RSI – Relative Strength Index Forex Indicator
Posted in Forex on 02/09/2010 10:50 am by Prema LagaThe RSI indicator is a broadly used forex indicator in the forex trading business. It is an acronym for the words Relative Strength Index. The RSI is a type of oscillator indicator which generally means it is a Technical Analysis indicator that moves on top of or beneath a center line.
It has two bands on either side that indicates overbought in addition to oversold situation, much like the Bollinger Bands forex indicator.
An exception to an oscillating forex indicator would be the MACD which does not make use of the low along with high bands. As far as banded oscillators are concerned, the RSI is the probably the most broadly used version in technical analysis.
Simply put, the RSI is a technical indicator that measures momentum of a particular instrument as well as pointing out extreme overbought in addition to oversold situation. Momentum is determined via a comparison between the size of its losses as well as the size of its recent gains.
The end result is a line that moves between values of zero along with a hundred. Bands are placed at the values 70 plus 30. Once the RSI line reaches 70, it is a sign that the market is overbought. Oversold market situation happen when the line touches 30 instead.
The line in the center has a value of 50. There are quite a few different ways that traders use the RSI in their trading strategy. The easiest use is of course, identifying overbought in addition to oversold conditions.
Usually, when the RSI indicator hits either the 70 or 30 lines, traders get ready for a potential market reversal. The second way trader use RSI is known as RSI divergence. In RSI divergence, the probability of a reversal taking place is likely if the trend of the line in addition to market price are opposite.
The RSI can also me employed as a cross over system. However, it must be noted that signals in the cross over technique are not the most dependable. The technique involved is easy. Buy if the RSI crosses over 50. In reverse, if the RSI dips below the 50 line, enter a short trade. In choppy market circumstances the RSI cross is hugely unreliable plus can inflict critical losses on your account.
Should you require a thorough guide on RSI and a wide array of popular Forex indicators can be found on the authors forex trading website.