MACD sounds intimidating — "Moving Average Convergence Divergence" — but the idea is simple: it shows whether momentum is speeding up or slowing down.
The MACD line is the gap between a fast and a slow moving average. The signal line is a smoothed version of it. The histogram is the distance between the two — it grows as momentum builds and shrinks as it fades.
When the MACD line crosses above the signal line, momentum is turning up (bullish); crossing below, momentum is turning down (bearish). The histogram flipping from shrinking to growing is often the earliest hint.
MACD whipsaws in sideways markets — it fires crossovers that go nowhere. It works best when there's an actual trend. Use it to time entries within a trend you've already identified, not to pick the trend itself.
See the idea in action — track MACD 12/26/9 crossovers on Bitcoin.
Open MACDCreate free accountWhat do the MACD numbers 12, 26, 9 mean?
The fast average (12 periods), the slow average (26) and the signal-line smoothing (9). They're the standard defaults.
Is a MACD crossover a buy signal?
It's a momentum-shift signal. It's most reliable inside a clear trend and much less so in choppy, rangebound markets.
MACD or RSI — which is better?
They answer different questions: RSI measures stretch, MACD measures momentum direction. Many traders read them together.