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Chande Momentum

Indicators · Oscillators

Chande Momentum node on the canvas

Chande Momentum Oscillator — bounded ±100 momentum (sum-based, recentered to zero).

The Chande Momentum Oscillator (CMO), from Tushar Chande, is a momentum gauge bounded between −100 and +100 and centred on zero. It's related to RSI but built differently: it measures the net of up-moves versus down-moves over the window directly, without RSI's smoothing, which makes it more responsive and lets it swing to its extremes more readily. The zero centre means you read it like a momentum balance — positive is net buying, negative is net selling.

How it works

Over the Period (default 14) the block sums the up-day changes and the down-day changes of the Source, then computes (up − down) / (up + down) × 100. The result is bounded ±100 and recentred on zero: +100 means every bar in the window rose, −100 means every bar fell, 0 means up and down moves balanced. Overbought (default +50) and Oversold (−50) thresholds with OB/OS signals mark the extremes.

When to use it

Use CMO as a responsive momentum and overbought/oversold oscillator. Because it's unsmoothed it reacts faster than RSI and reaches its extremes more often, which suits shorter-term trading and divergence spotting. The zero-line cross is a momentum-direction signal; pushes beyond ±50 flag stretch. As with any momentum oscillator, an extreme reading in a strong trend is continuation, not reversal — filter the regime before fading.

Example

Chande Momentum on the EURUSD H1 chart

Chande Momentum on EURUSD · H1

A momentum fade: apply Chande Momentum (14) to price, take the OS signal with CMO turning up via a Crosses Above, and route to a Buy Signal gated to a non-trending regime by ADX / DMI. Backtest in the Tester.

Tips & gotchas

  • Faster than RSI — unsmoothed, so more responsive and more extreme-reaching.
  • Zero-centred ±100 — read it as a buying-vs-selling balance.
  • ±50 by convention — tune per asset; trends pin it high.
  • Don't fade a strong trend — extremes there mean strength.

Inputs

Socket Type What to wire in
Source bars / series Price bars or any indicator series

Outputs

Output Type Plots as Description
CMO series Line · sub-pane Chande Momentum value (−100..+100)
OB signal True when CMO is above the overbought threshold
OS signal True when CMO is below the oversold threshold

Parameters

Parameter Type Default What it does
Period number · 2–200 14
Source choice (close, open, high, low, hl2, hlc3, ohlc4) close
Overbought number · 0.0–100.0 50.0
Oversold number · -100.0–0.0 -50.0
Line color colour #ab47bc

Chart guides

This indicator draws reference level(s): overbought, oversold.


Reference auto-generated from the block catalog · category Indicators.