MACD divergence
Price makes a lower low, but MACD makes a higher low. The selling pressure behind the new low is weaker than last time. A turn back up confirms it.
Watch it play out
Replay plays a setup this strategy already finished and stops so you can call it. Live watches for the next one on Bitcoin (BTC-USD, 1-minute candles). Either way a setup is marked only when a candle closes, then it's locked and plays out to its target or its stop. Nothing to trade here.
How the live chart applies the rules
- 1-minute candles. The chart runs every strategy on 1-minute Bitcoin candles from Coinbase, whatever timeframe the strategy page suggests. Times are New York time.
- Closed candles only. Levels, triggers and stops are read when a candle closes. Entry is that candle's close.
- One setup at a time. While a setup is playing out, the same strategy doesn't start another.
- Sensible risk only. A setup counts only if its stop is between a quarter and 6 times the average candle range (ATR 14) from entry (wider for session-range strategies), and its target is at least 0.75R away.
- How a setup ends. At its target or its stop. If one candle touches both, the stop counts. A setup also ends at any exit its page names, and after 120 candles (longer for trend and session strategies) if nothing is hit.
- Replays. A replay plays the latest setup this strategy finished on the live chart's recent history, sped up. It's the same setup the live chart confirmed, with the same entry, stop and result. If the strategy hasn't finished one recently, the replay uses example candles and says so.
- The trading day. A day runs 6:00 PM to 6:00 PM ET, like futures. VWAP restarts at 6:00 PM, and "yesterday" means the last full trading day.
How MACD divergence works
- 1Where's the level?
- The last two confirmed swing lows (swing highs for shorts).
- 2What's the trigger?
- Price's second swing low is lower, MACD at that low is higher, and a candle then closes above the high of the second swing low's candle.
- 3Where is it wrong?
- Just below the second swing low.
- 4Where does it end?
- 2 times the risk.
- Markets
- Futures, Stocks, Forex, Crypto
- Timeframes
- 5m to 4h
- Sessions
- Any
- Also called
- MACD bullish divergence, MACD bearish divergence
What it means
Price makes a lower low, but MACD makes a higher low. The selling pressure behind the new low is weaker than last time. A turn back up confirms it.
How it is confirmed without repainting
A swing low only counts after 3 closed candles on each side of it, so it is never redrawn. MACD values come from closed candles.
When it fails
Strong trends, where divergence can repeat several times before price actually turns.
Education only. Prop Firm Duel does not provide trade signals or financial advice. This page explains how the strategy is commonly defined. Past results never guarantee future results.
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