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Golden Cross

Are recent apple prices above the longer-term average?

Use the same year at the apple stall. This time, compare two averages: the last 50 days and the last 200 days. The shorter record reacts sooner when apple prices change.

The bull and bear compare a thick long-history notebook and a thinner recent-history notebook.

Compare two windows

The 50-day average looks at recent apple prices. The 200-day average looks further back. Both use the same daily prices; neither line is the price of an apple today.

The bear traces where two teaching ribbons cross while the bull watches.

Watch the shorter average catch up

After the low prices in the middle of the year, apples become dearer again. The 50-day average rises sooner. A move from below to above the 200-day average is called a golden cross.

The pair follow two ribbons beyond their crossing, where one remains above the other.

Read the current comparison

At year end, the 50-day average is about $4 and the 200-day average is about $2. The shorter average is above the longer one. The result is Yes, even if the crossing happened earlier.


Example

One year at the apple stall

Follow the gold 50-day average and the blue 200-day average as apple prices fall and recover. Look for the point where the shorter average moves above the longer one.

  • Apple price
  • 50-day SMA
  • 200-day SMA

At year end: 50-day average about $4, 200-day average about $2. The shorter average is above the longer one. A Yes describes that state; it does not date a new crossing.

Prices are whole dollars. Averages, scores and returns are shown as approximate whole numbers; MACD gaps use cents. The lines and rule comparisons use the full calculation. A moving average begins only when enough days are recorded.

What the lines mean

Orange is the apple price. Dotted gold is the 50-day average; dashed blue is the 200-day average. Recent prices affect the shorter average sooner. Follow the two averages to see where they cross.

Bull Run Score

Golden Cross

This site uses the following calculation to check whether this indicator signals a Bitcoin bull run. Each Yes adds one point to the Bull Run Score, out of five.

Yes while the 50-day simple moving average is above the 200-day simple moving average. Equal to or below is No when available. Yes does not mean a new crossing happened today.

SMA50 > SMA200

What this cannot tell you

Both averages follow prices with a delay. Repeated rises and falls can make them cross several times without a lasting trend.

An indicator needs enough recorded observations before it can be evaluated. Missing inputs mean unavailable, not No.

These are independent rules. They can disagree, and a Yes is not a forecast or a recommendation.

Back to the charts

Test Your Knowledge

Question 1 of 3

The 50-day apple-price average is about $4; the 200-day average is about $2. What is the result?