What Is MACD? How to Read the MACD Indicator (Crossovers, Histogram)

Updated: 2026-10-26 · Türkçe

MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence) shows trend direction and momentum from the gap between two exponential moving averages. Gerald Appel developed it in the 1970s. Below is today's daily MACD picture for major instruments, followed by MACD's three parts and how to read them.

Today's daily MACD (12, 26, 9)

MACD line, signal line and histogram on the latest daily close. "Crossover" means the histogram changed sign on the last candle.

Instrument	MACD	Signal	Histogram	State
Bitcoin (BTC)	-413.342	-186.119	-227.223	▼ Below signal, below zero
Ethereum (ETH)	-56.3129	-50.2433	-6.06963	▼ Below signal, below zero
Solana (SOL)	-2.53061	-2.1873	-0.343306	▼ Below signal, below zero
XRP (Ripple)	-0.0276124	-0.0300368	0.00242448	▲ Above signal, below zero
Gold (GOLD)	-50.1034	-48.2381	-1.86528	▼ Below signal, below zero
Nvidia Stock (NVDA)	-3.1996	-3.03428	-0.165318	▼ Below signal, below zero
Tesla Stock (TSLA)	6.52671	2.79248	3.73423	▲ Above signal, above zero

Source: Binance + OKX + Bybit perpetual median (else Hyperliquid), closed daily candles; refreshed every 30 minutes. Shows where the indicator stands now — not a forecast or investment advice.

MACD's three parts (12, 26, 9)

MACD line = 12-period EMA − 26-period EMA. Signal line = 9-period EMA of the MACD line. Histogram = MACD line − signal line. 12-26-9 is the default and can be changed on ByStock.

MACD above zero: the short average is above the long one (bullish side).
MACD above the signal line: momentum is turning up.
A growing histogram means the lines are spreading; a shrinking one means they're converging.

Reading crossovers

MACD crossing above the signal line (histogram turns positive) is commonly called a bullish crossover; crossing below is a bearish one. A bullish crossover below zero differs from one above zero: the first may just be a bounce in a downtrend.

State	Common reading
MACD > signal, both above zero	Uptrend and momentum aligned
MACD > signal, below zero	Recovery within a downtrend
MACD < signal, above zero	Pause within an uptrend
MACD < signal, both below zero	Downtrend and momentum aligned

MACD divergence

A higher high in price with a lower high in MACD means the rise is losing strength; the reverse applies at lows. As with RSI divergence, timing is uncertain.

Limits of MACD

Because it's built from moving averages, MACD lags: crossovers usually arrive after part of the move, and sideways markets produce many false crossovers. It isn't a trading system on its own. This page is educational, not investment advice.

Free tools

Add MACD on the chart →What is RSI? →Moving averages explained →Bitcoin outlook →

Frequently asked questions

When does MACD give a buy signal?

The common definition is the MACD line crossing above the signal line (histogram turning positive). MACD lags and gives many false crossovers in sideways markets, so it isn't a buy signal on its own.

Why are MACD settings 12, 26, 9?

They're the values Gerald Appel used and remain the most common default. Shorter settings react faster but are noisier.

What's the difference between MACD and RSI?

RSI is a bounded 0–100 momentum gauge that flags overbought/oversold. MACD is unbounded and shows trend direction and momentum shifts from the gap between two averages. They're often used together.