Indicator Libs

A Go (Golang) library of popular technical analysis indicators. providing a range of momentum and trend-based tools that can be integrated into quantitative trading or analysis workflows.

Table of Contents

1. SMA (Simple Moving Average)
2. EMA (Exponential Moving Average)
3. RSI (Relative Strength Index)
4. MACD (Moving Average ConvergenceDivergence)
5. Bollinger Bands
6. Stochastic Oscillator
7. ATR (Average True Range)
8. ADX (Average Directional Index)
9. CCI (Commodity Channel Index)
10. Williams %R
11. OBV (On-Balance Volume)
12. MFI (Money Flow Index)
13. Ultimate Oscillator (UO)
14. Ichimoku Kinko Hyo (Ichimoku Cloud)
15. Parabolic SAR
16. Keltner Channels
17. KAMA (Kaufman’s Adaptive Moving Average)
18. SuperTrend
19. T3 (Tillson’s T3 Moving Average)

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1. SMA (Simple Moving Average)

• Origin: A foundational smoothing technique in time-series analysis, used for decades in finance.
• Description: Takes the arithmetic mean of prices over a fixed window.
• Common Parameters:
  • window (e.g., 20).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Trend identification by smoothing data over time.
  • Crossover strategies when used with multiple SMAs.

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2. EMA (Exponential Moving Average)

• Origin: A refinement of SMA, giving more weight to recent data points.
• Description: Reduces lag by exponentially weighting recent prices.
• Common Parameters:
  • window (e.g., 20).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Faster reaction to sudden price changes.
  • Used in MACD calculations and multi-EMA cross strategies.

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3. RSI (Relative Strength Index)

• Origin: Developed by J. Welles Wilder Jr. in the late 1970s.
• Description: Ranges from 0 to 100, identifying overbought (>70) or oversold (<30) market conditions.
• Common Parameters:
  • window (e.g., 14).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Spot possible reversals; look for RSI crossing key thresholds.
  • Divergence between RSI and price can indicate momentum shifts.

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4. MACD (Moving Average Convergence/Divergence)

• Origin: Created by Gerald Appel (1970s).
• Description: Uses two EMAs (fast & slow) and a signal line to identify momentum and potential crossovers.
• Common Parameters:
  • fastPeriod (e.g., 12), slowPeriod (e.g., 26), signalPeriod (9).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Crossover signals between MACD line & signal line.
  • Histogram expansions to judge trend strength.

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5. Bollinger Bands

• Origin: Developed by John Bollinger in the early 1980s.
• Description: Plots an SMA-based middle band plus upper/lower bands at a specified number of standard deviations.
• Common Parameters:
  • window (e.g., 20), num_std (commonly 2).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Volatility assessment (width of bands).
  • Bollinger Squeeze signals potential breakouts.

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6. Stochastic Oscillator

• Origin: Created by George C. Lane in the 1950s.
• Description: Compares current close to the recent range, producing %K and %D lines typically in [0,100].
• Common Parameters:
  • k_period (14), d_period (3).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Identifying overbought/oversold conditions.
  • %K–%D crossovers for entry/exit signals.

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7. ATR (Average True Range)

• Origin: By J. Welles Wilder Jr., also in the late 1970s.
• Description: Measures volatility by considering the full price range and gaps.
• Common Parameters:
  • window (e.g., 14).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Setting stop losses or position sizing based on market volatility.
  • Filtering out low-volatility periods.

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8. ADX (Average Directional Index)

• Origin: Also by Wilder in the late 1970s.
• Description: Measures trend strength on a 0–100 scale, often paired with +DI and -DI.
• Common Parameters:
  • window (e.g., 14).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Distinguishing strong trending markets (ADX > 25).
  • +DI/-DI crossovers for bullish/bearish signals.

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9. CCI (Commodity Channel Index)

• Origin: Invented by Donald Lambert (1980).
• Description: Shows how far the current price is from its “average” over time; can move above +100 or below -100.
• Common Parameters:
  • window (often 14 or 20).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Overbought/oversold detection outside ±100 range.
  • Divergence signals potential trend shifts.

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10. Williams %R

• Origin: Created by Larry Williams.
• Description: Similar to Stochastic, ranges from 0 to -100, indicating the close’s position relative to recent highs/lows.
• Common Parameters:
  • window (e.g., 14).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Short-term overbought/oversold triggers.
  • Often used to confirm momentum changes.

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11. OBV (On-Balance Volume)

• Origin: Joseph Granville (1960s).
• Description: Cumulative running total that adds volume on up days, subtracts on down days.
• Common Parameters:
  • Uses daily volume and close price movement.
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Volume-based divergences (OBV diverges from price).
  • Identifying underlying strength/weakness of a trend.

