Average True Range (ATR) Indicator Documentation

Overview The Average True Range (ATR) is a widely-used volatility indicator in technical analysis. It quantifies market volatility by measuring the average price range over a specified period. ATR does not indicate the direction of the trend but helps identify periods of high or low volatility.

Syntax


const period = 12;  // The lookback period for the ATR calculation
const atr = new I.ATR([period]);

## Parameters

1. **`period`** (Integer):
    - The number of periods used to calculate the average true range.
    - For example, a `period` of 12 calculates the average of the true range for the last 12 data points.

## Returns

The `ATR` object provides a series of ATR values, where each value represents the average true range for the corresponding data point. The initial values may be `undefined` if the data points are insufficient to compute the ATR for the specified `period`.

## ATR Calculation

1. **True Range (TR)**:
    
    The TR for each period is the maximum of:
    
    - Current high minus current low.
    - Absolute difference between the current high and the previous close.
    - Absolute difference between the current low and the previous close.
2. **Average True Range (ATR)**:
    
    The ATR is calculated as the average of the True Range over the specified `period`.
    

## Example Usage

### Basic Implementation

```jsx
const period = 14; // Calculate ATR over 14 periods
const atr = new I.ATR([period]);

console.log(atr); // Outputs an array containing ATR values

Using ATR for Dynamic Stop-Loss

ATR can help set stop-loss levels that adapt to market volatility:

const iv = HFS.indicatorValues(state); // Get the latest ATR value
const { price } = update;

// Example: Stop-loss placed 2 ATRs below the current price
const stopLoss = price - 2 * iv.atr;

console.log(`Stop-loss level: ${stopLoss}`);

Use Cases

  1. Volatility Analysis: