Linear regression slope
The steepness of the regression line at each point, shown as a single value — a rising slope means an accelerating uptrend, a falling one an accelerating downtrend.
What the numbers mean
The lookback is the window each slope is calculated over. The plotted value is the steepness of that fitted line — positive when the fit rises, negative when it falls, near zero when price is going sideways.
- 20 — typical window for the fit
- Positive — the fitted line rises; negative — it falls; zero — sideways
- Measured in price units per bar, so it is not comparable between securities without normalising
How it is used
Read as a trend-strength meter that keeps its sign: rising positive values mean an uptrend is accelerating, falling positive values mean it is still up but losing steam. Zero crossings mark the change of direction.
- Rising positive values → an uptrend accelerating
- Falling positive values → still an uptrend, but decelerating
- Zero crossings → the fitted direction changing sign
How it relates to everything else
Slope is to a regression line what the histogram is to MACD: it reports the rate of change rather than the level, so it flags deceleration before the line itself turns. Traders read it alongside ADX, which measures strength without keeping the sign.
- Slope + ADX → direction with sign, plus strength without it
- Decelerating slope while price makes new highs → a divergence in trend terms
- Normalise by price before comparing slopes across different securities
What to watch for
The scale is in price units per bar, so it is not comparable between securities or timeframes without normalising — a slope of 0.5 means something very different on a $12 stock and a $1,200 one.