Studies · Volume
Force Index
forceIndex · Elder's force index — price change times volume, EMA-smoothed
Drawn in its own panelReads close, volumeGuide lines at 0
Hover the chart to read values · practice data: a seeded random walk with no overnight gaps
What it measures
The bar’s price change times its volume, smoothed with an EMA. It combines direction, size of move and volume into one number.
How traders use it
- Elder's use: with a short (2-bar) setting, buy dips below zero in an uptrend and sell spikes above zero in a downtrend.
- With the longer 13-bar setting, zero-line crossings track the trend.
- Divergence between price and the 13-bar Force Index warns of a turn.
Parameters
| Name | Value | Default | Allowed | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| period | 13 | ≥ 1 usual 1–40 | EMA length. 13 for trend, 2 for short-term timing; 1 gives the raw unsmoothed force. |