Configuring Indicators
What It Is
For a full list of available indicators grouped by category — trend, momentum, volatility, volume, and price-derived — see Indicator Library.
Every technical indicator on Strateda is fully configurable. You control the parameters that define how each indicator calculates — period lengths, price sources, smoothing methods, band widths, and more. These settings determine the sensitivity, responsiveness, and behavior of the indicator on your chart.
In the Indicator tab, you select an indicator, set its parameters, and click Apply to draw it on the chart. Changing a parameter and clicking Apply again adds a new line to the chart rather than replacing the existing one — this lets you visually compare different parameter settings side by side. Each applied indicator instance has an eye icon to toggle its visibility.
In the Strategy tab, you select indicator parameters as part of your strategy conditions. These do not render on the chart until you click Run and the strategy job completes — at which point the chart displays the candle data, condition indicators, and trade open/close lines together.
How to Access It
- Open the right panel and select the Indicator tab.
- Browse the indicator list or search by name to find the indicator you want.
- Select the indicator and configure its parameters (e.g., period, source).
- Click Apply to draw the indicator on the chart.
What You See
The configuration panel displays the adjustable parameters for the selected indicator.
Indicator Parameters
Each indicator exposes its own set of parameters when selected. All indicator calculations currently use the Close price as the input source — source selection is not configurable.
The most common parameter across almost all indicators is timeperiod — the number of bars used in the calculation. A higher value produces a smoother, slower-reacting indicator. A lower value produces a more responsive indicator with more noise.
The following examples show the parameter sets for the most commonly used indicators in strategy building:
BBANDS — Bollinger Bands — Volatility Bollinger Bands plot three lines around price: a middle band (moving average) and upper and lower bands at a configurable number of standard deviations above and below it. Band width reflects the standard deviation of recent price — narrowing when price movement is compressed, widening when it expands. The nbdevup and nbdevdn parameters allow asymmetric band widths, setting different distances for the upper and lower bands independently.
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
timeperiod | 5 | Number of bars for the moving average calculation |
nbdevup | 2 | Number of standard deviations for the upper band |
nbdevdn | 2 | Number of standard deviations for the lower band |
matype | 0 | Moving average type for the middle band (0 = SMA) |
MACD — Moving Average Convergence/Divergence — Trend MACD measures momentum by calculating the difference between a fast and slow exponential moving average. The MACD line crosses above or below a signal line (an EMA of the MACD line itself) as momentum shifts. The histogram — the difference between the MACD line and signal line — shows the magnitude of that separation over time.
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
fastperiod | 12 | Period for the fast EMA |
slowperiod | 26 | Period for the slow EMA |
signalperiod | 9 | Period for the signal line (EMA of the MACD line) |
MACDFIX — MACD Fixed 12/26 — Trend MACDFIX uses the standard MACD formula with the fast period fixed at 12 and the slow period fixed at 26 — the most widely used MACD settings across equity and forex markets. Only the signal line period is adjustable. Use this when you want the standard MACD behaviour without exposing the fast and slow periods as configurable parameters in your strategy conditions.
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
signalperiod | 9 | Period for the signal line |
STOCH — Stochastic — Momentum The Stochastic oscillator measures where the closing price sits within the high-low range over a lookback period, producing a %K line and a smoothed %D signal line. The full Stochastic applies smoothing to both %K and %D, reducing reactivity compared to STOCHF. The matype parameters control the smoothing method applied — 0 uses a simple moving average.
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
fastk_period | 5 | Lookback period for the raw %K calculation |
slowk_period | 3 | Smoothing period applied to raw %K |
slowk_matype | 0 | Moving average type for %K smoothing (0 = SMA) |
slowd_period | 3 | Smoothing period for the %D signal line |
slowd_matype | 0 | Moving average type for %D smoothing (0 = SMA) |
STOCHF — Stochastic Fast — Momentum Stochastic Fast uses the raw %K calculation with only %D smoothing applied — no smoothing is applied to %K itself. This makes STOCHF more responsive than STOCH, producing more frequent signals. The trade-off is less smoothing compared to the full Stochastic — use the fastd_period parameter to control how much smoothing is applied to the %D line.
