Do indicators work in day trading?

Are you a day trader using trading indicators? Then what works best for you, an RSI or a MACD? Which indicator can you rely on the best? When it comes to indicators, day traders use a variety of them depending on how, when and where they want to use them.

A lot of traders use Bollinger Bands while others rely on a combination of two or three for maximum results. Whatever you decide to use, you need to remember that markets are not static. As they change, you should also adapt and change your approach.

Backtest your trading strategies on various instruments, timeframes, and market conditions to find what works best for you.

Whether you seek consistency or high returns, it’s crucial to understand each indicator’s strengths and limitations while refining your approach. Successful traders don’t just use the best tools—they use the right ones wisely.

Many traders rely on indicators and ignore fundamentals, believing indicators help them decide what and when to buy or sell.

To use indicators effectively, understand their parameters, as they help identify better entry and exit points. No matter how well you use them, you should ensure that you also conduct your own research and analysis.

Indicators use mathematical formulas based on past data to graphically display context related to what they measure. Indicators should be used as tools to help make better decisions, and the number you use is up to you.

Two main types of indicators

There are many indicators, including support levels, moving averages, linear regression lines, stochastics, volume bars, and ease of movement.

Technical Indicators
Support Levels Moving Averages Linear Regression Lines Volume Bars Stochastics Time Segmented Volume (Leading) Money Stream (Leading)	Resistance Levels Bollinger Bands MACD Balance of Power (Leading) Price Rate of Change Relative Strength Wilders RSI

There are two styles of indicators: lagging and leading indicators. Lagging indicators move after prices move and leading ones change before prices change.

Not one indicator works well in every situation or can give you a definite answer of what may happen next. Whether you want reliability, to increase your returns or consistency, you need to select the one that fits your trading.

What are trading indicators?

Trading indicators are mathematical principles that provide information on a price chart so you can follow it. Also can identify possible signals, trends, and changes in momentum.

Trading indicators can help you spot what might be happening in the future, or what happened in the past. You can use both lagging and leading indicators alongside other analytics so you get a more comprehensive idea of the market you will be trading.

Top trading indicators that work

Simple Moving Average (SMA)

A simple moving average is a trading indicator that takes the average of several price points over a period of time to create a single trend line. This trend line can indicate whether the value of an asset is going up or down.

With an SMA indicator, you can easily identify the direction of a price trend without the noise of short-term price volatility.

The moving average is taken over a specific time period. A 12-day SMA will take the price points of each day, which is the closing price on each day, and then use them to get a total average. As a lagging indicator it will be based on historical price trends. However, if you use support and resistance levels you can discover possible future price patterns. 

Exponential Moving Average (EMA)

An exponential moving average creates an average trend based on several daily price points, focusing more on recent data points. By using multiple price points over a specific number of days, the EMA can generate an average price which can show whether the trend is bullish or bearish. 

Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD)

Moving Average Convergence Divergence compares two moving averages in order to determine whether the prices are converging (moving closer together) or diverging (moving apart). 

A MACD indicator is used at day trading to detect fluctuations in momentum. When momentum decreases, the MACD shows two price averages converging. If they diverge, it indicates momentum is building. 

Fibonacci retracements

Fibonacci retracements can be used to day trading to indicate how much the market will move or retract (pull back) from a current trend. 

A retracement is when the market slows down temporarily. If you are using Fibonacci Retracements, then you will look for these dips/declines and use them to calculate/examine whether the trend is changing.  Traders are trying to find support or resistance for a new trend based on the strength of a retracement.

Stochastic oscillator

A stochastic oscillator can show you whether the market is being oversold (the current price is under a fair value) or overbought (the current price is above a fair price) based on the current price compared to a range of prices over time. 

By comparing the current closing price to closing prices over a specific period of time at day trading, you can determine whether the market is overbought or oversold. A score from 1 to 20 shows that the market is oversold, whereas a score over 80, shows the market is overbought. 

Bollinger bands 

A Bollinger band shows how volatile an asset’s price is within a range of time. It takes the moving average of an asset over a period and applies standard deviations above and below the present price. These standard deviations create a range (i.e. a band). When the price moves above the highest limit of the band for a steady period, the market could be overbought, but if it moves below the lower limit, the market could be oversold.

Relative Strength Index (RSI) Indicator

The RSI indicator is an oscillator mapped on a graph with a scale moving from 1 to 100 and it is used to determine an asset’s price momentum. If an asset is overbought, the RSI will be over 70%, but if it’s under 30% is considered oversold.

Ichimoku cloud indicator

The Ichimoku cloud measures price momentum and helps you determine possible support and resistance levels. 

An Ichimoku Cloud uses five lines on a price chart which show price data over different intervals. If there are points where these lines overlap or move above/below each other, you can detect potential changes in momentum. You may be able to identify a trend or show that the market is resisting a trend. 

Why should you use indicators?

Indicators provide another way to analyse financial markets and identify potential shifts in prices, but these are not 100% bulletproof.  There is no tool or human trader who can provide definitive answers about price trends. They are indicators as they provide indications, not factual evidence.  

They use formulas to suggest which way things may be moving, but they cannot clearly show whether prices are going to increase/decrease or whether you should buy/sell. As you may well know, trading involves risk and there is not automated system that can help you bypass these risks.

Markets fluctuate and are hard to predict, so while trading indicators do work and can provide useful information, you should not see them as infallible tools that provide all the answers, but use them alongside news, your own analysis and market research from various reliable sources.

Disclaimer: This information is not considered investment advice or an investment recommendation, but instead a marketing communication. IronFX is not responsible for any data or information provided by third parties referenced, or hyperlinked, in this communication.