im not sure how to do this, i can find the basic stuff like crossing above but when i try to build a more complex criteria i fail.

I have made and indicator formula for my chart. It is

(c/avgc20)+(c/avgc40)+(c/avgc60)/3

This is set to display as a line on my charts with a 30 simple moving average.

I have added the indicator to my chart and in the edit box called it close performance.

The criteria im after is

2 closes ago was below 30sma

1 closes ago was above 30 sma

todays close is above close 1

It will find my indicator as named recent performance but i dont seem to be able to add the other criteria id like.

Let's start with the indicator itself. As currently written, it is only dividing C / AVGC60 by 3 and then adding it to the other two terms. I suspect you actually want something like the following instead.

(C / AVGC20 + C / AVGC40 + C / AVGC60) / 3

As it adds together all of the terms and then divides the result by 3.

You can only create conditions for the current bar when you click on an indicator and select Create Scan Condition.

So if you want to create conditions based on the past bars by clicking on indicators and selecting Create Scan Condition, you would need to create a version of the indicator which plots the past value at the location of the current bar.

This can be done using the Offset setting of a moving average indicator. If the Offset setting is set to 1, it will plot the value of the moving average from one bar ago ot the location of the current bar. Setting the Offset setting to 2 would use the value of the moving average from two bars ago instead.

Another interesting thing about a moving average is that if he period of the moving average is set to 1, it is just going to return the same results as whatever is being averaged.

Combining these two features of the moving average indicator allows you to plot past values of indicators by adding a 1-period moving average with the offset set to the number of bars ago of interest. In most instances a 1-period simple moving average would work, but there are some cases where you will need to use a 1-period exponential moving average instead to get the correct results in scans and WatchLists.

So to create a 2 closes ago was below 30-sma condition, you would add a 1-period moving average to the Custom PCF Indicator with the Offset set to 2. You would also set the Offset on the 30-sma to 2. Then Click on the 1-period offset moving average of the Custom PCF Indicator and select Create Scan Condition to create a condition for it being below the now offset 30-period moving average.

For 1 close ago, you can just change the offsets from 2 to 1 on both the 1-period moving average of the Custom PCF Indicator and the 30-sma.

You can delete the 1-period offset moving average of the Custom PCF Indicator and change the offset of the SMA30 back to 0 after creating these conditions if desired.

A condition for today's close being above close 1 is just a Moving Up Net condition with its period set to 1 and the Net Change > setting set to 0.

This makes sense thanks bruce ill have a play around with it

Hi Bruce,   I tried to send this yesterday but I may have done it incorrectly. Here goes:     After 5 or more down days     the next days open     opens below yesterdays close      and closes below yesterdays close   ( it never reaches the previous days close )  Thank You  

You asked it a bit differently than how you asked it in the Screening for BATS traded us stocks topic, so the formulas are a bit different as well.

If by down days you mean the close is below the previous close.

H < C1 AND C1 < C2 AND C2 < C3 AND C3 < C4 AND C4 < C5 AND C5 < C6

If by down days you mean the close is below the open.

H < C1 AND C < C1 AND C1 < O1 AND C2 < O2 AND C3 < O3 AND C4 < O4 AND C5 < O5

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PCF Formula Descriptions
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