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
fastk_period | 5 | Lookback period for the raw %K calculation |
fastd_period | 3 | Smoothing period for the %D signal line |
fastd_matype | 0 | Moving average type for %D smoothing (0 = SMA) |
STOCHRSI — Stochastic RSI — Momentum StochRSI applies the Stochastic formula to RSI values rather than directly to price. The result is an oscillator that moves between 0 and 1 and is more sensitive than RSI alone — it reaches its extremes more frequently because it measures RSI's position within its own range rather than price directly. The timeperiod controls the RSI lookback; fastk_period and fastd_period control the Stochastic calculation applied on top of it.
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
timeperiod | 14 | Period for the RSI calculation |
fastk_period | 5 | Lookback period for the Stochastic calculation on RSI |
fastd_period | 3 | Smoothing period for the %D signal line |
fastd_matype | 0 | Moving average type for %D smoothing (0 = SMA) |
T3 — Triple Exponential Moving Average — Trend T3 applies exponential smoothing three times in succession, producing a smoother output than EMA or TEMA at equivalent periods while maintaining lower lag than a simple moving average. The vfactor parameter (between 0 and 1) controls the aggressiveness of the smoothing — a value of 0 reduces T3 to a simple EMA, while higher values increase smoothness. The commonly used default is 0.7.
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
timeperiod | 5 | Number of bars for the calculation |
vfactor | 0.7 | Volume factor controlling smoothing aggressiveness (0–1) |
TSF — Time Series Forecast — Trend TSF fits a linear regression line to the most recent bars (defined by timeperiod) and projects the next value forward by one bar. Unlike a moving average which plots the average of past prices, TSF plots where the regression line projects price to be on the next bar — extrapolating forward rather than averaging backward.
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
timeperiod | 14 | Number of bars for the linear regression calculation |
WMA — Weighted Moving Average — Trend WMA calculates a moving average where each bar is weighted proportionally to its position in the lookback window — the most recent bar receives the highest weight, the oldest bar receives the lowest. This linear weighting makes WMA more responsive to recent price changes than SMA, while the weighting is less aggressive than the exponential weighting used by EMA.
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
timeperiod | 30 | Number of bars for the calculation |
MINUS_DI — Minus Directional Indicator — Trend MINUS_DI measures the strength of downward price movement over the lookback period. It is one of two components in Wilder's Directional Movement System — the other being PLUS_DI. When MINUS_DI is above PLUS_DI, downward movement is dominant over the lookback period. ADX, which uses the same calculation inputs, measures the overall strength of the directional movement.
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
timeperiod | 14 | Lookback period for the calculation |
PLUS_DI — Plus Directional Indicator — Trend PLUS_DI measures the strength of upward price movement over the lookback period. Together with MINUS_DI it forms the Directional Movement System. When PLUS_DI crosses above MINUS_DI, the trend has shifted bullish; when it crosses below, the trend has shifted bearish. Use PLUS_DI and MINUS_DI together with ADX for a complete directional analysis — ADX measures trend strength while the DI lines identify direction. All three use the same timeperiod for consistency.
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
timeperiod | 14 | Lookback period for the calculation |
ATR — Average True Range — Volatility ATR measures market volatility by averaging the true range — the largest of: current high minus current low, current high minus previous close, or current low minus previous close — over the lookback period. ATR does not indicate trend direction, only volatility magnitude. In Strateda, ATR is particularly useful for dynamic exit conditions: setting a stop-loss at a multiple of ATR below entry (e.g. 1.5× ATR) produces a distance that scales with recent volatility — wider when ATR is high, narrower when ATR is low. Higher timeperiod values produce smoother ATR readings less reactive to individual volatile bars.
