Utility of the Indicator The core utility of this indicator lies in its ability to utilize volume, a less frequently exploited metric in MACD analysis, providing several strategic advantages:
Trend Confirmation: By focusing on volume, the indicator confirms whether movements in price are backed by significant trading activity. A rising MACD line above the signal line, paired with increasing volume, can confirm the strength of an uptrend. Conversely, if the histogram turns negative while the MACD line falls below the signal line during a price drop, it confirms a robust downtrend.
Early Warning Signals: Changes in the histogram and divergences between the MACD and Signal lines can serve as early warnings of potential reversals or slowdowns in market momentum. For instance, a shrinking histogram in an uptrend might suggest that the upward movement is losing steam.
Market Sentiment: The integration of volume into the MACD framework allows the indicator to provide insights into underlying market sentiment. Higher volumes during price movements indicate stronger conviction among traders, making the trend more reliable.
Indicator Functionality The "Volume Wave Trend Confirmation" indicator is built on the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) framework, but with a unique twist: it uses the smoothed moving averages (SMA) of trading volumes instead of price. The indicator calculates two specific SMAs of the volume — a shorter 33-period SMA and a longer 100-period SMA — and computes their difference. This difference is then used as the input for the MACD calculation, with typical parameters set at 12, 26, and a signal line of 9.
MACD Line (Blue): Represents the main line, calculated as the difference between the 12-period and 26-period exponential moving averages (EMA) of the volume difference.
Signal Line (Orange): A 9-period EMA of the MACD line, acting as a trigger for buy or sell signals.
Histogram (Blue/Purple): Measures the distance between the MACD line and the Signal line, colored blue when positive (above the Signal line) and purple when negative (below the Signal line).