EMA 9/21 Crossover (trend-filtered)¶
What it does: Catches short-term trends when a fast average crosses a slower one, with the bigger trend. This buys when the 9-candle average crosses above the 21-candle average on the 1-hour chart, but only while the price is above the 4-hour 200-candle average.
Style: Trend · Difficulty: Beginner · Risk: medium · Ready: 2 of 2 variants
When people use it: It tends to work on days with clear intraday trends.
Where it struggles: It struggles in sideways markets: many small losses as the averages cross back and forth.
Markets it was written for: Liquid majors (BTC, ETH, SOL). Timeframes: 1h trigger with 4h filter (15m/1h for active traders).
Open it in the Strategy Library (on the Strategies page), pick a variant, adjust the settings and press Add to my strategies. It becomes your own strategy: edit, backtest or trade it like any other.
Long¶
Catches short-term trends when a fast average crosses a slower one, with the bigger trend.
Labels: Trend Following, Long, Spot, Beginner, Medium
- Direction: Buy (long) · Market: spot
- Trigger: On candle close · Main timeframe: Auto (1h)
Entry
- IF EMA(9) crosses above EMA(21) (1h) and Price > EMA(200) (4h)
- UNLESS ADX(14) < 20 (1h)
Exit: Indicator-Based Exit
- IF EMA(9) crosses below EMA(21) (1h)
- Loss controls: Stop-loss % 3%, Break-even stop after % 1.5%
Settings
| Setting | Default | Editable | What changing it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast average | 9 | Yes (sets 2 fields) | The faster average. Shorter reacts sooner and trades more, with more false signals; longer is calmer. Changes both the entry and the exit cross. |
| Slow average | 21 | Yes (sets 2 fields) | The slower average. Shorter makes crosses more frequent; longer makes them rarer and later. Changes both the entry and the exit cross. |
| 4h trend average | 200 | Yes | The big-picture filter: it only buys above it (the short version only shorts below it). Shorter allows trades sooner after a trend change; longer is stricter. |
| Stop-loss % | 3 | Yes | Closes the trade if the price moves this far against your entry. Tighter limits each loss but gets hit more often by normal swings; wider gives the trade more room but each losing trade costs more. If you use leverage, keep it well inside your liquidation distance. |
How it works (as shown in the app)
- This buys when the 9-candle average crosses above the 21-candle average on the 1-hour chart, but only while the price is above the 4-hour 200-candle average.
- It skips trades when ADX (trend strength) is below 20, meaning there is no clear trend. It sells on the opposite cross or at the stop-loss; after a 1.5% gain the stop moves up to your entry price.
- It tends to work on days with clear intraday trends.
- It struggles in sideways markets: many small losses as the averages cross back and forth.
- It trades often, so fees add up, especially on 15-minute candles or faster.
Short (perp)¶
Shorts short-term downtrends when a fast average crosses below a slower one, with the bigger trend.
Labels: Trend Following, Short, Futures, Medium, Backtest Only
- Direction: Sell (short) · Market: swap
- Trigger: On candle close · Main timeframe: Auto (1h)
Entry
- IF EMA(9) crosses below EMA(21) (1h) and Price < EMA(200) (4h)
- UNLESS ADX(14) < 20 (1h)
Exit: Indicator-Based Exit
- IF EMA(9) crosses above EMA(21) (1h)
- Loss controls: Stop-loss % 3%, Break-even stop after % 1.5%
Settings
| Setting | Default | Editable | What changing it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast average | 9 | Yes (sets 2 fields) | The faster average. Shorter reacts sooner and trades more, with more false signals; longer is calmer. Changes both the entry and the exit cross. |
| Slow average | 21 | Yes (sets 2 fields) | The slower average. Shorter makes crosses more frequent; longer makes them rarer and later. Changes both the entry and the exit cross. |
| 4h trend average | 200 | Yes | The big-picture filter: it only buys above it (the short version only shorts below it). Shorter allows trades sooner after a trend change; longer is stricter. |
| Stop-loss % | 3 | Yes | Closes the trade if the price moves this far against your entry. Tighter limits each loss but gets hit more often by normal swings; wider gives the trade more room but each losing trade costs more. If you use leverage, keep it well inside your liquidation distance. |
How it works (as shown in the app)
- This shorts when the 9-candle average crosses below the 21-candle average on the 1-hour chart, but only while the price is below the 4-hour 200-candle average.
- It skips trades when ADX (trend strength) is below 20, meaning there is no clear trend. It buys back on the opposite cross or at the stop-loss; after a 1.5% gain the stop moves to your entry price.
- It tends to work on days with clear intraday downtrends.
- It struggles in sideways markets: many small losses as the averages cross back and forth.
- It trades often, so fees add up, especially on 15-minute candles or faster.
- Shorting means you profit if the price falls and lose if it rises.
- Suggested leverage is at most 5x. On isolated margin, at 5x the exchange closes the position (liquidation) if the price moves about 19.6% against you, and you lose the margin you put into it. Keep your stop well inside that.
- For now this version runs in backtests only; paper and live futures trading are coming later.
Warnings¶
- "Backtest only for now: paper and live trading of shorts are coming later.": shown on short variants. They need perpetual or futures pairs.
- Some variants suggest leverage. On isolated margin a liquidation loses the margin in that position; keep any stop well inside the liquidation distance (the Trade Builder warns you when it isn't).
- Once added, the strategy's conditions get the usual condition checks. Messages show under each condition on the entry / exit conditions screen; setting errors start with the indicator's short name (for example "MACD: Fast must be between 1 and 1000") and block saving, while the other warnings never block saving and repeat in the strategy's Entry or Exit section. See the indicator pages below for each one.
- "You already have this strategy with these settings (…). Change a setting to add another copy.": shown on the variant's page in the Strategy Library when you already added this variant with the same settings.
Good to know¶
- After you add it, the strategy keeps the library's trigger and an Auto main timeframe; you can change both in the builder. Nothing links it back to the library, except that the builder still shows the library's explanations in the info bubbles.
- Changing a setting before adding it also changes the saved name, so you can tell copies apart.
- Past results don't predict future ones. Try it in a backtest and on paper before using real money.
- Indicators used: ADX, EMA.