TREND FILTER SETTINGS
Higher-timeframe indicator filters that ensure the EA only takes entries aligned with the dominant market trend, significantly improving trade quality and reducing counter-trend entries.
Trend filters use indicators calculated on a higher timeframe than the chart timeframe to determine the overall market direction. You should always select a timeframe different from and higher than the chart's current timeframe for meaningful trend confirmation. Multiple trend filters can be enabled simultaneously and all enabled filters must agree on direction before a trade is taken. However, note that adding more filters produces fewer but potentially higher-quality signals — there is a trade-off between signal frequency and confirmation strength.
MA Trend Filter Settings
Uses one or two Moving Averages to determine the higher-timeframe trend direction. The relationship between price and the MAs, or between the two MAs, defines whether the market is in a bullish or bearish phase.
Enable MA Filter
Boolean toggle to enable or disable the Moving Average trend filter. When enabled, the EA will only open long trades when the MA filter indicates a bullish trend, and only open short trades when it indicates a bearish trend. Trades conflicting with the MA trend direction are blocked.
MA Filter Strategy
Defines how the MA trend direction is determined. Three strategies are available:
- Strategy 1 — Fast MA vs Slow MA Cross: If the Fast MA is above the Slow MA, the trend is considered Bullish. If the Fast MA is below the Slow MA, the trend is Bearish. This is the classic dual-MA crossover trend filter.
- Strategy 2 — Price vs Fast MA: If the current price (close) is above the Fast MA, the trend is Bullish. If price is below the Fast MA, the trend is Bearish. A simpler and more reactive filter based on the faster MA alone.
- Strategy 3 — Price vs Slow MA: If the current price is above the Slow MA, the trend is Bullish. If price is below the Slow MA, the trend is Bearish. A smoother and less reactive filter that focuses on the long-term MA.
Fast MA Settings (MA1)
- Fast MA Timeframe: The timeframe on which the Fast MA is calculated. Select a timeframe higher than the current chart timeframe for genuine trend filtering (e.g., if the chart is M15, use H1 or H4).
- Fast MA Mode: The Moving Average calculation method — SMA (Simple), EMA (Exponential), SMMA (Smoothed), or LWMA (Linear Weighted).
- Fast MA Period: The number of bars used to calculate the Fast MA. A smaller period makes the MA more reactive to recent price changes.
- Fast MA Shift: Number of bars to shift the MA forward or backward on the chart. 0 means no shift (current bar alignment).
- Fast Applied Price: The price type used for MA calculation — Close, Open, High, Low, Median, Typical, or Weighted price.
Slow MA Settings (MA2)
- Slow MA Timeframe: The timeframe on which the Slow MA is calculated. Should typically match or be higher than the Fast MA timeframe for consistency.
- Slow MA Mode: The Moving Average calculation method.
- Slow MA Period: The number of bars used to calculate the Slow MA. A larger period makes the Slow MA smoother and less reactive, representing the longer-term trend.
- Slow MA Shift: Number of bars to shift the MA.
- Slow Applied Price: The price type used for Slow MA calculation.
ADX Trend Filter Settings
Uses the Average Directional Index (ADX) indicator on a higher timeframe to measure trend strength and direction. Helps confirm that the market is in a trending (not ranging) state before entering a trade.
Enable ADX Filter
Boolean toggle to enable or disable the ADX trend filter. When enabled, the EA will only take entries that align with the ADX trend direction and, optionally, meet the required ADX strength threshold defined by the ADX Level parameter.
ADX Timeframe
The timeframe on which the ADX is calculated. Select a higher timeframe than your chart timeframe to capture the broader trend context. For example, if trading on M15, consider using H1 or H4 ADX for trend direction.
ADX Period
The number of bars used for ADX calculation. Shorter periods (e.g., 8) make ADX more sensitive and reactive to trend changes. Longer periods produce a smoother ADX that reflects more established trend states.
ADX Price Type
The price type applied for ADX calculation — typically Close price. Options include Close, Open, High, Low, Median, Typical, and Weighted.
ADX MA Mode
The Moving Average smoothing method used internally by the ADX calculation (SMA, EMA, SMMA, or LWMA). This affects how quickly the ADX reacts to trend changes.
ADX Level
The minimum ADX value required to consider the market as trending. A common threshold is 20 — readings above 20 indicate a trending market. Used in conjunction with ADX Strategy 1 to filter out weak or ranging market conditions where ADX-based signals are less reliable.
ADX Filter Strategy
- Strategy 1 — ADX Level + DI Direction: The trend is considered Bullish only when the ADX value is above the ADX Level AND the +DI (Positive Directional Index) is above the -DI (Negative Directional Index). Bearish when ADX is above level and -DI is above +DI. This ensures the market is both trending strongly and in the correct direction.
- Strategy 2 — DI Direction Only: The trend is determined solely by which directional index is dominant — Bullish if +DI is above -DI, Bearish if -DI is above +DI. The ADX level threshold is ignored, making this strategy active even in ranging markets.
RSI Trend Filter Settings
Uses the Relative Strength Index (RSI) on a higher timeframe to define trend direction based on momentum levels. RSI above or below defined threshold levels indicates bullish or bearish bias.
Enable RSI Filter
Boolean toggle to enable or disable the RSI trend filter. When enabled, the EA only enters trades that align with the RSI-defined higher-timeframe trend direction.
