What it does
The Chaikin Oscillator measures momentum of the Accumulation/Distribution line by subtracting its 10-period EMA from its 3-period EMA. The A/D line itself accumulates volume weighted by where each close sits within the bar's range, so the oscillator shows whether money flow is accelerating into or out of the instrument. It swings around a zero line with no fixed bounds.
How to add it
Click Indicators (ƒx) in the header.
Search “Chaikin Oscillator” and click the result.
Hover its legend row and click the gear to open settings.
How traders use it
- Trade zero-line crosses: crossing above zero signals accelerating accumulation (bullish), below zero accelerating distribution (bearish).
- Trade divergences: price setting a lower low while the oscillator sets a higher low is a buy warning, and the mirror applies at tops.
- Use it to confirm breakouts: a price breakout with the oscillator rising through zero has volume-flow support.
- Treat it as a confirmation layer over trend tools rather than a standalone signal generator.
Inputs
| Input | Type | Default | Range / Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Length | number | 3 | 1–100 |
| Slow Length | number | 10 | 1–200 |
Plots & styling
| Plot | Style | Default color |
|---|---|---|
| Chaikin Oscillator | line | #EC407A |
Every plot's color, line width and visibility can be changed on the Style tab. Precision, price-scale labels and status-line values are configurable at the bottom of the Style tab.
Reference levels
| Level | Value |
|---|---|
| Level | 0 |
Level values, colors and line styles are editable in settings.
Tips
- Double-click the plot to open settings directly, skipping the legend hover.
- The pane keeps its height in saved layouts, so size it once and it survives reloads.
- Resize the pane by dragging its divider; collapse it from the legend row when you need the space back.
Watch out for
- It is a derivative of a derivative (EMA difference of a cumulative line), so it is noisy and prone to false zero-line crosses in ranges.
- The close-location volume logic ignores gaps, inheriting the A/D line's blind spot.