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What does Shift do in MT4?

Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2021 3:20 pm
by moey_dw
mrtools wrote: Wed Jul 07, 2021 4:57 am It's a regular moving average and the dotted line or second ma is a shift of that average according to your shift setting. Probably not the best explanation, but the best I can think of now.
mrtoolz can i ask u something.......... what does the "SHIFT" option do in indicators? :think: :think: :think:

Re: What does Shift do in MT4?

Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2021 4:26 pm
by Deez
moey_dw wrote: Wed Jul 07, 2021 3:20 pm mrtoolz can i ask u something.......... what does the "SHIFT" option do in indicators? :think: :think: :think:
Picture a line(ma) on a chart - now imagine you moving(shifting) that line 1(or how ever many bars) forward or back.

Might be wrong Mrtools will know better,

Re: What does Shift do in MT4?

Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2021 4:55 pm
by moey_dw
Deez wrote: Wed Jul 07, 2021 4:26 pm Picture a line(ma) on a chart - now imagine you moving(shifting) that line 1(or how ever many bars) forward or back.

Might be wrong Mrtools will know better,
ohhhhh i think i get it deez so shift will move the line further to the right of the chart??? ➡️➡️➡️

what u guys do that for??

Re: What does Shift do in MT4?

Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2021 5:23 pm
by ionone
moey_dw wrote: Wed Jul 07, 2021 4:55 pm ohhhhh i think i get it deez so shift will move the line further to the right of the chart??? ➡️➡️➡️

what u guys do that for??
to the right or to the left (negative number)
this is to base a strategy on a fixed value rather than the changing actual value

Re: What does Shift do in MT4?

Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2021 8:40 pm
by moey_dw
ionone wrote: Wed Jul 07, 2021 5:23 pm this is to base a strategy on a fixed value rather than the changing actual value
kk.............. that flew right over my head :think: :think: :think:

what does it mean "Base a strategy on a fixed value rather than the changing actual value"

does it mean use shift to ignore price movements?? sorry i am really lost about dis!!!!

Re: What does Shift do in MT4?

Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2021 9:07 pm
by Jimmy
Shift can be used to adjust an indicator forward or back in time to "better" forecast trends or better fit the candlestick movements of a chart. In MT4, you can use indicators that are equipped with a Shift option to adjust them so that the indicator better aligns with the chart's candlestick Highs or Lows etc.

Shift makes an indicator's lag worse, though. A negative Shift can reduce lag, but it's questionable as I've personally noticed it only looks good historically.

Shift basically moves the value of the Moving Average in time.

For example:

  • The current (forming candle) has a SHIFT value of 0.
  • The previous candlestick before that has a SHIFT value of 1.
  • The candlestick formed before that one has a shift value of 2, and so on.

PS: Shift is also called DMA or Displaced Moving Average.

PPS: Below is an example of a 10-period Moving Average with and without Shift applied.

Re: What does Shift do in MT4?

Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2021 9:47 pm
by Skyold
Jimmy wrote: Wed Jul 07, 2021 9:07 pm
Today I also learned something about it. Thanks for the question from moey and thanks for the replies from Deez, Ionone and Jimmy :thumbup:

Re: What does Shift do in MT4?

Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2021 10:17 pm
by ionone
moey_dw wrote: Wed Jul 07, 2021 8:40 pm kk.............. that flew right over my head :think: :think: :think:

what does it mean "Base a strategy on a fixed value rather than the changing actual value"

does it mean use shift to ignore price movements?? sorry i am really lost about dis!!!!
it's when you want to open an order for example when the price is far from the line of an indicator.
if you use the actual value of the bar [0], it is constantly changing, so you can use the shifted value (for example [1]) instead as the previous shifted value is fixed and won't change anymore.

Re: What does Shift do in MT4?

Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2021 11:11 pm
by moey_dw
ionone wrote: Wed Jul 07, 2021 10:17 pm it's when you want to open an order for example when the price is far from the line of an indicator.
if you use the actual value of the bar [0], it is constantly changing, so you can use the shifted value (for example [1]) instead as the previous shifted value is fixed and won't change anymore.
man.......... thanks alot jeff deez & jimmyboy i am now a shift educated trader & learning new things today

U guys rock 🤗🤗🤗