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DAILY EMA COMBO TURNS POSITIVE

John Murphy

John Murphy

Chief Technical Analyst, StockCharts.com

I've received a number of requests to review the current position of the 13-34 exponential moving averages (EMAs). As you probably know, I place a lot of importance on that combination because of its strong track record over the years. I apply the 13-34 EMA combination to daily, weekly, and monthly charts. Let's start with the "daily" lines which measure the market's "short-term" trend. Chart 1 shows the 13 and 34 day moving average combination. For a short-term buy signal to occur, the 13-day (blue line) has to cross over the 34-day (red line). That short-term buy signal took place earlier in the week. But there's more. The black line below chart 1 plots the "spread" between the two EMA lines. [You can create that line by inserting 13,34,1 into the MACD indicator]. You can see a positive divergence taking place during March when the black line held above its October low (black arrow). [We've shown similar positive divergences in several other technical indicators]. More importantly, the black line has exceeded its January high and risen above the zero line for the first time since last May. [A crossing above the zero line by the black line coincides with a positive EMA crossing]. That's a sign that the current rebound has legs.

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John Murphy
About the author: is the Chief Technical Analyst at StockCharts.com, a renowned author in the investment field and a former technical analyst for CNBC, and is considered the father of inter-market technical analysis. With over 40 years of market experience, he is the author of numerous popular works including “Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets” and “Trading with Intermarket Analysis”. Before joining StockCharts, John was the technical analyst for CNBC-TV for seven years on the popular show Tech Talk, and has authored three best-selling books on the subject: Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets, Trading with Intermarket Analysis and The Visual Investor. Learn More