KC (Keltner Channels)¶
What it shows: a middle line (an EMA) with bands above and below, set a distance away based on ATR (how much price usually moves).
How people use it: like Bollinger Bands: crossing the lower band suggests price fell far; the upper band, rose far. In trends, closes outside the bands are read as strength.
Pairs well with: RSI for confirmation and Bollinger Bands (the TTM Squeeze compares the two).
Settings¶
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 20 | Length of the middle EMA and the ATR. |
| Multiplier | 2.0 | How far the bands are from the middle. Larger is reached less often. |
You set the defaults on the Indicators page. A condition can use its own settings, which override the defaults for that condition only.
Ready-made conditions¶
| For | Condition | Fires when |
|---|---|---|
| Buy | Price crosses lower Keltner band | the one candle price moves from above the Lower band line to below it |
| Buy or sell | Price touches Keltner middle (EMA basis) line | price reaches the Basis line during the candle, from either side |
| Sell | Price crosses upper Keltner band | the one candle price moves from below the Upper band line to above it |
"Above", "below", "is" and "rising" / "falling" stay true on every candle the state lasts, so they can fire many candles in a row. "Crosses" and "flips" fire once, on the candle it happens, so you get one signal per move.
Warnings you may see¶
- "It can never be true: a cross happens on one candle, so it cannot happen on N candles in a row. Use 'within the last N candles' instead.": a "crosses" condition with a "… in a row" lookback of 2 or more. Switch the lookback to Within the last.
- "Length must be between 1 and 1000" / "Length must be a whole number": shown in the condition editor when a condition's own value is out of range. Fix the number; the condition can't be saved until then.
- "Multiplier must be between 0.1 and 10": shown in the condition editor when a condition's own value is out of range. Fix the number; the condition can't be saved until then.
Where they show: on the Strategies page, open Create entry conditions / Edit entry conditions (or the exit ones). Each condition's messages appear right under it. The setting messages ("must be between", "whole number", "must be one of", "must be smaller than") start with the indicator's short name, for example "MACD: Fast must be between 1 and 1000", and keep the conditions from being saved until fixed. The other warnings never block saving and are repeated in the strategy's Entry or Exit section, starting with the condition's name.
Good to know¶
- It is worked out from each candle's high, low and close (not volume).
- It needs some history before its value settles: 3 × the length + 1 candles (61 at length 20). Apathia loads that history for you.
- The middle line is an EMA; the band distance is ATR times Multiplier.