A moving average is a technical analysis indicator that helps smooth out price action by filtering out the "noise" from random price fluctuations.
| MOVING AVERAGES | Most chart patterns show a lot of variation in price movement. This can make it difficult for traders to get an idea of a security's overall trend. One simple method traders use to combat this is to apply moving averages. A moving average is the average price of a security over a set amount of time. By plotting a security's average price, the price movement is smoothed out. Once the day-to-day fluctuations are removed, traders are better able to identify the true trend and increase the probability that it will work in their favor. The three most common types of moving averages are simple, linear and exponential. | | | | | CONNECT WITH INVESTOPEDIA | | | | | |