trend Identification: Zero-line crosses indicate momentum regime changes
- Divergence Analysis: Compare MAG7 performance against broader market
- Volatility Assessment: Oscillator range and frequency provide volatility insights
Strategy Development
- Factor Timing: Implement growth factor timing strategies
- Momentum Strategies: Develop systematic momentum-based approaches
- Risk Parity: Use breadth metrics for risk-adjusted portfolio construction
Configuration Guidelines
Parameter Selection
- Momentum Period (5-100): Shorter periods (5-20) for tactical analysis, longer periods (50-100) for strategic assessment
- Smoothing Period (1-50): Higher values reduce noise but increase lag
- Thresholds: Adjust based on historical volatility and strategy requirements
Timeframe Considerations
- Daily Charts: Optimal for swing trading and medium-term analysis
- Weekly Charts: Suitable for long-term trend analysis
- Intraday Charts: Useful for short-term tactical decisions
Limitations and Considerations
Market Concentration Risk
The indicator's focus on seven stocks creates concentration risk. During periods of significant rotation away from large-cap technology stocks, the indicator may not represent broader market conditions.
Momentum Persistence
While momentum effects are well-documented, they are not permanent. Jegadeesh and Titman (1993) noted momentum reversal effects over longer time horizons (2-5 years).
Correlation Dynamics
During market stress, correlations among the constituent stocks may increase, reducing the diversification benefits and potentially amplifying signal intensity.
Performance Metrics and Backtesting
The indicator includes hidden plots for comprehensive backtesting:
- Individual stock momentum values
- Composite breadth percentage
- S&P 500 Equal Weight momentum
- Relative performance calculations
These metrics enable quantitative strategy development and historical performance analysis.
References
¹Jegadeesh, N., & Titman, S. (1993). Returns to buying winners and selling losers: Implications for stock market efficiency. Journal of Finance, 48(1), 65-91.
Carhart, M. M. (1997). On persistence in mutual fund performance. Journal of Finance, 52(1), 57-82.
Fama, E. F., & French, K. R. (2015). A five-factor asset pricing model. Journal of Financial Economics, 116(1), 1-22.
Wilder, J. W. (1978). New concepts in technical trading systems. Trend Research.
HL2 Moving Average with BandsThis indicator is designed to assist traders in identifying potential trade entries and exits for S&P 500 (ES) and Nasdaq-100 (NQ) futures. It calculates a Simple Moving Average (SMA) based on the HL2 value (average of high and low prices) of the current candle over a user-defined lookback period (default: 200 periods). The indicator plots this SMA as a blue line, providing a smoothed reference for price trends.
Additionally, it includes upper and lower bands calculated as a percentage (default: 0.5%) above and below the SMA, plotted as green and red lines, respectively. These bands act as dynamic thresholds to identify overbought or oversold conditions. The indicator generates trade signals based on price action relative to these bands:
Long Entry: A green upward triangle is plotted below the candle when the close crosses above the upper band, signaling a potential buy.
Close Long: A red square is plotted above the candle when the close crosses back below the upper band, indicating an exit for the long position.
Short Entry: A red downward triangle is plotted above the candle when the close crosses below the lower band, signaling a potential sell.
Close Short: A green square is plotted below the candle when the close crosses back above the lower band, indicating an exit for the short position.
The script is customizable, allowing users to adjust the SMA length and band percentage to suit their trading style or market conditions. It is plotted as an overlay on the price chart for easy integration with other technical analysis tools.
Recommended Time Frame and Settings for Trading S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 Futures
Based on research and market dynamics for S&P 500 (ES) and Nasdaq-100 (NQ) futures, the 5-minute chart is recommended as the optimal time frame for day trading with this indicator. This time frame strikes a balance between capturing intraday trends and filtering out excessive noise, which is critical for futures trading due to their high volatility and leverage. The 5-minute chart aligns well with periods of high liquidity and volatility, such as the U.S. market open (9:30 AM–11:00 AM EST) and the afternoon session (2:00 PM–4:00 PM EST), when institutional traders are most active.
Why 5-minute? It allows traders to react to short-term price movements while avoiding the rapid fluctuations of 1-minute charts, which can be prone to false signals in choppy markets. It also provides enough data points to make the SMA and bands meaningful without the lag associated with longer time frames like 15-minute or hourly charts.