RSI Timeframe
The timeframe on which the RSI is calculated for trend determination. Choose a timeframe higher than your chart's current timeframe for meaningful trend signal filtering.
RSI Period
The number of bars used in the RSI calculation. The standard period is 14. Shorter periods create a more volatile RSI that changes direction frequently; longer periods produce a smoother and more stable trend reading.
RSI Applied Price
The price type used for RSI calculation. Options include Close, Open, High, Low, Median, Typical, and Weighted. Close price is the most commonly used setting.
RSI Calculation Mode
- Manual: Uses the exact RSI Upper Level and RSI Lower Level values provided by the user for all threshold comparisons. Fully static thresholds suitable when you have a specific tested level for your strategy.
- Auto: Automatically calculates the complementary lower/upper level based on the provided value. For example, if the Upper Level is 60, the Auto mode calculates the Lower Level as 100 - 60 = 40. This ensures symmetric thresholds without manual input and is particularly useful during backtesting optimization where only one parameter needs to change.
RSI Upper Level
The RSI value above which the market is considered to be in a bearish or overbought state (depending on strategy). Typically set around 60–70. In Strategy 1, RSI crossing above this level signals bearish bias; in Strategy 2, it signals bullish momentum.
RSI Lower Level
The RSI value below which the market is considered to be in a bullish or oversold state (depending on strategy). Typically set around 30–40. In Strategy 1, RSI below this level signals bullish bias; in Strategy 2, it signals bearish momentum.
RSI Filter Strategy
- Strategy 1 — Mean Reversion: When RSI is below the lower level, the market is considered Bullish (oversold/bouncing). When RSI is above the upper level, the market is considered Bearish (overbought/reversing). Best for range-bound or mean-reverting conditions.
- Strategy 2 — Momentum: When RSI is above the upper level, the market is Bullish (strong upward momentum). When RSI is below the lower level, the market is Bearish (strong downward momentum). Best for trend-following strategies where RSI extremes confirm trend continuation.
MACD Trend Filter Settings
Uses the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator on a higher timeframe to determine trend direction based on the MACD line's position relative to zero or its signal line.
Enable MACD Filter
Boolean toggle to enable or disable the MACD trend filter. When enabled, the EA only enters trades in the direction confirmed by the MACD on the configured higher timeframe.
MACD Timeframe
The timeframe on which the MACD is calculated for trend filtering. A higher timeframe than the chart timeframe provides broader trend context and reduces false signals from short-term price noise.
MACD Short Period
The fast EMA period used in MACD calculation. The MACD line is computed as the difference between the fast and slow EMAs. The standard value is 12. A smaller value makes the MACD more sensitive to recent price movements.
MACD Long Period
The slow EMA period used in MACD calculation. The standard value is 26. A larger value provides the baseline for measuring divergence from the faster EMA. The gap between fast and slow periods determines MACD sensitivity.
MACD Signal Period
The EMA period applied to the MACD line to produce the signal line. The standard value is 9. The signal line smooths the MACD values and is used in Strategy 2 for crossover-based trend detection.
MACD Applied Price
The price type used for MACD's underlying EMA calculations. Close price is standard, but other types (Open, High, Low, Median, Typical, Weighted) can be selected for customized sensitivity.
MACD Filter Strategy
- Strategy 1 — MACD vs Zero Line: When the MACD line is above 0, the trend is Bullish. When the MACD line is below 0, the trend is Bearish. This is a simple and robust trend direction filter based on the fundamental interpretation of MACD.
- Strategy 2 — MACD vs Signal Line: When the MACD line is above the Signal line, the trend is Bullish. When the MACD line is below the Signal line, the trend is Bearish. This is a more reactive filter that responds faster to trend changes using the crossover between MACD and its signal.
Parabolic SAR Trend Filter Settings
Uses the Parabolic SAR (Stop and Reverse) indicator on a higher timeframe to identify trend direction. The SAR dot position relative to price provides a clear visual and computational indication of the current trend.
Enable SAR Trend Filter
Boolean toggle to enable or disable the Parabolic SAR trend filter. When enabled, the EA only enters trades in the direction confirmed by the SAR position or direction on the configured higher timeframe.
SAR Timeframe
The timeframe on which the Parabolic SAR is calculated. Select a higher timeframe than the chart's current timeframe to use it as a trend context filter rather than an entry signal. For example, if trading on M15, use H1 or H4 SAR for trend direction.
SAR Step
The acceleration factor step for the Parabolic SAR calculation. The standard value is 0.02. This defines how quickly the SAR dot accelerates toward the price as the trend continues. A smaller step produces a SAR that follows price more slowly (fewer reversals); a larger step produces a more reactive SAR.
SAR Maximum
The maximum acceleration factor for the Parabolic SAR. The standard value is 0.2. This caps how quickly the SAR acceleration factor can grow, preventing the SAR from hugging price too closely during extended trending moves.
SAR Filter Strategy
- Strategy 1 — Price vs SAR Position: When price is above the SAR dot (SAR is below price), the trend is Bullish. When price is below the SAR dot (SAR is above price), the trend is Bearish. This is the most common and straightforward SAR interpretation.
- Strategy 2 — SAR Flip Direction: The trend direction is determined by the most recent SAR flip (reversal). When SAR flips from above price to below price, the trend becomes Bullish. When SAR flips from below price to above price, the trend becomes Bearish. This strategy reacts specifically to trend change moments rather than the current SAR position.
