general question about MA

hey there,
I have an indicator that shows arrows based on crossing of two moving averages....
my question is does moving average repaint it self or no?

to simplify my question. does this indicator repaint? its basically crossover of two ema

So how do you tell if an indicator repaints, in other words how do you define repainting?

Moving averages kind of repaintONLY if the period of the shorter moving average is too small. On the last candle a 30 pip move up and down within the candle period with shorter ma 8 for example and longer ma of 48,there will be undecided crossover and a shift back up or lower down is possible. Longrr period mas like 40 and 100 do not repaint 95 percent or highrr percentage of time. You need to check what are coded period inputs of the indicator. Periods below 21 are occasionally prone to repaint just around the crossover time IF there is whipsaw of 30 pips or so.

Hope this might clarify it some for yoy!
Cheers!!

Let me save you from your misery.

Many indicators are formulated from moving averages in my opinion, like ADX, Ichimoku, RSI MACD BB Stochastic, Williams%R, QQE TMA Trix, etc; so you can see how coders have relied on the MA for so long.

Some MA's repaint in fact, like the Hull moving Average (HMA) like the TMA.
Some indies which are MA variants like Zig zag (based on Stochastic) repaint.

But what is the phenomenon which a lot of traders abhor-repainting?
It is when a bar on the main chart closes and the indicator paints a color, say it was a bullish move, the indicator paints a bullish color when the next bar closes in the opposite direction, the indicator paints the color of the new direction and changes the color of the previous bar to the color of the new direction.

To catch a repainting indicator the professional way, you use a trade simulator, but to do the job, yourself use the M1 time frame and observe the up and down ticks of the indicator and the price charts.

So get your hands dirty and don't wait for someone else opinion.

thank you for answering this. I was wondering only if the normal moving averages indicator (ema or simple) repaints. I guess the answer would be if higher then 21 most likely not to repaint and lower will most lilkely to repaint. correct?

A moving average (no matter its period) doesn't repaint once candle closes.

I know basically nothing, i am not a coder
but i was thinking a 21ma recalculates with every new candle and draws a line, the next candle comes in and it recalculates and draws the line again
repainting as I see it.

No. Only the current candle value is recalculated. Once candle is closed, the calculated average is definitively fixed.

Rule of thumb is that the MA doesn't repaint after candle close. And it's like in the real world there are exceptions. MA variants that using candles from the "future", like TMA of course will be repainting even after close of the candle, because they getting and need inputs from candles after that. Or you have defined the price OPEN for an MA then you get a fix values when the current candles is opened and don't have to wait until it closes.

MAs on higher TFs have other problems, but that would be to difficult to explain here and seems to be out of scope.

i must add after having read a few more replies since mine that shorter periods need a buffer for puposes of on the edge crossover let us say 8 period is 1.11003 and 48 period is 1.11002 then a new candle in its price move can whipsaw a crossovered opened position so indis and ma using EAS have an input of buffer.most use .5 pips to 2 pips buffer. putpose is to make entry when at least buffered pips are in the crossover and chances of a whipsaw from volatile price of a newly opened one does not affect the recent on the edge crossover.