What it does
Squeeze Momentum, popularized by John Carter's TTM Squeeze, detects volatility compression by checking when Bollinger Bands (20, 2) fit entirely inside Keltner Channels (20, 1.5 ATR); that condition is the squeeze, usually shown as dots on the zero line. A momentum histogram, based on price's displacement from a smoothed midline via linear regression, shows which way pressure is building. The idea is that compression stores energy that releases as a directional move when the bands expand back outside the channels.
How to add it
Click Indicators (ƒx) in the header.
Search “Squeeze Momentum” and click the result.
Hover its legend row and click the gear to open settings.
How traders use it
- Wait for the fire: enter when the squeeze releases (dots flip from squeeze-on to squeeze-off) in the direction of the momentum histogram.
- Use histogram color and slope: rising positive momentum during and after the squeeze favors longs, falling negative momentum favors shorts.
- Count squeeze duration: longer squeezes (several bars of compression) tend to release into bigger moves.
- Check multiple timeframes: a squeeze firing on the daily while the weekly momentum agrees is a higher-conviction setup.
- Exit when the histogram momentum peaks and ticks back toward zero rather than waiting for a full reversal.
Inputs
| Input | Type | Default | Range / Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| BB Length | number | 20 | 2–200 |
| BB MultFactor | number | 2 | 0.1–10 |
| KC Length | number | 20 | 2–200 |
| KC MultFactor | number | 1.5 | 0.1–10 |
| Use TrueRange (KC) | boolean | Off | — |
Plots & styling
| Plot | Style | Default color |
|---|---|---|
| SQZ Mom(20) | histogram | #4caf50 |
| Squeeze | circles | #f44336 |
Every plot's color, line width and visibility can be changed on the Style tab. Precision (default 2 decimals), price-scale labels and status-line values are configurable at the bottom of the Style tab.
Reference levels
| Level | Value |
|---|---|
| Zero | 0 |
Level values, colors and line styles are editable in settings.
Tips
- Hide the study from the legend eye instead of removing it when you only want it out of the way temporarily.
- Merge multiple oscillators into one pane from the legend ⋯ menu to compare them on a shared axis.
- Double-click the plot to open settings directly, skipping the legend hover.
Watch out for
- The squeeze flags that a move is coming, not its direction; releases can head the wrong way or chop before trending.
- Multiple stacked parameters (two channel systems plus momentum smoothing) make it sensitive to settings and prone to curve-fitting.