Don’t know why I missed this the first time, but there seems to be a misunderstanding of how simple moving averages are constructed and how they might be utilised in this simple yet effective system from CC.
In an SMA, each data point is given equal weight. The number of data points selected by the period parameter is used to arithmetically sum those data and then divide the result by the number of data. All very simple.
When you apply the 60 period MA to a 1 hour chart, you are taking an arbitrary value, the closing price for that arbitrary hourly timeslice, using that, and ignoring all the other data between any two hourly close levels. You’re doing this on the 4 hour chart and the 5 min chart too. An SMA on a 5 min chart ignores all the other sub-5 min data between two 5 min close levels.
The thing is, using a 720 SMA and a 2880 SMA on a 5 min chart is not the same as a 60 SMA on a 1 hour and a 60 SMA on a 4 hour chart.
To take an extreme (and hypothetical) example, say the last 4 one hourly closes for EURUSD are falling on the 1.4700 level, but between those hourly closes, the price action was around the 1.4760 level most of the time. Your 60 SMA on the 1 hour chart is going to start showing the flattening that constant data point levels will induce and bringing the SMA closer toward that 1 hour datum point. However, the 5 min 60 SMA will be giving equal weight to all data and that means the majority of data at the higher levels will be producing an SMA, even with far greater number of data points, at a higher level.
Taking GBPUSD as a real life example as at close of play yesterday.
The 720 ‘equivalent’ SMA on the 5min chart gives a value of 1.9768.
The real 60 SMA on the 1 hour chart gives a value of 1.9766.
The 2880 ‘equivalent’ SMA on the 5min chart gives a value of 1.9895.
The real 60 SMA on the 4 hour chart gives a value of 1.9878.
And if we invent a 240 SMA on the 1 hour chart to be ‘equivalent’ to the 60 SMA on the 4 hour, we get 1.9888 on the ‘equivalent’ SMA compared with the 1.9878 on the real 4 hour 60 SMA reading.
When you’re dealing with systems designed to deliver smaller targets in shorter timeframes, these differences are significant, not only in realising profits from a trade entered, but from even getting into a trade in the first place.
Three points in summary
As alluded to in a number of posts above on this thread, there are inherent dangers in playing around with other people’s systems trying to make them ‘better’ or ‘easier’ or trying to personalise them without due diligence. CC uses three charts for a reason, to get accurate SMA levels and to get local SR in those timeframes (among many other things he doesn’t mention LOL!)
The assumption that SMAs are equivalent across TFs just because the numbers ‘add up’, underlines the degree to which traders use indicators without perhaps understating how they are constructed at a basic level. And if they did, why they probably wouldn’t really need them.
The selection of a timeframe, any timeframe, is a completely arbitrary decision on the traders part. It has no real meaning. The only real reality is the tick. We use TFs to make it ‘easier’ to assess data, trends, breakouts, chart patterns, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But I believe it is important we constantly hold in mind, TFs are randomly chosen snapshots of a summary of tick data. Even a 1 minute chart only shows you where the price opened, closed, its minimum and maximum during that 1 minute timeslice – not what happened throughout that 1 minute flow of time.
Which brings me to ask why do you never see Duck Curry on the menu….are Ducks are too smart to get caught or do they just go with the flow?