Triple exponential average
The percentage rate of change of a triple-smoothed EMA. With that much smoothing baked in, it filters minor noise and highlights the dominant trend momentum.
What the numbers mean
The first number is the period for each of three successive EMA smoothings; TRIX then plots the percentage change of that thrice-smoothed line. The 9-period signal line is an EMA of TRIX itself, used for crossovers.
- 14 or 15 — the period used for each of the three EMA smoothings
- 9 — the signal-line EMA applied to TRIX itself
- 0 — the zero line, where the underlying trend changes sign
- Shorter settings (8 or 9) make it usable intraday, at the cost of more crossings
How it is used
Read like MACD but quieter: crossings of the zero line mark a change in the underlying trend, and crossings of the signal line mark momentum shifts. The triple smoothing is meant to filter cycles shorter than the chosen period out of the picture.
- Crossing above zero → the smoothed trend has turned up
- Crossing above the signal line → a momentum trigger inside that trend
- Divergence against price → unusually readable here, because the line is so clean
How it relates to everything else
TRIX is best understood as a much quieter MACD: both plot a difference against a 9-period signal line, but TRIX smooths three times and reports a rate of change, so it ignores cycles shorter than its period. Where MACD reacts, TRIX filters — and lags accordingly.
- Same signal grammar as MACD (zero line plus signal line), far fewer false crosses
- Slower than TEMA, which is built from similar smoothing but plots price
- Use on daily or weekly charts; on short intraday charts the lag dominates
What to watch for
Three layers of smoothing means real lag — TRIX turns well after price does. Its value is in filtering noise, not in early warning.