Recommended Settings
SMA Length: Set to 200 periods. This longer lookback period smooths the HL2 data, reducing noise and providing a reliable trend reference for the 5-minute chart. A 200-period SMA helps identify significant trend shifts without being overly sensitive to minor price fluctuations.
Band Percentage: 0.5% is more suitable for the volatility of ES and NQ futures on a 5-minute chart, as it generates fewer but higher-probability signals. Wider bands (e.g., 1%) may miss short-term opportunities, while narrower bands (e.g., 0.1%) may produce excessive false signals.
Trading Session Recommendations
Futures markets for ES and NQ are open nearly 24 hours (Sunday 6:00 PM EST to Friday 5:00 PM EST, with a daily break from 4:00 PM–5:00 PM EST), but not all hours are equally optimal due to varying liquidity and volatility. The best times to trade with this indicator are:
U.S. Market Open (9:30 AM–11:00 AM EST): This period is characterized by high volume and volatility, driven by the opening of U.S. equity markets and economic data releases (e.g., 8:30 AM EST reports like CPI or GDP). The indicator’s signals are more reliable during this window due to strong order flow and price momentum.
Afternoon Session (2:00 PM–4:00 PM EST): After the lunchtime lull, volume picks up as institutional traders return, and news or FOMC announcements often drive price action. The indicator can capture breakout moves as prices test the upper or lower bands.
Pre-Market (7:30 AM–9:30 AM EST): For traders comfortable with lower liquidity, this period can offer opportunities, especially around 8:30 AM EST economic releases. However, use tighter risk management due to wider spreads and potential volatility spikes.
Additional Tips
Avoid Low-Volume Periods: Steer clear of trading during low-liquidity hours, such as the overnight session (11:00 PM–3:00 AM EST), when spreads widen and price movements can be erratic, leading to false signals from the indicator.
Combine with Other Tools: Enhance the indicator’s effectiveness by pairing it with support/resistance levels, Fibonacci retracements, or volume analysis to confirm signals. For example, a long entry signal above the upper band is stronger if it coincides with a breakout above a key resistance level.
Risk Management: Given the leverage in futures (e.g., Micro E-mini contracts require ~$1,200 margin for ES), use tight stop-losses (e.g., below the lower band for longs or above the upper band for shorts) to manage risk. Aim for a risk-reward ratio of at least 1:2.
Test Settings: Backtest the indicator on a demo account to optimize the SMA length and band percentage for your specific trading style and risk tolerance. Micro E-mini contracts (MES for S&P 500, MNQ for Nasdaq-100) are ideal for testing due to their lower capital requirements.
Why These Settings and Time Frame?
The 5-minute chart with a 200-period SMA and 0.5% bands is tailored for the volatility and liquidity of ES and NQ futures during peak trading hours. The longer SMA period ensures the indicator captures meaningful trends, while the 0.5% bands are tight enough to signal actionable breakouts but wide enough to avoid excessive whipsaws. Trading during high-volume sessions maximizes the likelihood of valid signals, as institutional participation drives clearer price action.
By focusing on these settings and time frames, traders can leverage the indicator to capitalize on the dynamic price movements of S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures while managing the inherent risks of these markets.
Volume Profile [ActiveQuants]The Volume Profile indicator visualizes the distribution of trading volume across price levels over a user-defined historical period. It identifies key liquidity zones, including the Point of Control (POC) (price level with the highest volume) and the Value Area (price range containing a specified percentage of total volume). This tool is ideal for traders analyzing support/resistance levels, market sentiment , and potential price reversals .
█ CORE METHODOLOGY
Vertical Price Rows: Divides the price range of the selected lookback period into equal-height rows.
Volume Aggregation: Accumulates bullish/bearish or total volume within each price row.
POC: The row with the highest total volume.
Value Area: Expands from the POC until cumulative volume meets the user-defined threshold (e.g., 70%).
Dynamic Visualization: Rows are plotted as horizontal boxes with widths proportional to their volume.
█ KEY FEATURES
- Customizable Lookback & Resolution
Adjust the historical period ( Lookback ) and granularity ( Number of Rows ) for precise analysis.