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
timeperiod | 14 | Number of bars for the calculation |
How to Interpret It
Overlay vs. Sub-Panel Indicators
Indicators fall into two display categories:
- Overlays render directly on the price chart. Moving averages (SMA, EMA, DEMA, etc.), BBANDS, SAR, and HT_TRENDLINE are overlays — they share the same price scale as your candles.
- Sub-panel indicators appear in their own panel beneath the price chart with an independent y-axis scale. RSI, MACD, STOCH, CCI, ADX, OBV, and most oscillators display this way.
The platform assigns the appropriate display mode automatically, though some indicators can be configured to display in either location.
Comparing Parameter Settings
Each time you click Apply with different parameters, a new indicator instance is added to the chart. The previous instance remains, so you can compare them visually. This is the standard workflow for parameter exploration:
- Two EMAs with different periods (e.g., EMA 50 and EMA 200) — apply one, change the period, apply again. Both lines appear on the chart for crossover analysis.
- Two RSIs with different periods (e.g., RSI 7 and RSI 21) — compare short-term sensitivity against longer-term confirmation.
- Bollinger Bands with standard deviation multipliers of 1.5 and 2.5 — apply twice to define inner and outer volatility envelopes.
Each instance operates independently. Use the eye icon on any applied indicator to toggle its visibility without removing it.
Indicator Tab vs. Strategy Tab
The Indicator tab and Strategy tab operate independently:
- Indicator tab indicators are for visual exploration. You select an indicator, set parameters, and click Apply to draw it on the chart. Use this to develop intuition about how indicators behave on a given instrument and timeframe.
- Strategy tab indicators are part of your strategy logic. You select them from dropdowns along with their parameters and conditions. They do not appear on the chart until you click Run and the strategy job completes. When results load, the chart shows the candle data with the condition indicators overlaid and trade open/close markers.
Understanding Parameter Effects
When comparing different parameter settings side by side on the chart:
- Increasing the period makes the indicator smoother and slower to react. Fewer signals, but potentially fewer false signals.
- Decreasing the period makes the indicator more responsive. More signals, but more noise.
Apply the same indicator with different settings and compare the lines visually to build intuition for how parameters interact with your chosen instrument and timeframe.
Example
You are exploring a Bollinger Band squeeze setup on NVDA using 15-minute candles:
-
Select Bollinger Bands from the Indicator tab. Set the period to 20, standard deviation multiplier to 2.0, source to Close, and click Apply. The bands appear as an overlay on the price chart.
-
Change the period to 30 and click Apply again. A second set of Bollinger Bands draws on the chart alongside the first. Compare them — the 30-period bands are wider and smoother, capturing the intraday range more consistently on NVDA's M15 chart.
-
Apply Bollinger Bands once more with 30-period and 1.0 standard deviation. Now you have inner and outer bands — the space between them defines your squeeze zone. Use the eye icon to hide the 20-period version if it becomes cluttered.
-
Select RSI, set the period to 10, and click Apply. It appears in a sub-panel below the chart.
-
Apply RSI again with period 14. Both RSI lines appear in the sub-panel — you can visually compare how the 10-period and 14-period versions react differently to the same price moves. The 14-period filters out more short-term noise.
-
Switch to the Strategy tab to define your strategy logic. Select Bollinger Bands and RSI from the dropdowns with your chosen parameters, set entry and exit conditions, and click Run. When the job completes, the chart reloads with candle data, condition indicators, and trade open/close markers.
This iterative process — apply, compare, refine, then build the strategy — is the core workflow for translating a trading idea into a testable strategy.
Saving Your Indicator Layout
The Indicators tab includes a save icon that stores your current indicator configuration globally. When you save:
- All currently applied indicators and their parameters are remembered.
- The same indicators automatically reload the next time you open the platform.
- The layout applies across all symbols and timeframes — switching from AAPL to EURUSD or changing the candle interval will show the same indicators.
- This is separate from strategy saving — indicator layouts are independent of any strategy configuration.
To save your current indicator layout, click the save icon at the top of the Indicators tab. There is no confirmation prompt — the layout is saved immediately.
To reset to a clean chart, use Remove All Indicators and then save again.