MA Crossover Indicator: Formula, Settings and How to Read It
MA Crossover marks the bars where a fast moving average crosses a slow one, with an arrow under the bar for an upward cross and above it for a downward cross. Senzoukria defaults to a 9 and 21 pair computed as simple averages, with an EMA option.
Senzoukria · Indicators · Updated September 2026
MA Crossover ships with the Senzoukria desktop app, in the Averages & volatility group of the indicator catalogue. It is drawn on the price chart.
What MA Crossover measures
An upward cross is recorded when the fast average was at or below the slow one on the previous bar and is strictly above it on the current bar; a downward cross is the mirror case. That asymmetry, inclusive on the previous bar and strict on the current one, is what stops a run of bars where the two averages are equal from emitting a marker on every bar: averages that touch and then resume on the same side produce nothing, while a touch followed by a genuine crossing produces exactly one marker, on the bar of the crossing. No marker is emitted while either average is still undefined on the current or the previous bar, so the longer of the two periods decides when markers can start. Arrows are anchored to the bar's low for an upward cross and to its high for a downward one, so they point at the bar instead of covering its body.
The formula, as implemented
This is not a description of how the indicator is usually defined elsewhere — it is what the shipped code computes, documented next to the implementation:
MA Crossover — marqueurs de croisement de deux moyennes du close. croisement HAUSSIER en i ⟺ fast[i−1] ≤ slow[i−1] ET fast[i] > slow[i] croisement BAISSIER en i ⟺ fast[i−1] ≥ slow[i−1] ET fast[i] < slow[i] L'ÉGALITÉ appartient au passé (≤ / ≥ sur la barre précédente, strict sur la barre courante) : deux moyennes qui se touchent puis repartent du même côté n'émettent RIEN, et un contact suivi d'une vraie traversée émet UNE fois, à la barre de la traversée. Sans cette dissymétrie, une série de barres à moyennes égales déclencherait un signal par barre. Warm-up : tant que l'une des deux moyennes est indéfinie à i ou i−1, aucun signal (la lente commande — pas de croisement inventé pendant sa graine). Type sma|ema (mêmes conventions que le catalogue : SMA null avant N, EMA graine = SMA des N premiers). Placement : flèche HAUTE au LOW de la barre, flèche BASSE au HIGH — la flèche pointe vers la barre au lieu de se superposer au corps. Défauts 9 / 21 (le couple intraday usuel).
How to read it
- A marker states a relationship between two averages of past closes; the bar it sits on is where that relationship changed, not where a move started.
- Count the markers over a session: a cluster of alternating arrows in a short span indicates the two periods are too close together for the current range.
- Check the distance between the two averages after the cross. A crossing where they separate immediately describes a different market than one where they stay entangled.
- Both averages have to exist before anything is marked, so expect no markers on the first bars of a loaded history, and with the EMA option a history that starts at a different bar changes the seed and can shift the first crossings.
Parameters and defaults
Fast defaults to 9 and slow to 21, both in a 1 to 500 range, and the MA type defaults to SMA with EMA available. Widening the gap between the two periods reduces the number of crossings and delays each one; narrowing it produces frequent crossings that follow price closely. Switching to EMA makes both averages respond sooner to the newest bars, which generally moves a crossing earlier and changes how many occur.
| Parameter | Type | Default | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast period | number | 9 | 1 – 500 |
| Slow period | number | 21 | 1 – 500 |
| MA type | choice | SMA | SMA, EMA |
What it does not show
A crossover is a lagging comparison of two lagging series, so it confirms a change that has already taken place in the closes. In a range it fires repeatedly in both directions with no follow-through, and no setting removes that behaviour, it only changes the frequency. The marker carries no magnitude: a cross by a fraction of a tick looks exactly like a decisive one. It is computed from closes alone, so the aggression behind the move, the bid x ask distribution inside the bars and the depth of book are invisible to it. And nothing here places an order: reacting to these markers automatically would still require the autopilot to be armed explicitly by a human.
Using it in Senzoukria
Add it from the Indicators panel of any footprint chart or candle chart. It runs on futures data from Rithmic or Databento and on crypto pairs from Binance and Bybit, on the same engine — the calculation does not change with the venue, only the data feeding it does. Market data subscriptions are billed by the provider, separately from the app.
Related indicators
- SMA — Averages & volatility
- EMA — Averages & volatility
- WMA — Averages & volatility
- Hull MA — Averages & volatility
- ATR (Wilder) — Averages & volatility
- Bollinger — Averages & volatility
See the full indicator library, or start with the order flow guide if you are new to reading aggression, delta and absorption.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a 9/21 moving average crossover?
- It is the comparison of a 9-period average of the close with a 21-period one, marked on the bar where the faster of the two moves from one side of the slower to the other. It is a common intraday pairing and the default here. The pair is fully configurable, and either period can be set anywhere from 1 to 500.
- Does the signal repeat if the two averages stay equal for several bars?
- No. The test is inclusive on the previous bar and strict on the current one, so equality belongs to the past: a stretch of bars where the averages are equal emits nothing. A marker appears only on the bar where the fast average moves strictly past the slow one, and it appears once.
- Should I use SMA or EMA for crossover signals?
- Both are available and neither is generically better. Simple averages weight every bar of their window equally and cross later; exponential averages weight recent bars more heavily and cross earlier, which means more crossings, including more that reverse. The choice is a trade-off between timing and the number of markers you are willing to look at.