Technical analysis

MACD histogram

How far the MACD line is pulling away from its own 9-day average — acceleration, not position.

Why it matters

If the MACD line says where price is going relative to its trend, the histogram says whether that is accelerating or slowing. A shrinking histogram while the line stays positive means upward momentum is losing strength even though price is still rising: it's a derivative, which is why it turns before the line itself does. It's also why it gives more false signals — every derivative is noisier than the thing it derives.

Build it yourself

Drag the MACD line and its 9-day average. Try keeping the line positive while lowering it toward its average: the histogram turns negative before the line crosses zero.

Histogram = MACD line − Signal line
MACD histogram

Illustrative example numbers for practice — not real data.

How it's calculated, step by step

  1. It starts from the MACD line (the previous indicator).
  2. The "signal line" is computed: a 9-period exponential average OF THE MACD LINE ITSELF, not of price.
  3. Histogram = MACD line − signal line. It crosses zero exactly when the MACD line crosses its own average.
Lagging signal / confirmation. Less lagging than the line, but noisier: it anticipates turns at the cost of announcing many that never happen. Same research verdict as the rest of the family — useful as a model input, not as a trigger on its own.

Chart

This is real Bitcoin data, computed from the blockchain — not the illustrative example above.

Data last updated on 2026-09-09.

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