- Configurable Profile Width & Horizontal Offset
Control the relative horizontal length of the profile rows, and set the distance from the current bar to the POC row’s anchor.
Important: Do not set the horizontal offset too high. Indicators cannot be plotted more than 500 bars into the future.
- Value Area & POC Highlighting
Set the percentage of total volume required to form the Value Area , ensuring that key volume levels are clearly identified.
Value Area rows are colored distinctly, while the POC is marked with a bold line.
- Flexible Display Options
Show bullish/bearish volume splits or total volume.
Place the profile on the right or left of the chart.
- Gradient Coloring
Rows fade in color intensity based on their relative volume strength .
- Real-Time Adjustments
Modify horizontal offset, profile width, and appearance without reloading.
█ USAGE EXAMPLES
Example 1: Basic Volume Profile with Value Area
Settings:
Lookback: 500 bars
Number of Rows: 100
Value Area: 70%
Display Type: Up/Down
Placement: Right
Image Context:
The profile appears on the right side of the chart. The POC (orange line) marks the highest volume row. Value Area rows (green/red) extend above/below the POC, containing 70% of total volume.
Example 2: Total Volume with Gradient Colors
Settings:
Lookback: 800 bars
Number of Rows: 100
Profile Width: 60
Horizontal Offset: 20
Display Type: Total
Gradient Colors: Enabled
Image Context:
Rows display total volume in a single color with gradient transparency. Darker rows indicate higher volume concentration.
Example 3: Left-Aligned Profile with Narrow Value Area
Settings:
Lookback: 600 bars
Number of Rows: 100
Profile Width: 45
Horizontal Offset: 500
Value Area: 50%
Profile Placement: Left
Image Context:
The profile shifts to the left, with a tighter Value Area (50%).
█ USER INPUTS
Calculation Settings
Lookback: Historical bars analyzed (default: 500).
Number of Rows: Vertical resolution of the profile (default: 100).
Profile Width: Horizontal length of rows (default: 50).
Horizontal Offset: Distance from the current bar to the POC (default: 50).
Value Area (%): Cumulative volume threshold for the Value Area (default: 70%).
Volume Display: Toggle between Up/Down (bullish/bearish) or Total volume.
Profile Placement: Align profile to the Right or Left of the chart.
Appearance
Rows Border: Customize border width/color.
Gradient Colors: Enable fading color effects.
Value Area Colors: Set distinct colors for bullish and bearish Value Area rows.
POC Line: Adjust color, width, and visibility.
█ CONCLUSION
The Volume Profile indicator provides a dynamic, customizable view of market liquidity. By highlighting the POC and Value Area, traders can identify high-probability reversal zones, gauge market sentiment, and align entries/exits with key volume levels.
█ IMPORTANT NOTES
⚠ Lookback Period: Shorter lookbacks prioritize recent activity but may omit critical levels.
⚠ Horizontal Offset Limitation: Avoid excessively high offsets (e.g., close to ±300). TradingView restricts plotting indicators more than 500 bars into the future, which may truncate or hide the profile.
⚠ Risk Management: While the indicator highlights areas of concentrated volume, always use it in combination with other technical analysis tools and proper risk management techniques.
█ RISK DISCLAIMER
Trading involves substantial risk. The Volume Profile highlights historical liquidity but does not predict future price movements. Always use stop-loss orders and confirm signals with additional analysis. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
📊 Happy trading! 🚀
Unleash Bitcoin's Next Move with S&P Divergence!BTC_GO_LONG_SONG
This script works like a special helper that watches two things: Bitcoin (a popular type of digital money) and the S&P 500 (which is like a big basket of important companies' stocks).
Imagine Bitcoin and the S&P 500 are connected by an invisible elastic band.
When they move together: The elastic band stays relaxed.
When they move apart: The elastic band stretches.
This script keeps an eye on how much the elastic band stretches.
If Bitcoin starts to move in a different way than the S&P 500 and the band stretches a lot, the script thinks that Bitcoin might snap back or make a big jump soon.
Here’s how it works:
Volume Check: The script looks at how many people are buying or selling Bitcoin. If a lot more people are trading than usual, it’s like a signal that something big might happen.
Price Movement: It watches how Bitcoin’s price is changing. If Bitcoin breaks away from its usual pattern and moves far from where it was recently, it could be a sign that a big change is coming.
