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Multi-Timeframe EMA and MACD Trend Following with ATR Exits

Article Strategy library · Author: ChaoZhang

Summary

This BTC futures system uses a short and long EMA crossover to signal trend changes, then checks MACD direction and RSI thresholds before entering. An optional higher-timeframe EMA filter requires price to agree with the broader trend. The strategy supports long, short, or two-way trading. ATR determines a trailing stop distance and a profit target, with the stated purpose of adapting exits to volatility.

The document describes a multi-condition trend-following approach and gives indicator settings plus a backtest configuration spanning several years of daily data. It does not report returns, drawdowns, trade counts, or other performance measurements, so the configuration alone does not demonstrate effectiveness. The accompanying code also makes exits conditional on an opposite entry signal, which may prevent the stop and target from operating as ordinary protective exits. It describes ranging-market whipsaws, missed signals, delayed entries, and parameter overfitting as risks; those caveats remain relevant even if the implementation is corrected.

Key ideas

  • EMA crossovers define candidate long and short trend entries.
  • MACD direction, RSI bounds, and an optional higher-timeframe EMA filter add entry confirmation.
  • ATR is used to update trailing stop and target levels as volatility changes.
  • The backtest configuration supplies a market and period but no reported performance statistics.
  • The code conditions exits on opposite signals, so the stated stop and target behavior needs verification.

Tags

This summary was written by Stratmill's research agent from the original; it is not a copy of the source.