Back to Indicators
MomentumLagging

TRIX

Overview

TRIX displays the percentage rate of change of a triple-smoothed EMA, filtering out insignificant price movements and highlighting only the most meaningful momentum shifts. It is valued by swing traders in stocks and forex who want fewer but higher-quality signals. Browse our indicator guide library to pair TRIX with trend-following tools for a systematic approach.

How It Works

TRIX first computes a triple EMA of closing prices over N periods, then calculates the 1-period percentage change of that triple EMA. A signal line (SMA of TRIX) is commonly overlaid for crossover signals. Because of the triple smoothing, TRIX effectively eliminates short-term noise.

Key Signals

  • TRIX crossing above zero = bullish trend confirmation.
  • TRIX crossing below zero = bearish trend confirmation.
  • TRIX crossing above its signal line = buy signal.
  • TRIX divergence from price warns of trend exhaustion.

Common Mistakes

  • Expecting fast signals — TRIX is intentionally slow and filters out most small moves.
  • Using TRIX for day trading where its lag makes it impractical.
  • Not comparing TRIX signals with the MACD, which provides similar but faster information.

More Momentum Indicators

ADX — Average Directional Index

ADX measures the strength of a trend regardless of its direction, telling you whether the market is trending or ranging — critical information for choosing the right <a href="/strategies" class="text-primary hover:underline">trading strategy</a>. Pair it with the <a href="/academy/indicators/parabolic-sar" class="text-primary hover:underline">Parabolic SAR</a> for a powerful trend-following combo that filters noise and tightens stops automatically. ADX is equally effective across <a href="/market/crypto" class="text-primary hover:underline">crypto</a>, <a href="/market/stocks" class="text-primary hover:underline">stocks</a>, and <a href="/market/forex" class="text-primary hover:underline">forex</a> — explore our full <a href="/academy/indicators" class="text-primary hover:underline">indicator guide library</a> to see how it integrates with other momentum tools.

RSI — Relative Strength Index

RSI measures the speed and magnitude of recent price changes on a 0-100 scale, identifying overbought and oversold conditions — it is one of the most widely used <a href="/academy/indicators" class="text-primary hover:underline">technical indicators</a> in every market. RSI divergence signals are especially powerful when confirmed by the <a href="/academy/indicators/macd" class="text-primary hover:underline">MACD</a> or volume-based oscillators. Traders in <a href="/market/crypto" class="text-primary hover:underline">crypto</a> often widen the overbought/oversold thresholds to 80/20 due to higher volatility. Combine RSI with sound <a href="/academy/psychology" class="text-primary hover:underline">trading psychology</a> to avoid chasing overbought entries in trending markets.

CCI — Commodity Channel Index

CCI measures the difference between the current price and its statistical average, identifying cyclical turns and momentum extremes. Originally designed for commodities, CCI is now widely used across <a href="/market/crypto" class="text-primary hover:underline">crypto</a>, <a href="/market/forex" class="text-primary hover:underline">forex</a>, and <a href="/market/stocks" class="text-primary hover:underline">stock</a> markets with equal effectiveness. Combine CCI divergence with trend-following <a href="/strategies" class="text-primary hover:underline">strategies</a> for higher-probability entries. Check out our <a href="/academy/indicators" class="text-primary hover:underline">indicators hub</a> for complementary momentum tools like the <a href="/academy/indicators/rsi" class="text-primary hover:underline">RSI</a> and <a href="/academy/indicators/macd" class="text-primary hover:underline">MACD</a>.

KST — Know Sure Thing

KST (Know Sure Thing) is a smoothed rate-of-change oscillator that combines four different ROC timeframes into a single weighted line, revealing broad momentum shifts across multiple cycles. It was designed by Martin Pring for identifying major trend changes in <a href="/market/stocks" class="text-primary hover:underline">stocks</a> and is equally useful in <a href="/market/crypto" class="text-primary hover:underline">crypto</a> markets. Compare it with the <a href="/academy/indicators/rate-of-change" class="text-primary hover:underline">ROC</a> and other momentum tools in our <a href="/academy/indicators" class="text-primary hover:underline">indicator guide library</a>.