TRIX

Syntax

TRIX[N](price)

Parameters

Formula

EMA1 = ExponentialAverage[N](price)
EMA2 = ExponentialAverage[N](EMA1)
EMA3 = ExponentialAverage[N](EMA2)

TRIX = 100 * (EMA3 - EMA3[1]) / EMA3[1]

An exponential moving average is applied three times in sequence, then the indicator outputs the percentage change of the final series from one bar to the next.

How it works

The triple smoothing is the point of the design. A single EMA still carries a lot of bar-to-bar noise; smoothing it twice more removes cycles shorter than the chosen period almost entirely. What survives is the slow, underlying drift of price. Taking the one-bar rate of change of that heavily filtered series turns it into a momentum oscillator: the value is positive while the smoothed trend rises and negative while it falls.

Because the output is a percentage change rather than a price level, TRIX readings are comparable across instruments and timeframes, unlike raw moving average distances. Values cluster near zero, typically within fractions of a percent on daily data.

A signal line, a moving average of the TRIX itself over roughly 9 bars, is often added. Crossings of TRIX and its signal line give earlier signals than zero-line crossings, at the cost of more false positives. The triple smoothing introduces meaningful lag, so TRIX is a trend confirmation tool rather than a top and bottom picker.

Examples

Example 1, TRIX with a signal line (Indicator)

// 14-period TRIX of the close
myTRIX = TRIX[14](close)
// 9-period signal line smooths the oscillator
signal = Average[9](myTRIX)
RETURN myTRIX AS "TRIX", signal AS "Signal"

Plots the oscillator and its signal line in the same panel. Crossings between the two lines are the classic entry signal, filtered less strictly than the zero-line cross.

Example 2, Zero-line trend following (ProOrder)

// Long above the zero line, flat below it
myTrix = TRIX[15](close)

IF myTrix CROSSES OVER 0 THEN
  BUY 1 CONTRACT AT MARKET
ELSIF myTrix CROSSES UNDER 0 THEN
  SELL AT MARKET
ENDIF

The strategy is long whenever the triple smoothed trend is rising and exits when it turns down. Signals are infrequent and lag turning points, which suits slower trend strategies.

Example 3, Momentum turn scan (ProScreener)

myTrix = TRIX[14](close)
SCREENER[myTrix CROSSES OVER 0] (myTrix AS "TRIX")

Returns instruments whose TRIX has just crossed above zero on the current bar, flagging fresh upward momentum after the smoothing filter clears.

Interpretation

Divergences carry the same meaning as with other oscillators: price making a new high while TRIX prints a lower high suggests the advance is losing force, and the mirror case applies at lows. Because the series is so heavily smoothed, divergences on TRIX tend to be slower to form but less frequent than on faster oscillators such as RSI.

Common errors and gotchas

• Wrong bracket type. The period uses square brackets, the price uses parentheses: TRIX[14](close). Forms like TRIX(14) do not compile.
• Expecting early reversals. Three smoothing passes mean substantial lag. By the time TRIX crosses zero, a large part of the move may already be done. It confirms trends, it does not anticipate them.
• Whipsaw around zero in ranges. In sideways markets the oscillator hovers near zero and produces alternating crosses. A signal line, a minimum-magnitude filter, or a separate trend condition reduces the churn.
• Scale expectations. TRIX values are small percentages, often between -1 and 1 on daily charts. Fixed thresholds copied from other oscillators, such as 30 and 70, are meaningless here.

Related instructions

• ExponentialAverage, the smoothing building block applied three times.
• TEMA, triple exponential moving average plotted as a price line.
• DEMA, double exponential moving average.
• ROC, plain percentage rate of change without smoothing.
• MACD, momentum oscillator built from two EMAs.
• Momentum, raw price difference over N bars.
• RSI, bounded momentum oscillator with fixed thresholds.
• DPO, detrended price oscillator, another cycle isolation tool.