AO (Awesome Oscillator)¶
What it shows: the gap between a short and a long average of each candle's middle price. Above zero, recent prices are higher than the longer-run average.
How people use it: crossing above zero is a momentum buy signal; below zero a sell signal.
Pairs well with: a trend filter and RSI.
Settings¶
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Fast | 5 | Length of the short average. Shorter reacts sooner. |
| Slow | 34 | Length of the long average. Must be larger than Fast. |
You set the defaults on the Indicators page. A condition can use its own settings, which override the defaults for that condition only.
Ready-made conditions¶
| For | Condition | Fires when |
|---|---|---|
| Buy | AO crosses above zero | the one candle AO moves from below 0 to above it |
| Buy | AO above zero | every candle AO is above 0 |
| Sell | AO crosses below zero | the one candle AO moves from above 0 to below it |
| Sell | AO below zero | every candle AO is below 0 |
"Above", "below", "is" and "rising" / "falling" stay true on every candle the state lasts, so they can fire many candles in a row. "Crosses" and "flips" fire once, on the candle it happens, so you get one signal per move.
Warnings you may see¶
- "It can never be true: a cross happens on one candle, so it cannot happen on N candles in a row. Use 'within the last N candles' instead.": a "crosses" condition with a "… in a row" lookback of 2 or more. Switch the lookback to Within the last.
- "Fast must be between 1 and 1000" / "Fast must be a whole number": shown in the condition editor when a condition's own value is out of range. Fix the number; the condition can't be saved until then.
- "Slow must be between 1 and 1000" / "Slow must be a whole number": shown in the condition editor when a condition's own value is out of range. Fix the number; the condition can't be saved until then.
- "Fast must be smaller than Slow": in a condition, Fast has to stay below Slow.
Where they show: on the Strategies page, open Create entry conditions / Edit entry conditions (or the exit ones). Each condition's messages appear right under it. The setting messages ("must be between", "whole number", "must be one of", "must be smaller than") start with the indicator's short name, for example "MACD: Fast must be between 1 and 1000", and keep the conditions from being saved until fixed. The other warnings never block saving and are repeated in the strategy's Entry or Exit section, starting with the condition's name.
Good to know¶
- It is worked out from each candle's high and low (not volume).
- Values are in price units, so they differ by coin; use the zero line.
- It needs some history before its value settles: the Slow length in candles (34 at the defaults). Apathia loads that history for you.