Bill Williams' Alligator uses three smoothed moving averages displaced forward — the Jaw, Teeth, and Lips — to identify trending and sleeping market phases with an intuitive visual metaphor. When the lines intertwine the Alligator is "sleeping" (range); when they fan out it is "eating" (trending). Combine it with the Awesome Oscillator and Gator Oscillator from our indicator guide library for the complete Bill Williams trading system.
Jaw = 13-period SMMA displaced 8 bars forward (blue). Teeth = 8-period SMMA displaced 5 bars forward (red). Lips = 5-period SMMA displaced 3 bars forward (green). The displacement shifts each line into the future, creating a visual lag structure that reveals trend phases clearly.
SuperTrend combines the <a href="/academy/indicators/atr" class="text-primary hover:underline">Average True Range</a> with a multiplier and median price to plot a single line that flips between support and resistance — green means uptrend, red means downtrend. It is a favourite overlay for trend-following <a href="/strategies" class="text-primary hover:underline">trading strategies</a> across <a href="/market/crypto" class="text-primary hover:underline">crypto</a> and <a href="/market/forex" class="text-primary hover:underline">forex</a> due to its visual simplicity. Apply it on <a href="/tools/platforms/tradingview" class="text-primary hover:underline">TradingView</a> alongside the <a href="/academy/indicators/adx" class="text-primary hover:underline">ADX</a> to filter entries to only strong-trending environments.
The Ichimoku Cloud (Ichimoku Kinko Hyo) is a complete trading system in one indicator, identifying trend direction, support/resistance, momentum, and trade signals using five lines and a cloud. It is one of the most powerful entries in our <a href="/academy/indicators" class="text-primary hover:underline">indicator guide library</a>, best applied on daily charts across <a href="/market/forex" class="text-primary hover:underline">forex</a> and <a href="/market/crypto" class="text-primary hover:underline">crypto</a> markets. Incorporate Ichimoku signals into your broader <a href="/strategies" class="text-primary hover:underline">trading strategies</a> for multi-factor confirmation before entering a position.
The Directional Movement Index plots +DI and −DI lines to reveal whether buyers or sellers are in control, and is typically used alongside the <a href="/academy/indicators/adx" class="text-primary hover:underline">ADX</a> to gauge trend strength. DMI excels in trending <a href="/market/forex" class="text-primary hover:underline">forex</a> and <a href="/market/crypto" class="text-primary hover:underline">crypto</a> markets, where clean directional moves produce reliable crossover signals. Integrate DMI into your <a href="/strategies" class="text-primary hover:underline">trading strategies</a> and confirm with volume tools from our <a href="/academy/indicators" class="text-primary hover:underline">indicator guide library</a>.
The Guppy Multiple Moving Average plots two groups of EMAs — six short-term and six long-term — to visualise the interaction between trader sentiment and investor sentiment as a ribbon, revealing trend strength and potential reversals. GMMA is widely used in <a href="/market/stocks" class="text-primary hover:underline">stock</a> and <a href="/market/forex" class="text-primary hover:underline">forex</a> markets to identify early trend participation. Set it up on <a href="/tools/platforms/tradingview" class="text-primary hover:underline">TradingView</a> and combine with the <a href="/academy/indicators/rsi" class="text-primary hover:underline">RSI</a> for timing entries.