MOM (Momentum)¶
What it shows: how much the close has changed, in price units, compared with a set number of candles ago.
How people use it: above zero means price is higher than it was; crossing zero marks a change in direction. Same idea as ROC, but in price instead of percent.
Pairs well with: a moving average for the trend.
Settings¶
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 10 | How many candles back it compares with. Shorter flips around zero 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 | MOM crosses above zero | the one candle MOM moves from below 0 to above it |
| Buy | MOM above zero | every candle MOM is above 0 |
| Sell | MOM crosses below zero | the one candle MOM moves from above 0 to below it |
| Sell | MOM below zero | every candle MOM is below 0 |
"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.
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 closing prices only (not volume).
- Because it is in price units, its size differs a lot between coins; use the zero line, not fixed numbers.
- It needs some history before its value settles: the length + 1 candles (11 at length 10). Apathia loads that history for you.