Studies · Momentum
Awesome Oscillator (AO)
awesomeOscillator · Bill Williams' AO — fast minus slow SMA of the median price
Drawn in its own panelReads high, lowGuide lines at 0
Hover the chart to read values · practice data: a seeded random walk with no overnight gaps
What it measures
A 5-bar simple average of each bar’s midpoint (high + low) ÷ 2, minus a 34-bar one. It shows whether short-term momentum is stronger or weaker than longer-term momentum.
How traders use it
- Zero-line crossings as trend signals.
- The "saucer": three bars on the same side of zero that dip and then turn back, read as continuation.
- The "twin peaks": two troughs below zero with the second one higher, read as a bullish reversal (and the mirror for bearish).
Parameters
| Name | Value | Default | Allowed | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fastPeriod | 5 | ≥ 1 usual 2–20 | The short simple average. Williams used 5. | |
| slowPeriod | 34 | any usual 10–60 | The long simple average. Williams used 34. |
Good to know
Usually drawn as a histogram coloured by whether each bar is higher or lower than the last. Here it is drawn as a line.