Forty indicators across five categories. Each has its own page with the formula, the AlgoLift node's exact inputs and outputs, three usage setups, and the advanced platform-specific patterns that make the indicator more than a chart overlay.
This is the lookup layer of the guide. Land here when you're building a strategy and need the details on a specific tool. If you're learning indicator analysis from scratch, the Algotrading-101 indicators lesson is the place to start.
Browse by category
Moving Averages
6 indicators — SMA, EMA, DEMA, TEMA, HMA, KAMA. The foundation of trend identification.
Oscillators
10 indicators — RSI, Stochastic, MACD-style oscillators. Measure momentum and identify overextended conditions.
Trend Indicators
9 indicators — ADX/DMI, MACD, Supertrend, Ichimoku. Confirm trend direction and strength.
Volatility Indicators
5 indicators — ATR, Bollinger Bands, Keltner, Donchian. Measure expected range and set adaptive stops.
Volume Indicators
8 indicators — OBV, MFI, VWAP, CMF. Confirm signals from price-based indicators.
All indicators
| Indicator | Category | Default period | Primary use |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMA | Moving Averages | 20 | Trend baseline, regime classification |
| EMA | Moving Averages | 20 | Default trend indicator, faster than SMA |
| DEMA | Moving Averages | 14 | Trend with reduced lag |
| TEMA | Moving Averages | 14 | Minimal-lag execution signals |
| Hull MA | Moving Averages | 14 | Fast and smooth — clean slope signal |
| KAMA | Moving Averages | (10, 2, 30) | Adapts to market regime |
| RSI | Oscillators | 14 | Momentum, overbought/oversold |
| Stochastic | Oscillators | (14, 3) | Range-bound momentum |
| Williams %R | Oscillators | 14 | Inverted stochastic-style oscillator |
| CCI | Oscillators | 20 | Deviation from typical price |
| PPO | Oscillators | (12, 26, 9) | MACD as a percentage |
| Ultimate Oscillator | Oscillators | (7, 14, 28) | Multi-period momentum confluence |
| StochRSI | Oscillators | (14, 14, 3, 3) | Stochastic applied to RSI |
| TSI | Oscillators | (25, 13) | Double-smoothed momentum |
| CMO | Oscillators | 14 | Pure momentum oscillator |
| Fisher Transform | Oscillators | 9 | Sharp reversal signals |
| ADX/DMI | Trend | 14 | Trend strength and direction |
| Parabolic SAR | Trend | (0.02, 0.2) | Trailing stop / trend reversal |
| Supertrend | Trend | (10, 3) | ATR-based trend overlay |
| Vortex | Trend | 14 | Trend reversal detection |
| Aroon | Trend | 25 | Time since high/low |
| Ichimoku Cloud | Trend | (9, 26, 52) | Multi-line trend system |
| MACD | Trend | (12, 26, 9) | Trend + momentum composite |
| TRIX | Trend | 14 | Triple-smoothed momentum |
| Linear Regression | Trend | 14 | Statistical trend line |
| ATR | Volatility | 14 | Average bar range, used for stops |
| Bollinger Bands | Volatility | (20, 2) | Standard-deviation envelopes |
| Keltner Channel | Volatility | (20, 2) | ATR-based envelopes |
| Donchian Channels | Volatility | 20 | High/low envelopes for breakouts |
| Chaikin Volatility | Volatility | (10, 10) | Volatility rate-of-change |
| OBV | Volume | — | Cumulative volume flow |
| MFI | Volume | 14 | Volume-weighted RSI |
| Volume | Volume | — | Raw traded contracts/shares |
| A/D Line | Volume | — | Accumulation/distribution |
| CMF | Volume | 20 | Money flow within range |
| Elder's Force Index | Volume | 13 | Force = price change × volume |
| Chaikin Oscillator | Volume | (3, 10) | A/D Line momentum |
| VWAP | Volume | (session) | Institutional execution reference |
How to read these pages
Every indicator page in this reference follows the same structure:
- One-sentence definition at the top — what the indicator measures, in plain English.
- Chart overlay — the indicator on a real price chart so you know what to expect visually.
- Formula — exactly how AlgoLift computes it, with the math and the smoothing assumptions.
- Inputs and outputs — the node's exact settings and output handles, ready to wire into a strategy.
- How to read it — value-by-value interpretation, with the trade-offs.
- Three setups — concrete usage patterns with node graphs.
- Advanced patterns in AlgoLift — platform-specific patterns (trailing stops, scale-ins, regime filters, multi-timeframe) that pair naturally with the indicator.
- Common mistakes and misconceptions — the things people get wrong about this indicator, with the corrections.
The goal isn't to teach indicator analysis from scratch — that's what the Algotrading-101 Academy is for. The goal is to give you everything you need to wire any indicator into a real strategy in minutes.
Indicators don't predict price. They describe what already happened in a structured way that's easier to reason about than raw OHLC. The strategies that work are the ones that combine indicators with regime filters, position sizing, and risk management — not the ones that find the "right" indicator.