Find a moment to act.
A trigger identifies a specific event: a cross, a breakout or a recovery. Long and short entries can use different rules.
INSIDE STRATEGY LAB
Every indicator.
A purpose.
Understand the building blocks behind your strategy. What they measure. When they help. Why the right combination matters.
Explore the 35 indicatorsThe same icons and modules you’ll find in Strategy Lab.
THE STRATEGY LAB TOOLKIT35indicators
Choose an icon to get to know it.
HOW THE PIECES WORK TOGETHER
Each module earns its place.
An indicator can propose an entry or help decide whether to accept one. Strategy Lab compares combinations and settings on the selected history, looking for stronger net results after costs. Adding more indicators is only useful when the extra rules help.
Ask for more context.
Up to three filters can qualify an entry. Each must allow the trade’s direction; a stricter filter can reduce trades and also miss useful moves.
Plan what happens next.
Exit rules, position allocation and costs complete the strategy. The entry icon alone does not tell you how a trade will be managed.
01 / TREND
Which way is the market moving?
Direction, structure and the strength of a move. These modules help a strategy follow a trend, recognise a breakout or wait for a pullback.
An average of closing prices that gives more influence to recent candles.
Why & when we use it
A flexible starting point for trend strategies. Price crossing the average can provide an entry; staying on the correct side can confirm another entry signal.
In Strategy Lab
Price crosses its EMA. As a filter, price must be on the trade’s side of the average.
SettingsLength
The trade-offShorter lengths react sooner, but can trigger repeated changes of direction in a sideways market.
The average closing price over a chosen number of candles, with equal weight for every close.
Why & when we use it
Useful when a strategy needs a straightforward reference for price direction. A longer average can smooth brief fluctuations before a trade is considered.
In Strategy Lab
Price crosses the equally weighted average.
SettingsLength
The trade-offSmoothing comes with delay. A slow average may confirm a move after much of it has happened.
A moving average with progressively larger weights for more recent closes.
Why & when we use it
Offers another balance between responsiveness and smoothing. Strategy Lab can compare it with EMA and SMA to see which better suits the tested chart.
In Strategy Lab
Price crosses an average that gives recent closes more weight.
SettingsLength
The trade-offGiving recent prices more weight also makes the average more sensitive to temporary moves.
A reduced-lag average calculated as twice an EMA minus an EMA of that EMA.
Why & when we use it
A candidate for strategies that need to respond sooner to a change in price direction. It can serve as an entry reference or a directional confirmation.
In Strategy Lab
Price crosses a double-smoothed, reduced-lag EMA.
SettingsLength
The trade-offReduced lag is not advance knowledge. The average can overshoot and react to noise.
A combination of weighted moving averages, followed by smoothing over a square-root period.
Why & when we use it
Designed to follow price with less lag while retaining a smoother line. Useful to compare when an ordinary moving average feels too slow for the chart.
In Strategy Lab
Price crosses the Hull average, using weighted averages and a square-root smoothing period.
SettingsLength
The trade-offA smoother-looking line can still produce false crosses, especially around a flat market.
The relationship between a faster EMA and a slower EMA.
Why & when we use it
Looks for a shift in trend through the averages themselves. A crossing can trigger an entry, while their alignment can confirm an entry from another module.
In Strategy Lab
Fast EMA crosses slow EMA. As a filter, both must be aligned in the trade direction.
SettingsFast length · Slow length
The trade-offTwo averages still use the same price history. They can lag turns and repeatedly cross in a range.
The highest high and lowest low of the preceding candle window.
Why & when we use it
Gives a breakout strategy explicit boundaries. A completed close beyond the previous range can identify an attempt to continue into new territory.
In Strategy Lab
A completed close breaks the high or low of the preceding window.
SettingsLength
The trade-offBreaking a range does not ensure continuation. A failed breakout can return inside quickly.
Price direction relative to trailing bands built from Average True Range.
Why & when we use it
Brings volatility into trend detection. Direction changes can trigger entries, or the current direction can act as a filter for another signal.
In Strategy Lab
ATR-based bands follow price. Enter when the Supertrend direction changes.
SettingsLength · Multiplier
The trade-offNarrow bands react sooner but flip more often. This entry module does not automatically become the trade’s exit rule.
