Is the Keltner channel indicator better than the Bollinger bands indicator?

Upper Bollinger Line is less than Upper Keltner Line while Lower Bollinger Line is greater than the Lower Keltner Line. This acts as a double confirmation of the squeeze and indicates a possible reversal of volatility from low to high in the near future. Keltner Channels use ATR to calculate the upper and lower lines. The general concept is that the farther the closing price is from the average closing price, the more volatile a market is deemed to be, and vice versa. That is what determines the degree of contraction or expansion of a Bollinger Band or a Keltner Channel. There are numerous ways of using these bands to generate trade signals such as Squeeze, Bounce, Walking the Bands, M-Tops and W-Bottoms etc.

The most commonly used settings are 2 x ATR for the upper and lower lines andEMA , which is the middle line. Its not about pleasing others its about verifying your Forex trading results, whether you practice what you preach and if you walk the talk. Yet, when used well, they can be ideal for any day trader who wants to find buying or selling opportunities. As you can see above, the price of the pair was above the upper line of Keltner channel when the price was moving upwards. In this case, when the price moves above the upper line shows significant strength on the upward trend. A break below the lower channel shows that the bears are becoming more successful.

We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in oureditorial policy. The trader can initiate a trade above the close of the initial session burst above at Point A on July 17. Charles is a nationally recognized capital markets specialist and educator with over 30 years of experience developing in-depth training programs for burgeoning financial professionals.

A day trader might instead use the 12 EMA on an hourly timeframe. The strategy works the same, but the settings highlight smaller-term trends. A scalper might further tighten their focus, perhaps with an 8 EMA on a 15-minute timeframe. Each trader needs to find the strategy that works best for them. This strategy is best applied to assets that tend to have sharp trending moves in the morning. If you notice that an asset is fairly sedated and rarely has big moves, then this is not the strategy to use on that asset.

Keltner Channels Provide More Reliable Trading Signals for Long-term Trading in High Volatility Markets

After the initial entry is placed above the close of the session, the trader can capture nearly 300 pips before GBP/JPY retraces and retests support. When price declines to the STARC lower band, it’s a lower-risk buy opportunity and a high-risk sell situation. The Keltner channel uses the average-true range or volatility; breaks above or below the top and bottom barriers signal a continuation.

Price action exhibits different behavior in trending markets and markets that are not. When a market isn’t trending, the Keltner Channels are more prone to be overbought or oversold conditions. A breakout is where we expect price action to continue, and overbought/oversold conditions lead to price reverting, also known as mean reversion.

• This is a scalping strategy suitable for day traders that want to be in-and-out of the market very fast.
• However, as the Bollinger Bands are calculated using standard deviations, the bands do a much better job of filtering out the noise within a range bound market.
• For example, the ability to withstand losses or adhere to a particular trading program in spite of trading losses is material points which can also adversely affect actual trading results.
• The Keltner Channel is a technical indicator that is very similar to Bollinger Bands.Bollinger bands are volatility or trend indicators that are formed by a moving average and standard deviations.

The “Upper Line” is calculated using the EMA +2 x Average True Range of the past 20 periods. The “Lower Line” is calculated using the EMA + 2 x Average True Range of the past 20 periods. A Keltner Channel is calculated by taking a moving average of the high and low prices over a given period, and then adding and subtracting a given number of standard deviations from the moving average.

Ready to trade at

The Keltner Channel is part of volatility-based envelope indicators. However, while both are volatility-based channels, there are some key differences. With Bollinger Bands, the width of the channel is determined by standard deviation, whereas the ATR is the determinant with Keltner Channels.

For this example, I have to go with the Keltner Channel, because I will always go with outside of the bands versus riding the bands in terms of strength of trend. Now as we look over at the Bollinger Band example, the ifc markets review stock was still nicely sitting inside of the bands, albeit riding the bands. It could be that Keltner bands is redundant with regards to my trading since I draw supp/res and have MAs…then BB could be more relevant.

The middle line is an exponential moving average of the price and the upper and lower lines are typically set at two times the average true range. The bands expand and contract as volatility increases and decreases. Trading can take place within the band in a ranging market, or when price moves outside the band it can be taken as an overbought or oversold condition and a possible trend reversal.

Forex Day Trading Challenges & How to Overcome Them

On figure 5, you can see that the GBP/USD price was trading sideways and the Keltner channels acted as support and resistance levels. As the Average Directional Index indicator reading remained below the 25 level, it confirmed that there is no underlying directional movement or trend in the market. When you place the Keltner Channel indicator on a chart, it appears as three lines. When the price breaks out above the top of the upper line, this suggests that an upwards trend is beginning, while conversely, a breakdown below the bottom line indicates that a downwards is starting. Traders use these signals to enter trades based on momentum and directionality, especially when the channel has been flat and almost horizontal for a while. Forex traders are able to take advantage of small price movements through short-term strategies, such as day trading​.

I figured I would just stick to the comparison and leave the number-crunching up to the mathematicians. You should remember to consider these two points when defining your Keltner Channel trading quebex strategy. I have always used BB, but since your post about Keltner Channel I decided to try it out. I think, visually, it is a bit messier on the chart or I am just not used to it.

To use most indicators, it is always important to check out the inputs. When using Keltner Channels, the default setting is usually 20 and a multiplier of 1. Also, you can change the bands style by selecting whether you want the average true range , true range , or the range. A 10-period Commodity Channel Index is shown as the momentum oscillator to identify short-term overbought conditions.

Keltner day trading strategy

Many experienced FX traders prefer to combine multiple uncorrelated technical signals to confirm the trend before placing their live trade orders. When you are trading with a Keltner channel strategy, you should try to apply an additional technical indicator to bolster the strength of the Keltner signal. Unlike the Average True Range used in the Keltner channel, the standard deviation value of the Bollinger Band does not represent an average, and it creates more sharp edges on the chart. Hence, some Forex traders prefer the Keltner channel over the Bollinger Band, as it draws smoother channels that can sometimes offer higher quality signals. Unlike simple moving average , the Exponential Moving Average emphasizes recent price movement.

A subsequent move back below 100 signals a resumption of the downtrend. These failed signals indicated a possible trend change that was subsequently confirmed with a break above the upper channel line. The Bollinger bands are more sensitive to market volatility.If a trader uses the Keltner channel in a high volatility market environment, they might miss out on numerous trading signals.

The chart below shows Keltner Channels , Bollinger Bands , Average True Range , Standard Deviation and Standard Deviation for comparison. Notice how the Keltner Channels are smoother than the Bollinger Bands. Also, notice how the Standard JavaScript Math pow with Examples Deviation covers a larger range than the Average True Range . The upper band and lower band are calculated based on the EMA and the default settings. The upper envelope signals resistance levels and the lower band signals support levels.