A general consensus is that anything above 80 is potentially overbought, and anything below 20 is potentially oversold. The leading %K line determines the deviation of the current price from the price range of a given period. The %D curve is smoother and is a moving average of the %K line.

Conversely, readings below 20 indicate that the asset is trading near the bottom of its high-low range. Readings above 50 suggest the asset is trading among the upper section of the trading range. Readings below 50 signal that the asset is trading in the lower part of the trading range. I buy when the stochastic cross https://www.bigshotrading.info/blog/what-is-liquidity/ above 20 level and sell when the stochastic cross below 80 level. So if the market is in a downtrend and the price is at resistance, you can look to sell when the Stochastic crosses below 70. The benefit of having an indicator on your chart is that it adds an objective confluence factor to your decision-making.

Stochastic overbought/oversold strategy

On the same chart, you can see areas where the %D (SMA figure) is not as volatile and does not always dip below or move above the 80 or 20 levels like the fast stochastic oscillator does. To sum up, as one of the most popular widely-used technical indicators on the market, the stochastic indicator is mainly used to identify overbought and oversold levels. Moreover, when combined with other indicators, the stochastic oscillator can help a trader identify possible trend reversals and potential entry and exit points.

Many traders use the MACD technical indicator and the stochastic oscillator, often looking for crossover points between the two. The shorter the period over which the high, low, and current prices are compared, the more volatile the stochastic oscillator indicator. SMA trend lines can also create powerful buy/sell signals when the lines crossover – especially above 80% and below 20%. This event would indicate that the short-term trend is changing and, assuming it continues, a new trend will follow. If your stochastic oscillator trading strategy relies on frequent alerts, use the (9, 3, 3) settings. If you prioritize the signs’ reliability, (14, 3, 3) and (21, 3, 3) parameters are ideal.Remember about the type of smoothing moving average.

Stochastic Oscillator Oversold Upturn

When the market price falls, relocate the stop-loss to a breakeven zone. Touching or crossing the 20% level will be a signal to close a position. A rough change that occurs either on the overbought or oversold levels is known as stochastic divergence. When applying the stochastic oscillator on a chart, divergence occurs rarely, but its signals are highly accurate. In the case we trade forex, like the price chart above, the numbers can correspond to five signals of the stochastic oscillator. In this article, you will find the most comprehensive overview of the stochastic oscillator.

• On the other hand, a bigger n will result in a stochastic that reacts slowly to price changes, but the trading signals generated will be more reliable.
• The higher timeframe is in a downtrend and Stochastic is at overbought level.
• A divergence occurs when the stochastic oscillator and trending price move away from each other – indicating that a price trend is waning and may soon reverse.
• A bearish divergence can be confirmed with a support break on the price chart or a Stochastic Oscillator break below 50, which is the centerline.
• When trading contracts for difference (CFDs) in stocks, a trader may use a combination of the stochastic oscillator and MAs.
• For long-term trading strategies, a longer time frame such as the weekly or monthly chart may be preferable.
• Usually, the period of the stochastic oscillator refers to the period of the %K curve.

Securities can become overbought and remain overbought during a strong uptrend. Closing levels that are consistently near the top of the range indicate sustained buying pressure. In a similar vein, oversold readings are not necessarily bullish.

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Let me just quickly tell you how to use the stochastic indicator and how to interpret the information given by this amazing tool so you can know what you’re trading. When the stochastic moving averages are above the 80 line, we’re in the overbought territory. As we mentioned above, a Stochastic oscillator moves between 0 and 100. Thus, traders typically use 20 and 80 levels as marks for overbought and oversold areas. He designed the indicator to calculate the location of the closing price of an asset compared to the low and high ranges of the same asset over a period of time. Cryptocurrency has garnered substantial attention and continues to garner growing interest, with its potential yet to be fully realized.

Derivatives enable you to trade rising as well as declining prices. So, depending on what you think will happen with the asset’s price when one of the Doji patterns appears, you can open a long position or a short position. When the stochastic indicator is applied, a signal line will appear below the chart.

Search overbought and oversold levels

However, it is also worth noting that one of the most profitable strategies in hindsight would be simply holding Microsoft stock to ride the entire uptrend. This demonstrates that overbought and oversold conditions may in many cases simply be the result of a strong trend and are not always indicative of a reversal. However, it is important to remember that the calculation for stochastics is very different than that for MACD and RSI. The result is that stochastics works better in sideways-moving markets trading within a set price range, while MACD and RSI work better in strongly trending markets. Next, let us take a look at two stochastic oscillator indicator charts.

Enter the market at an opening of the candle that follows the signal one. Below, we’ll look at stochastic trading features on the S&P 500 futures, gold, and the U.S. dollar. stochastic indicator explained To understand the stochastic swing strategy, we should learn the “Star” pattern. Stop loss is set at the extreme of the local minimum of 3-5 previous candles.