Smoothed directional strength, with positive and negative directional movement identifying the side.
Why & when we use it
Helps a trend strategy require both strength and directional alignment. Our filter combines an ADX threshold with the stronger directional-movement component.
In Strategy Lab
Require Wilder ADX above the threshold and directional movement aligned with the trade.
SettingsLength · Threshold
The trade-offADX by itself has no bullish or bearish direction, and a high reading can occur late in a trend.
Price crossing beyond the most recently confirmed swing high or low.
Why & when we use it
Uses market structure rather than a fixed rolling window for breakout entries. Confirmation makes the level available only after the required later candles close.
In Strategy Lab
Price closes beyond the latest confirmed pivot high or low. A pivot is only available after its right-hand confirmation candles close; no signal is placed back on the pivot candle.
SettingsLeft candles · Confirmation candles
The trade-offWaiting for confirmation adds delay. The strategy cannot know a pivot at the original turning candle.
A candle touching an EMA and closing back on the trend side, with the EMA slope measured over three completed candles.
Why & when we use it
Looks for a recovery after a pullback within an existing direction. As a filter it checks the EMA slope and closing-price alignment.
In Strategy Lab
In a rising EMA, a candle touches the average and closes back above it for a long. Reverse for shorts. The EMA slope uses three completed candles.
SettingsLength
The trade-offA pullback can become a reversal. Touching an average does not establish support or resistance.
Net directional price travel as a percentage of total absolute close-to-close travel.
Why & when we use it
Distinguishes a relatively direct move from one that takes many detours. Its sign also aligns the confirmation with the long or short direction.
In Strategy Lab
Require net price travel to exceed the threshold percentage of total absolute close-to-close travel, aligned with the trade direction. This is a directional efficiency ratio.
SettingsLength · Minimum efficiency %
The trade-offA direct recent move may already be extended. Efficiency does not measure how much of a trend remains.
02 / MOMENTUM
Is the move strengthening or recovering?
The pace and position of price. Different entry rules can pursue continued strength or a recovery from an extreme.
Relative Strength Index compares smoothed gains and losses on a scale from 0 to 100.
Why & when we use it
As an entry, this version looks for recovery out of an extreme. As a confirmation, it requires strong RSI in the trade direction; those are deliberately different roles.
In Strategy Lab
Long when RSI recovers above the lower threshold; short when it falls below the mirrored upper threshold. As a filter, require RSI above the upper threshold for longs or below the lower threshold for shorts.
SettingsLength · Threshold
The trade-offAn oversold or overbought reading can persist. A recovery signal can fail while the larger trend continues.
The same RSI calculation, used to detect directional strength rather than recovery from an extreme.
Why & when we use it
A candidate for joining a strengthening move. A long signal crosses above the selected upper threshold; a short signal crosses below its mirrored lower threshold.
In Strategy Lab
RSI crosses above the momentum threshold for longs, or below its mirrored lower threshold for shorts.
SettingsLength · Threshold
The trade-offA stronger threshold can remove weak signals but also enter later or miss a move entirely.
The difference between fast and slow EMAs, compared with a smoothed signal line.
Why & when we use it
Looks for changes in momentum within a trend. A signal-line crossing can trigger entry; the histogram’s direction can confirm another entry.
In Strategy Lab
MACD crosses its signal line. Filter requires a histogram in the trade direction.
SettingsFast length · Slow length · Signal length
The trade-offMACD can oscillate around its signal line in a range. It also overlaps with other moving-average indicators.
Where the close sits within its recent high-low range, smoothed into a %K line.
Why & when we use it
Looks for recovery away from the edges of a range. Strategy Lab uses a threshold recovery of smoothed %K, rather than a %K/%D crossover.
In Strategy Lab
Smoothed %K recovers from an oversold or overbought threshold.
SettingsLength · Smoothing · Threshold
The trade-offPrice can stay near the top or bottom of its range during a strong trend.
The percentage change in price over a selected number of candles.
Why & when we use it
Adds an explicit momentum requirement. The strategy can require enough movement in the intended direction before accepting an entry.
In Strategy Lab
Percentage momentum crosses the threshold in the trade direction.
SettingsLength · Threshold
The trade-offA large recent change can reflect a move that is already stretched, rather than one with much further to run.
How far typical price is from its average, relative to its mean absolute deviation.