Elastic Band Check: The script checks if Bitcoin is moving differently than the S&P 500. If Bitcoin is doing its own thing while the S&P 500 moves in another direction, it’s like the elastic band is being stretched.
When all these things happen together—high trading volume, unusual price movement, and a stretched elastic band—the script shows a green triangle on the chart.
This triangle is a signal for people who believe Bitcoin might go up (the Bulls) that it could be a good time to think about entering a trade because a breakout might be coming.
This explanation uses the idea of an elastic band to describe the relationship between Bitcoin and the S&P 500, making it easier to understand how this script helps traders spot potential breakout opportunities.
BetaBeta , also known as the Beta coefficient, is a measure that compares the volatility of an individual underlying or portfolio to the volatility of the entire market, typically represented by a market index like the S&P 500 or an investible product such as the SPY ETF (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust). A Beta value provides insight into how an asset's returns are expected to respond to market swings.
Interpretation of Beta Values
Beta = 1: The asset's volatility is in line with the market. If the market rises or falls, the asset is expected to move correspondingly.
Beta > 1: The asset is more volatile than the market. If the market rises or falls, the asset's price is expected to rise or fall more significantly.
Beta < 1 but > 0: The asset is less volatile than the market. It still moves in the same direction as the market but with less magnitude.
Beta = 0: The asset's returns are not correlated with the market's returns.
Beta < 0: The asset moves in the opposite direction to the market.
Example
A beta of 1.20 relative to the S&P 500 Index or SPY implies that if the S&P's return increases by 1%, the portfolio is expected to increase by 12.0%.
A beta of -0.10 relative to the S&P 500 Index or SPY implies that if the S&P's return increases by 1%, the portfolio is expected to decrease by 0.1%. In practical terms, this implies that the portfolio is expected to be predominantly 'market neutral' .
Calculation & Default Values
The Beta of an asset is calculated by dividing the covariance of the asset's returns with the market's returns by the variance of the market's returns over a certain period (standard period: 1 years, 250 trading days). Hint: It's noteworthy to mention that Beta can also be derived through linear regression analysis, although this technique is not employed in this Beta Indicator.
Formula: Beta = Covariance(Asset Returns, Market Returns) / Variance(Market Returns)
Reference Market: Essentially any reference market index or product can be used. The default reference is the SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust), primarily due to its investable nature and broad representation of the market. However, it's crucial to note that Beta can also be calculated by comparing specific underlyings, such as two different stocks or commodities, instead of comparing an asset to the broader market. This flexibility allows for a more tailored analysis of volatility and correlation, depending on the user's specific trading or investment focus.
Look-back Period: The standard look-back period is typically 1-5 years (250-1250 trading days), but this can be adjusted based on the user's preference and the specifics of the trading strategy. For robust estimations, use at least 250 trading days.
Option Delta: An optional feature in the Beta Indicator is the ability to select a specific Delta value if options are written on the underlying asset with Deltas less than 1, providing an estimation of the beta-weighted delta of the position. It involves multiplying the beta of the underlying asset by the delta of the option. This addition allows for a more precise assessment of the underlying asset's correspondence with the overall market in case you are an options trader. The default Delta value is set to 1, representing scenarios where no options on the underlying asset are being analyzed. This default setting aligns with analyzing the direct relationship between the asset itself and the market, without the layer of complexity introduced by options.
Calculation: Simple or Log Returns: In the calculation of Beta, users have the option to choose between using simple returns or log returns for both the asset and the market. The default setting is 'Simple Returns'.
Advantages of Using Beta
Risk Management: Beta provides a clear metric for understanding and managing the risk of a portfolio in relation to market movements.
Portfolio Diversification: By knowing the beta of various assets, investors can create a balanced portfolio that aligns with their risk tolerance and investment goals.
Performance Benchmarking: Beta allows investors to compare an asset's risk-adjusted performance against the market or other benchmarks.
Beta-Weighted Deltas for Options Traders
For options traders, understanding the beta-weighted delta is crucial. It involves multiplying the beta of the underlying asset by the delta of the option. This provides a more nuanced view of the option's risk relative to the overall market. However, it's important to note that the delta of an option is dynamic, changing with the asset's price, time to expiration, and other factors.
