Composite Indicator (Donchian + OBV)

16 hours ago

Composite Indicator (Donchian + OBV)

The Composite Indicator (Donchian + OBV) is a powerful tool designed to evaluate the strength of market breakouts and momentum trends, offering traders a comprehensive perspective on price action. This indicator combines the Donchian Channel with On-Balance Volume (OBV) to create a dynamic and easy-to-interpret metric scaled between -1 and 1.

Key Features

• Breakout Strength Analysis:
  - The indicator assesses the strength of price breakouts relative to the upper and lower bounds of the Donchian Channel.
  - Positive values close to 1 indicate a strong bullish breakout.
  - Negative values close to -1 indicate a strong bearish breakout.
  
  
• Momentum Detection with OBV:
  - On-Balance Volume (OBV) tracks the cumulative buying and selling volume to gauge market momentum.
  - The smoothed OBV trend ensures the momentum component aligns with price action, reducing noise.
  
  
• Integrated Composite Value:
  - Combines breakout strength and OBV momentum into a single metric for enhanced clarity.
  - The final composite value highlights whether the market is bullish, bearish, or neutral.
  
  
• Divergence Detection:
  - Spot bullish divergences when the indicator rises while price falls, suggesting a potential upward reversal.
  - Identify bearish divergences when the indicator falls while price rises, hinting at a potential downward reversal.
  

How It Works

• Donchian Channel Analysis:
  - Calculates the highest high and lowest low over a user-defined period to establish the upper and lower channels.
  - Breakouts beyond these channels contribute to the breakout strength component.
  
  
• OBV Momentum:
  - Measures cumulative volume trends to validate price movements.
  - Momentum is derived from the rate of change in smoothed OBV values.
  
  
• Composite Calculation:
  - Combines breakout strength and OBV momentum, normalized and scaled to -1 to 1 for clarity.
  

How to Use

• Bullish Breakout:
  - When the indicator value approaches 1, it signals a strong upward breakout supported by positive OBV momentum.
  - Example Action: Consider a Buy if price breaks the upper Donchian Channel with increasing OBV.
  
  
• Bearish Breakout:
  - When the indicator value approaches -1, it indicates a strong downward breakout supported by negative OBV momentum.
  - Example Action: Consider a Sell if price breaks the lower Donchian Channel with decreasing OBV.
  
  
• Neutral Market:
  - When the value is near 0, the market is likely balanced with no significant breakout or momentum detected.
  
  
• Divergence Opportunities:
  - Bullish Divergence: Price makes lower lows, but the indicator trends upward → Potential upward reversal.
  - Bearish Divergence: Price makes higher highs, but the indicator trends downward → Potential downward reversal.
  

Customization Options

• Donchian Channel Length: Adjust the period for the upper and lower bounds.
  
• OBV Smoothing Length: Modify the smoothing period for OBV to fine-tune momentum detection.
  
• Scaling Adjustments: The composite value is automatically normalized for consistency across timeframes.
  

Ideal Use Cases

• Breakout Trading: Identify and confirm strong breakouts in volatile markets.
  
• Momentum Confirmation: Validate price movements with volume-based momentum.
  
• Reversal Detection: Leverage divergences to spot potential market reversals.
  

Example Applications

• Strong Bullish Signal:
  - Price breaks the upper channel, and OBV shows increasing volume → Composite value near 1.
  - Action: Enter a Buy position and set a Stop Loss below the upper channel.
  
  
• Strong Bearish Signal:
  - Price breaks the lower channel, and OBV shows decreasing volume → Composite value near -1.
  - Action: Enter a Sell position and set a Stop Loss above the lower channel.
  
  
• Neutral Market:
  - Composite value near 0 suggests indecision or consolidation. Wait for a breakout.
  

Limitations

• Best used alongside additional tools like RSI or MACD for filtering noise and improving decision-making.
  
• Requires careful parameter tuning based on the asset and timeframe.
  

Final Thoughts
The Composite Indicator (Donchian + OBV) offers traders a versatile tool to navigate complex markets. By blending breakout analysis with volume-based momentum, this indicator provides an actionable edge for identifying high-probability opportunities and potential reversals.

1 hour ago

Release Notes

Key Features:
- Combines Donchian Channel and OBV Momentum: Merges two popular indicators to deliver a comprehensive view of market dynamics.
- Adjustable Signal Sensitivity: Fine-tune signal strength with the "Signal Adjustment Factor" for various trading styles.
- Visual Guidance: Horizontal lines (Upper Bound, Zero Line, Lower Bound) make signal interpretation intuitive.
- Multi-Dimensional Signal: Incorporates price breakout strength and volume momentum in one plot.
- Divergence Detection: Highlights discrepancies between price action and OBV momentum, helping traders anticipate potential reversals.

How It Works:
1. The Donchian Channel calculates the highest high and lowest low over a user-defined length, highlighting breakout levels.
2. The OBV Momentum uses smoothed OBV changes to identify the directional strength of volume.
3. Both components are combined and scaled into a single composite value between -1 and 1.
4. The Signal Adjustment Factor multiplies the composite value to adjust sensitivity, helping traders align the indicator with their strategies.
5. Divergence Detection:
- A bullish divergence occurs when the price makes lower lows, but the composite value forms higher lows, indicating weakening bearish momentum.
- A bearish divergence occurs when the price makes higher highs, but the composite value forms lower highs, suggesting weakening bullish momentum.

Advantages:
- Provides a holistic view by integrating price action and volume momentum.
- Detects divergence between price and volume to anticipate potential reversals.
- Highly customizable to suit various market conditions and trading preferences.
- Scaled signal simplifies interpretation, reducing noise in volatile markets.
- Suitable for both breakout and trend-following strategies.

Suggested Parameter Settings:
- Donchian Channel Length: 20 (default) – Ideal for identifying medium-term breakouts. Adjust to higher values for longer trends.
- OBV Smoothing Length: 14 (default) – Balances responsiveness and noise reduction. Experiment with shorter lengths for more reactive signals.
- Signal Adjustment Factor: 100 (default) – Use higher values for stronger signals in low-volatility environments.

Example Use Cases:
- Breakout Confirmation: Use the composite value crossing above 0 to confirm bullish breakouts or below 0 for bearish breakouts.
- Trend Reversal Detection: Look for the signal crossing the Zero Line in the opposite direction of the prevailing trend.
- Volume-Based Filter: Combine with moving averages or RSI to validate trades by considering volume momentum.
- Divergence Identification: Monitor for bullish or bearish divergences between price and the composite signal to anticipate potential reversals.

Final Thoughts:
The Composite Indicator (Donchian + OBV) offers a robust approach to trading by combining price and volume analysis. Its flexibility, divergence detection, and intuitive visual design make it a valuable tool for traders of all experience levels. Pair it with additional indicators and backtest thoroughly to enhance your trading strategy.