Why & when we use it
As an entry it looks for recovery from a positive or negative extreme. As a filter it requires a strong reading aligned with the trade direction.
In Strategy Lab
CCI recovers from a negative extreme for longs, or a positive extreme for shorts.
SettingsLength · Threshold
The trade-offExtreme readings are relative to the chosen window. They are not evidence that price must reverse.
The close’s position within its recent high-low range, expressed from −100 to 0.
Why & when we use it
Offers a direct way to detect recovery from a range edge. A long entry follows recovery from the lower region; shorts mirror that behaviour near the top.
In Strategy Lab
Price recovers from the bottom or top of its recent high-low range.
SettingsLength · Threshold
The trade-offIt measures much the same range position as Stochastic. Using both need not add independent information.
The confirmation of a local swing low or high using candles on both sides of the pivot.
Why & when we use it
Offers a structural reversal entry: long after a low is confirmed, short after a high is confirmed. The entry belongs to the confirmation time.
In Strategy Lab
Long when a swing low is confirmed, or short when a swing high is confirmed. Entries occur after confirmation, never at the historical turning point.
SettingsLeft candles · Confirmation candles
The trade-offA neat pivot on the chart is not an entry at that historical price. Price may have moved substantially before confirmation.
A wick large enough relative to the body, together with a close near the opposite end of the candle.
Why & when we use it
Makes a rejection-candle idea testable. Lower-wick rejection can trigger a long; upper-wick rejection can trigger a short.
In Strategy Lab
Long after a lower wick is sufficiently larger than the body and the close is near the candle high. Reverse for shorts. A 5% range floor for body size handles dojis.
SettingsMultiplier · Close position %
The trade-offOne candle cannot establish a durable reversal. Tiny bodies use a range-based floor to avoid exaggerated wick ratios.
03 / VOLATILITY
Is price expanding, contracting or ranging?
The size and character of movement. Use these modules to explore breakouts, recoveries and the conditions in which they are eligible.
An SMA surrounded by bands whose distance depends on the standard deviation of closing prices.
Why & when we use it
This breakout version looks for price crossing outside a band. It can help a strategy focus on expansion beyond recent price variation.
In Strategy Lab
Price closes outside a standard-deviation band. As a filter, require a close outside the band in the trade direction.
SettingsLength · Multiplier
The trade-offA band break can continue or reverse. This module follows expansion; it does not assume every extreme is a reversal.
Price moving back inside a Bollinger band after being outside it.
Why & when we use it
A recovery entry for strategies that look for an overstretched move to settle back into its recent envelope. It provides a different hypothesis from Bollinger breakout.
In Strategy Lab
Price returns inside a Bollinger band after closing outside it.
SettingsLength · Multiplier
The trade-offA brief return inside the band can be followed by another strong move against the recovery trade.
An EMA channel whose width is based on Wilder-smoothed Average True Range.
Why & when we use it
A volatility-aware breakout reference. It tests whether a move beyond the channel is a useful entry or confirmation for the chart.
In Strategy Lab
Price closes outside an EMA channel sized by Wilder ATR.
SettingsLength · Multiplier
The trade-offATR and standard deviation measure different things. Keltner and Bollinger bands will not always signal together.
Average True Range as a percentage of closing price, including gaps from the previous close.
Why & when we use it
A non-directional filter for requiring a minimum amount of movement. It can screen out quieter candles before another module’s entry is accepted.
In Strategy Lab
Require ATR as a percentage of price to exceed the threshold.
SettingsLength · Threshold
The trade-offHigh volatility can mean greater opportunity and greater risk. ATR does not choose long or short.
Total true-range movement relative to the market’s high-low range, expressed as a Choppiness Index.
Why & when we use it
The lower-than-threshold filter favours more directional conditions. It can help a breakout or momentum entry avoid some back-and-forth activity.
In Strategy Lab
Require choppiness below the threshold to favour directional markets.
SettingsLength · Threshold
The trade-offLow choppiness describes recent behaviour. It cannot guarantee that the next candles keep trending.
A completed close recovering through an inner boundary near the edge of the preceding price range.
Why & when we use it
Provides a recovery entry for sideways-market strategies. It can be paired with the Ranging conditions filter to make the intended context explicit.
