The Triangular Simple Moving Average (TriS-MA) is almost identical to the Triangular Weighted Moving Average but is very different in how it is calculated. Instead of weighting the data points directly it is a double smoothed simple moving average (a moving average of a moving average). Because most of the weight ends up being placed on the data in the middle of a series the weighting looks like a triangle, hence the name. Below you can see how the weighting is applied to a 50 period TriS-MA, EMA and SMA:
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How To Calculate a Triangular Simple Moving Average
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TriS-MA = SUM(MA1,L) / L
Where:
MA1 = SUM(CLOSE,L) / L
L = ceiling((n+1) / 2)
n = Number of Periods
Here is an example of a 3 period Triangular Weighted Moving Average:
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Triangular Simple Moving Average Excel File
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An Excel Spreadsheet containing a Triangular Weighted Moving Average is available for FREE download. It contains the ‘basic’ version you can see above and a ‘fancy’ one that will automatically adjust to the length you specify. Find it at the following link near the bottom of the page under Downloads – Technical Indicators: Triangular Weighted Moving Average (TriW-MA). Please let us know if you find it useful.
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Triangular Moving Average and a Simple Moving Average
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Test Results
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We tested several different types of Moving Averages including the TriS-MA through 300 years of data across 16 global markets to reveal which is the best and if any of them are worth using in your trading – see the results.
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