How to judge when the HMA moving average is flat for 5 consecutive days in an upward trend?

A flat Hull Moving Average over 5 days in an uptrend may signal a temporary pause, suggesting consolidation rather than reversal, especially if broader trends and volume remain bullish.

Jun 25, 2025 at 12:29 pm

Understanding the HMA Moving Average

The Hull Moving Average (HMA) is a popular technical indicator used in cryptocurrency trading to identify trend direction and potential reversals. Unlike traditional moving averages, such as the Simple Moving Average (SMA) or Exponential Moving Average (EMA), the HMA reduces lag by applying weighted calculations across multiple periods. This makes it more responsive to price changes while maintaining smoothness in its line.

In the context of identifying when the HMA is flat for 5 consecutive days, it's essential to understand how the HMA behaves during different market conditions. A flat HMA suggests that there is no significant directional movement in the asset’s price over that period, which could indicate consolidation or a pause in an ongoing trend.

Important: The HMA can be calculated using the formula:
HMA = WMA(2*WMA(n/2) - WMA(n)), sqrt(n)), where WMA refers to Weighted Moving Average and n is the number of periods.

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Identifying a Flat HMA Over 5 Days

To determine if the HMA has been flat for five consecutive days, you need to compare the current value of the HMA with its previous values. A flat HMA means that the difference between today’s HMA and yesterday’s HMA is minimal or zero. Here are the steps:

• • Calculate the daily HMA value on a daily chart over at least the last 5 days.
  • Compare each day’s HMA value with the prior day’s value.
  • Check if the absolute difference between these values remains below a certain threshold — this threshold depends on your tolerance for noise and volatility.
  • If the HMA shows little to no change over 5 consecutive days, mark it as flat.

Important: Traders often use a small percentage (e.g., 0.1% or less) as a threshold to determine whether the HMA is effectively flat.

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Confirming the Upward Trend Context

Before concluding that a flat HMA within an upward trend indicates a meaningful pattern, it's crucial to confirm the broader trend direction. In an uptrend, prices generally move higher with each swing. To verify the trend:

• • Use higher timeframes like weekly charts to assess long-term direction.
  • Check if the price remains above key moving averages like the 50-day or 200-day SMA.
  • Look for consistent higher highs and higher lows in price action.
  • Ensure that volume supports the upward movement, especially after pullbacks.

Important: A flat HMA during an uptrend may suggest a temporary pause rather than a reversal, especially if other indicators remain bullish.

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Using Charting Tools to Visualize the Pattern

Most modern charting platforms, such as TradingView, Binance, or MetaTrader, allow users to add custom indicators like the HMA. Here’s how to visualize the HMA flattening:

• • Add the HMA indicator to your chart with a period of 20 or 50, depending on your strategy.
  • Zoom into the daily timeframe to observe the HMA’s behavior over the past five days.
  • Use horizontal lines or annotations to mark days where the HMA appears visually flat.
  • Overlay volume and price data to see if the flat HMA coincides with low volatility or indecision.

Important: Some platforms offer alerts based on HMA crossovers or slope changes, which can help automate monitoring for flat periods.

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Backtesting the Flat HMA Signal

Once you’ve identified historical instances where the HMA was flat for five days in an uptrend, backtesting can help assess the reliability of this signal. Here’s how to proceed:

• • Select a cryptocurrency pair like BTC/USDT or ETH/USDT and gather historical data for at least one year.
  • Mark all instances where the HMA remained flat for five consecutive days during an uptrend.
  • Analyze what happened after those flat periods — did the price continue rising, consolidate, or reverse?
  • Measure average returns, drawdowns, and win rates associated with entering or exiting trades around these patterns.

Important: Backtesting should include both bull and bear market phases to ensure robustness of the signal across cycles.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does a flat HMA typically indicate in crypto markets?

A flat HMA usually signals a lack of momentum or a consolidation phase. In an uptrend, it might represent a temporary pause before the trend resumes, but traders should watch for signs of reversal.

Q: Can I use HMA flattening as a standalone trading signal?

While useful, the HMA should not be used alone. Combining it with volume analysis, support/resistance levels, and other indicators like RSI or MACD improves accuracy.

Q: Is the HMA more effective on certain timeframes?

The HMA works well on daily and 4-hour charts for trend identification. Shorter timeframes like 15-minute or 1-hour may produce too much noise, reducing its effectiveness.

Q: How do I adjust the HMA settings for different cryptocurrencies?

Adjust the HMA period based on the asset’s volatility. For highly volatile altcoins, shorter periods (e.g., 10–20) may be better, while major coins like Bitcoin can handle longer periods (e.g., 50).