In Strategy Lab
Long when a completed close returns above the lower part of the preceding high-low range; short when it returns below the upper part. Can be combined with a ranging-condition filter.
SettingsLength · Edge width %
The trade-offA range can break. Recovery at an old boundary can fail when a new trend begins.
A close beyond a preceding high-low range that is narrower than the allowed percentage of price.
Why & when we use it
Focuses breakout entries on tighter recent ranges. The strategy can test whether requiring compression improves its historical selection of trades.
In Strategy Lab
A completed close breaks the preceding high-low range, but only when that range is narrower than the configured percentage of price.
SettingsLength · Maximum range width %
The trade-offA quiet range can remain quiet, and its first breakout can fail. Compression does not select the future direction.
The same Choppiness Index as CHOP, with the threshold applied in the opposite direction.
Why & when we use it
Requires a high enough reading to favour sideways conditions. It can confirm a recovery entry for either longs or shorts.
In Strategy Lab
Require Choppiness Index at or above the threshold. This non-directional filter favours sideways conditions for either trade direction.
SettingsLength · Threshold
The trade-offA ranging filter can be late to recognise a new trend. It describes conditions without generating an entry itself.
A completed close returning inside an EMA-and-ATR channel after being outside it.
Why & when we use it
Tests recovery from a volatility-based extension. It gives range-oriented strategies an alternative to Bollinger recovery.
In Strategy Lab
A completed close returns inside an EMA and ATR channel after being outside it: recovery from below for longs, from above for shorts.
SettingsLength · Multiplier
The trade-offReturning inside the channel does not ensure a move to its centre or to the other side.
04 / VOLUME
How much participation is behind it?
Price movement with a volume perspective. These modules add context from activity in the market feed, alongside direction and timing.
A completed candle’s volume divided by the average volume of preceding candles.
Why & when we use it
Checks whether a move has unusual participation. Strategy Lab also requires the candle’s direction to agree with the long or short side.
In Strategy Lab
Completed volume exceeds the threshold times the average of preceding candles; candle direction selects the side.
SettingsLength · Threshold
The trade-offA volume surge can accompany continuation, exhaustion or news. The reading depends on the supplied market feed.
Volume-weighted typical price across a rolling candle window.
Why & when we use it
Gives more influence to prices traded with greater volume. A cross or a position above or below this reference can contribute directional context.
In Strategy Lab
Price crosses volume-weighted typical price over a rolling window. This is not session-anchored VWAP.
SettingsLength
The trade-offThis is rolling VWAP. It does not reset at a trading session or anchor to a selected event.
Money Flow Index combines typical price and volume to compare positive and negative money flow.
Why & when we use it
Adds a volume perspective to recovery entries. Like our RSI recovery module, its confirmation role instead requires strength beyond the opposite threshold.
In Strategy Lab
Volume-weighted money flow recovers from an extreme, like RSI with volume.
SettingsLength · Threshold
The trade-offIts usefulness depends on the quality and meaning of volume in the feed. An extreme can persist.
Cumulative volume added on rising closes and subtracted on falling closes, compared with its EMA.
Why & when we use it
Looks for volume behaviour that agrees with a trade. Strategy Lab uses OBV crossing or sitting above or below its own average.
In Strategy Lab
OBV crosses its EMA, confirming accumulation or distribution.
SettingsLength
The trade-offIt assigns each candle’s entire volume to its close direction. It does not measure actual buyer and seller order flow.
Where each candle closes in its high-low range, weighted by volume across a window.
Why & when we use it
Looks for repeated closes toward the upper or lower end with volume behind them. A directional threshold can trigger or confirm a trade.
In Strategy Lab
Money flow crosses a positive threshold for longs, or its negative counterpart for shorts.
SettingsLength · Threshold
The trade-offIt is a price-and-volume proxy. A positive reading is not proof of net money entering an asset.
PUT THE ROLES IN CONTEXT
One entry.
Different questions.
A pullback entry might ask for unusual volume and directional conditions before it qualifies. This is an illustration of how modules cooperate; your generated strategy may use a completely different combination.
FROM UNDERSTANDING TO EXPLORING
See what fits your chart.
You don’t need to choose every module yourself. Start with a pair and a timeframe, let Strategy Lab develop a candidate, then use this guide to understand its choices.
Open Strategy Lab