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12. MFI (Money Flow Index)

• Origin: Created by Gene Quong and Avrum Soudack; sometimes called a “volume-weighted RSI.”
• Description: Ranges 0–100, factoring in both price and volume to detect overbought/oversold conditions.
• Common Parameters:
  • window (often 14).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • More sensitive than RSI (due to volume).
  • Divergences often signal turning points.

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13. Ultimate Oscillator (UO)

• Origin: By Larry Williams in 1976.
• Description: Combines short-, medium-, and long-term price action into one oscillator (0–100).
• Common Parameters:
  • Typically uses periods 7, 14, 28 with weighting (4,2,1).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Attempts to reduce false divergences by analyzing multiple timeframes.
  • Overbought near 70–80, oversold near 20–30.

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14. Ichimoku Kinko Hyo (Ichimoku Cloud)

• Origin: Developed by Goichi Hosoda (published in 1969).
• Description: A comprehensive indicator that plots five lines (Tenkan-sen, Kijun-sen, Senkou Span A, Senkou Span B, and Chikou Span) to show momentum, potential support/resistance, and trend direction.
• Common Parameters:
  • Tenkan-sen = 9, Kijun-sen = 26, Senkou Span B = 52, Shift = 26 (typical defaults).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Cloud (Senkou Spans A & B) as support/resistance; bullish if price is above the cloud.
  • Tenkan–Kijun Cross can signal short-term momentum changes.
  • Chikou Span lags, confirming trend if it’s above/below price.

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15. Parabolic SAR

• Origin: Developed by J. Welles Wilder Jr. in the late 1970s.
• Description: Parabolic Stop and Reverse (SAR) uses a “parabola” trailing price to highlight potential stop-loss levels and trend reversals.
• Common Parameters:
  • accelerationFactor (AF) starting value, often 0.02;
  • accelerationMax (e.g., 0.2).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Trend-following with automated trailing stops.
  • Dots appear below price in an uptrend and above price in a downtrend; reversal triggers when price crosses the SAR level.

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16. Keltner Channels

• Origin: Based on work by Chester Keltner in the 1960s, later modified/popularized by Linda Bradford Raschke.
• Description: A volatility-based envelope indicator. The middle line is typically an EMA of typical price (High+Low+Close/3), and the upper/lower lines are offset by a multiple of ATR.
• Common Parameters:
  • emaPeriod for the middle line (e.g., 20).
  • atrPeriod (e.g., 10).
  • mult as a multiplier for the ATR offset (commonly around 2.0).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Volatility-based bands that contract/expand with market moves.
  • Similar to Bollinger Bands but uses ATR instead of standard deviation.
  • Can signal breakouts when price strongly pierces the upper or lower channel.

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17. KAMA (Kaufman’s Adaptive Moving Average)

• Origin: Created by Perry J. Kaufman, introduced in his 1998 book “Trading Systems and Methods” (though developed earlier).
• Description: Adjusts the moving average's sensitivity based on market “noise” (volatility) vs. direction, resulting in less lag in trending markets and smoother lines during sideways action.
• Common Parameters:
  • ERPeriod for the efficiency ratio (e.g., 10).
  • FastPeriod (e.g., 2) and SlowPeriod (e.g., 30) for calculating adaptive smoothing constants.
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Adaptive smoothing that reduces whipsaws in choppy markets.
  • Reacts more quickly in strong trends, more slowly in sideways conditions.

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18. SuperTrend

• Origin: A more recent innovation, popularized in the 2000s by various traders and widely used in algorithmic strategies.
• Description: Uses ATR to generate upper and lower trailing stops (“bands”). The indicator flips between uptrend and downtrend when price crosses these bands.
• Common Parameters:
  • period for ATR (e.g., 10 or 14).
  • multiplier (e.g., 3.0).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Trend detection: SuperTrend line flips above/below price to signal bullish/bearish direction.
  • Serves as a trailing stop mechanism that adapts to volatility.

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19. T3 (Tillson’s T3 Moving Average)

• Origin: Developed by Tim Tillson.
• Description: An advanced smoothing method that layers multiple EMAs internally and applies a “volume factor” to reduce lag while preserving smoothness.
• Common Parameters:
  • period (e.g., 14), volumeFactor (often 0.7).
• Use Cases & Patterns:
  • Less lag than a standard EMA, and can reduce whipsaws in sideways markets.
  • Tunable “volume factor” lets traders set how aggressively T3 reacts to price changes.