Bolton-Tremblay IndexThe Bolton-Tremblay Index (BOLTR) is a dynamic cumulative advance-decline indicator which incorporates the count of unchanged issues as a fundamental element. This index serves as a valuable tool for identifying shifts in market trends and gauging the overall strength or weakness of the market. To enhance its effectiveness and reveal underlying trends, BOLTR has been refined through a Heiken-Ashi transformation, resulting in a smoother and more insightful representation.
Calculation and Methodology:
r = (adv - dec) / unch
var float bt = na
bt := r > 0 ? nz(bt ) + math.sqrt(math.abs(r)) : nz(bt ) - math.sqrt(math.abs(r))
The BOLTR index is derived from a calculation involving three essential components: advancing issues (ADV), declining issues (DEC), and securities with unchanged closing prices (UNC). By formulating the ratio (ADV - DEC) / UNC, BOLTR captures the relationship between market movements and unchanged securities. This ratio then dictates whether the BOLTR index increases or decreases in the following period. If the ratio is positive, the index advances, and if negative, it retreats. This iterative process yields a cumulative index that reflects the evolving dynamics of market trends.
Heiken-Ashi Transformation:
The addition of a Heiken-Ashi transformation imparts a smoothing effect to the BOLTR index, revealing the underlying trend with greater clarity. This transformation diminishes noise and fluctuations, making it easier to identify meaningful shifts in market sentiment and overall market health.
Utility and Use Cases:
-The Bolton-Tremblay Index offers a range of applications that contribute to informed decision-making-
1. Trend Analysis: BOLTR provides insights into the changing trends of the market, helping traders and investors identify potential shifts in market sentiment.
2. Market Strength Assessment: By considering advancing, declining, and unchanged issues, BOLTR offers a comprehensive assessment of market strength and potential weaknesses.
3. Divergences: Traders can use BOLTR to detect divergences between price movements and the cumulative advance-decline dynamics, potentially signaling shifts in market direction.
The Bolton-Tremblay Index offers a versatile toolset for interpreting market trends, evaluating market health, and making better informed trading decisions.
See Also:
- Other Market Breadth Indicators-
Advdecl
ADD for SPX intraday (NYSE Adv-Decl) -Tom1traderThis is the NYSE Advancers - decliners which the SPX pretty much follows. You can chart it like any index (ADD -NYSE $ADV MINUS $DECL) but I find it more useful in a separate panel with colors for direction.
The level gives an idea of days move (example: plus or minus 500 is not much movement through the session) but I follow the direction as when more stocks advance (green) or decline (red) the index tends to track it pretty closely.
On SPX, SPY and correlateds - very useful for intra-day trading (Scalping or 0DTE option trades) but not for higher time frames at all. If you chart the ADD in a chart and compare 5 minute to daily you will see what I mean.
I left it at 5 minutes timeframe which displays well on any intraday chart. You can change it by changing the "5" in the security function on line 13 to what you want ("1" 1 minute, "15" 15 minutes) or change it to timeframe.period (no quotes) so that it will follow the timeframe of the current chart. I like 5 min as it displays better on higher timeframes i.e. 15 min. or hour.
A simple moving average with a length of 10 is added to help gauge momemtum.
Hope this helps with trading or scripting ideas, questions or feed back welcome. Keep Smiling.
