Price Acceleration Oscillator
Most momentum oscillators plot the first derivative of price: how fast price is currently moving. That is useful, but it turns at the same moment the move itself turns, which is often later than a trader would like. Acceleration - the rate of change of that momentum - turns first, the same reason a car's speedometer can already be falling while the car is still moving forward: the driver lifted off the gas before the car actually slowed to a stop. This indicator smooths price with a moving average first, then takes that smoothed line's second difference (today's change in velocity, compared with yesterday's change in velocity). Smoothing before differencing twice is what makes the result usable - a raw unsmoothed second difference of price is almost entirely noise, since ordinary tick-to-tick price wiggle already dominates the first difference before a second difference is even taken. The histogram is split into two buffers (green for positive acceleration, red for negative) since plain MQL4 indicators have no colour-changing single-line plot type. Notes and limitations - Needs InpSmoothPeriod + 3 bars of history before it plots anything. - Acceleration crossing zero is not the same as momentum crossing zero, and neither is the same as price changing direction - all three can happen at different bars. Treat an acceleration flip as an early warning that the current move may be losing strength, not as a standalone entry or exit signal. - Because it is a second difference of a smoothed line, it lags the smoothing period's own settling time - a freshly changed InpSmoothPeriod needs a few bars before the acceleration reading fully reflects the new smoothing.
Indicator · MT4 · v1.0 · Free
About Price Acceleration Oscillator
Price Acceleration Oscillator is an indicator for MetaTrader 4 based on Moving Average. It can alert you with a pop-up, sound, email or push message. It has 4 settings, such as Smooth period, Smooth method and Applied price. MQL source code included.
Files in the download: PriceAccelerationOscillator.mq4, PriceAccelerationOscillator.txt.
Settings
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Smooth period | 10 | Period of the moving average applied to price before differencing |
| Smooth method | MODE_EMA | Moving average method used to smooth price |
| Applied price | PRICE_CLOSE | Price series the moving average is applied to |
| Alerts | true | Alert once per closed bar when acceleration crosses zero |
How to install
- Download the ZIP from your PolyMaria library and unzip it.
- In MetaTrader 4 open File → Open Data Folder, then go to MQL4 → Indicators.
- Copy the .mq4 file(s) there. Put any .mqh files in MQL4 → Include.
- Open the .mq4 file in MetaEditor and press Compile (F7) if MetaTrader does not show it.
- Drag the indicator from the Navigator onto a chart and adjust the settings.
Tags: Momentum · Oscillator · Alerts · Moving Average · MT4 Indicator · MQL4 Source Code