TTM Trend

Contents

• Format
• TTM Trend Values
• Understanding Operators with TTM Trend
  • = Equals -- The Primary Operator
  • > Greater Than
  • < Less Than
  • cross_above / cross_below
• TOML Examples
  • Only Enter During Uptrend
  • Exit on Downtrend Confirmation
  • RSI Dip Buy with Trend Filter
  • Full Trend-Filtered Strategy (Entry + Exit)
• Tips

Overview

TTM Trend is a simplified trend direction indicator that distills the current market regime into one of three discrete values: bullish, neutral, or bearish. Instead of producing a continuous range of values like RSI or MACD, TTM Trend gives you a clean, unambiguous answer: what direction is the trend?

This makes TTM Trend uniquely suited for use as a trend gate -- a filter that allows or blocks trades based on the current trend direction. Rather than trying to time exact entries with TTM Trend, you use it to ensure that your other signals (RSI dips, MACD crossovers, Bollinger touches) only fire when the broader trend supports the trade.

Format

ttm_trend

TTM Trend has no period parameter. It uses a fixed internal calculation to determine trend direction. The format is always just ttm_trend.

Value range: Discrete integers only -- 1, 0, or -1.

TTM Trend Values

Understanding Operators with TTM Trend

TTM Trend is the primary use case for the = operator. Its discrete values make equality comparisons meaningful and reliable.

= (Equals) -- The Primary Operator

What it does: True on every candle where TTM Trend equals the specified value. This is a state-based operator -- it fires as long as the condition holds.

Bullish gate (= 1):

[[actions.triggers]]
indicator = "ttm_trend"
operator = "="
target = "1"
timeframe = "1h"

This fires on every candle where the hourly trend is bullish. Use it as a filter alongside entry triggers to prevent buying in downtrends or neutral markets.

Bearish gate (= -1):

[[actions.triggers]]
indicator = "ttm_trend"
operator = "="
target = "-1"
timeframe = "1h"

This fires on every candle where the trend is bearish. Use it as an exit condition -- when the trend turns against your position, close it.

Neutral gate (= 0):

[[actions.triggers]]
indicator = "ttm_trend"
operator = "="
target = "0"
timeframe = "1h"

This fires when the market has no clear direction. Useful for avoiding trades during choppy, directionless periods.

> (Greater Than) -- Not Bearish

What it does: True when TTM Trend is greater than the target value. Since TTM Trend only outputs -1, 0, and 1:

• ttm_trend > 0 is true when TTM Trend = 1 (bullish only).
• ttm_trend > -1 is true when TTM Trend = 0 or 1 (not bearish).

[[actions.triggers]]
indicator = "ttm_trend"
operator = ">"
target = "0"
timeframe = "1h"

Typical use: A slightly looser filter than = 1. Allows trades when the trend is bullish. Since there is only one integer above 0 (which is 1), this behaves identically to = 1 in practice.

The more useful form is > -1 (not bearish), which allows trades in both bullish and neutral conditions:

[[actions.triggers]]
indicator = "ttm_trend"
operator = ">"
target = "-1"
timeframe = "1h"

< (Less Than) -- Not Bullish

What it does: True when TTM Trend is less than the target value.

• ttm_trend < 0 is true when TTM Trend = -1 (bearish only).
• ttm_trend < 1 is true when TTM Trend = 0 or -1 (not bullish).

[[actions.triggers]]
indicator = "ttm_trend"
operator = "<"
target = "1"
timeframe = "1h"

Typical use: Exit filter. Close positions when the trend is no longer bullish. Using < 1 catches both the neutral and bearish states -- a more conservative exit than waiting for full bearish confirmation.

cross_above / cross_below -- Trend Transitions

What they do: Fire once at the moment TTM Trend transitions through a value. Because TTM Trend changes in discrete steps (e.g., from 0 to 1), these operators catch the exact candle where the trend regime shifts.

# Trend just turned bullish
[[actions.triggers]]
indicator = "ttm_trend"
operator = "cross_above"
target = "0"
timeframe = "1h"

# Trend just turned bearish
[[actions.triggers]]
indicator = "ttm_trend"
operator = "cross_below"
target = "0"
timeframe = "1h"

Typical use: Catching the moment a trend change occurs. Unlike = which fires on every candle during the trend, cross_above fires once at the transition. This is useful for one-time entries or exits at the trend shift.

TOML Examples

Only Enter During Uptrend

Gate RSI entries so they only fire when the hourly trend is bullish. This prevents buying oversold dips in a downtrend -- a common trap.

[[actions]]
type = "open_long"
amount = "100 USDC"

  [[actions.triggers]]
  indicator = "rsi_14"
  operator = "<"
  target = "30"
  timeframe = "1h"

  [[actions.triggers]]
  indicator = "ttm_trend"
  operator = "="
  target = "1"
  timeframe = "1h"

Exit on Downtrend Confirmation

Sell the entire position when the trend turns bearish. This acts as a trend-based stop-loss.

[[actions]]
type = "sell"
amount = "100%"

  [[actions.triggers]]
  indicator = "ttm_trend"
  operator = "="
  target = "-1"
  timeframe = "1h"

RSI Dip Buy with Trend Filter

A refined dip-buying strategy. The daily TTM Trend confirms the macro direction is bullish, while the hourly RSI catches oversold dips for entry timing. Multi-timeframe confirmation.

[[actions]]
type = "open_long"
amount = "100 USDC"

  [[actions.triggers]]
  indicator = "ttm_trend"
  operator = "="
  target = "1"
  timeframe = "1d"

  [[actions.triggers]]
  indicator = "rsi_14"
  operator = "<"
  target = "35"
  timeframe = "1h"

  [[actions.triggers]]
  indicator = "macd_line"
  operator = ">"
  target = "0"
  timeframe = "1h"

Full Trend-Filtered Strategy (Entry + Exit)

Enter on RSI dips in an uptrend, exit when the trend turns bearish or a profit target is hit.

[meta]
name = "Trend_Filtered_DCA"
description = "Buy RSI dips in uptrend, exit on trend reversal or +4%"

# ENTRY -- only in uptrend
[[actions]]
type = "open_long"
amount = "100 USDC"

  [[actions.triggers]]
  indicator = "ttm_trend"
  operator = "="
  target = "1"
  timeframe = "1h"

  [[actions.triggers]]
  indicator = "rsi_14"
  operator = "<"
  target = "30"
  timeframe = "1h"

# TAKE PROFIT
[[actions]]
type = "sell"
amount = "100%"

  [[actions.triggers]]
  type = "pos_price_change"
  value = "4%"

# TREND EXIT
[[actions]]
type = "sell"
amount = "100%"

  [[actions.triggers]]
  indicator = "ttm_trend"
  operator = "="
  target = "-1"
  timeframe = "1h"

Tips