RAINBOW AVERAGES - INDICATOR - (AS) - 1/3

11 jul 2023

-INTRODUCTION:
This is the first of three scripts I intend to publish using rainbow indicators. This script serves as a groundwork for the other two. It is a RAINBOW MOVING AVERAGES indicator primarily designed for trend detection. The upcoming script will also be an indicator but with overlay=false (below the chart, not on it) and will utilize RAINBOW BANDS and RAINBOW OSCILLATOR. The third script will be a strategy combining all of them.
RAINBOW moving averages can be used in various ways, but this script is mainly intended for trend analysis. It is meant to be used with overlay=true, but if the user wishes, it can be viewed below the chart. To achieve this, you need to change the code from overlay=true to false and turn off the first switch that plots the rainbow on the chart (or simply move the indicator to a new pane below). By doing this, you will be able to see how all four conditions used to detect trends work on the chart. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

-WHAT IS IT:
In its simplest form, this indicator uses 10 moving averages colored like a rainbow. The calculation is as follows:
MA0: This is the main moving average and can be defined with the type (SMA, EMA, RMA, WMA, SINE), length, and price source. However, the second moving average (MA1) is calculated using MA0 as its source, MA2 uses MA1 as the data source, and so on, until the last one, MA9. Hence, there are 10 moving averages. The first moving average is special as all the others derive from it. This indicator has many potential uses, such as entry/exit signals, volatility indication, and stop-loss placement, but for now, we will focus on trend detection.

-TREND DETECTION:
The indicator offers four different background color options based on the user's preference:

0-NONE: No background color is applied as no trend detection tools is being used (boring)

1-CHANGE: The background color is determined by summing the changes of all 10 moving averages (from two bars). If the sum is positive and not falling, the background color is GREEN. If the sum is negative and not rising, the background color is RED. From early testing, it works well for the beginning of a movement but not so much for a lasting trend.

2-RAINBW: The background color is green when all the moving averages are in ascending order, indicating a bullish trend. It is red when all the moving averages are in descending order, indicating a bearish trend. For example, if MA1>MA2>MA3>MA4..., the background color is green. If MA1<MA2<MA3<...<MA9, the background color is red. Note that MA0 (red) will always be closest to the price during a trending market, and MA9 (purple, slowest) will be outside (bottom in an uptrend and top in a downtrend).

3-TSHOLD: The background color is determined by calculating the width of the rainbow averages and comparing it to a threshold value. If the width is greater than the threshold, the background color is green. If the width is smaller than the negative threshold, the background color is red. The formula used for width calculation is: difference between MA0 and MA9 divided by MA0, multiplied by 100. So, the formula is: (100 * ((MA0-MA9)/MA0)). Contraction warns us that the market movement might be coming to an end. It appears to give nice exit signals after mid or small breakouts. Green indicates width > threshold, and red indicates width < -threshold.

4-DIRECT: The background color is determined by counting the number of moving averages that are either above or below the input source. If the specified number of moving averages is above the source, the background color is green. If the specified number of moving averages is below the source, the background color is red. If all ten MAs are below the price source, the indicator will show 10, and if all ten MAs are above, it will show -10. The specific value will be set later in the settings (same for 3-TSHOLD variant). This method works well for lasting trends.

Note: If the indicator is turned into a below-chart version, all four color options can be seen as separate indicators.

-PARAMETERS - SETTINGS:
The first line is an on/off switch to plot the skittles indicator (and some info in the tooltip). The second line has already been discussed, which is the background color and the selection of the source (only used for MA0!).
The line "MA1: TYP/LEN" is where we define the parameters of MA0 (important). We choose from the types of moving averages (SMA, EMA, RMA, WMA, SINE) and set the length.
Important Note: It says MA1, but it should be MA0!.
The next line defines whether we want to smooth MA1 (which is actually MA0) and the period for smoothing. When smoothing is turned on, MA0 will be smoothed using a 3-pole super smoother. It's worth noting that although this only applies to MA0, as the other MAs are derived from it, they will also be smoothed.
In the line below, we define the type and length of MAs for MA2 (and other MAs except MA0). The same type and length are used for MA1 to MA9. It's important to remember that these values should be smaller. For example, if we set 55, it means that MA1 is the average of 55 periods of MA0, MA2 will be 55 periods of MA1, and so on. I encourage trying different combinations of MA types as it can be easily adjusted for ur type of trading. RMA looks quirky.
Moving on to the last line, we define some inputs for the background color:
TSH: The threshold value when using 3-TSHOLD-BGC. It's a good idea to change the chart to a pane below for easier adjustment. The default values are based on EURUSD-5M.
BG_DIR: The value that must be crossed or equal to the MA score if using 4-DIRECT-BGC. There are 10 MAs, so the maximum value is also 10. For example, if you set it to 9, it means that at least 9 MAs must be below/above the price for the script to detect a trend. Higher values are recommended as most of the time, this indicator oscillates either around the maximum or minimum value.

-SUMMARY OF SETTINGS:
L1 - PLOT MAs and general info tooltip
L2 - Select the source for MA0 and type of trend detection.
L3 - Set the type and length of MA0 (important).
L4 - Turn smoothing on/off for MA0 and set the period for super smoothing.
L5 - Set the type and length for the rest of the MAs.
L6 - Set values if using 4-DIRECT or 3-TSHOLD for the trend detection.

-OTHERS:
To see trend indicators, you need to turn off the plotting of MAs (first line), and then choose the variant you want for the background color. This will plot it on the chart below.
Keep in mind that M1 int settings stands for MA0 and MA2 for all of the 9 MAs left.
Yes, it may seem more complicated than it actually is. In a nutshell, these are 10 MAs, and each one after MA0 uses the previous one as its source. Plus few conditions for range detection. rest is mainly plots and colors.
There are tooltips to help you with the parameters.
I hope this will be useful to someone. If you have any ideas, feedback, or spot errors in the code, LET ME KNOW.
Stay tuned for the remaining two scripts using skittles indicators and check out my other scripts.

-ALSO:
I'm always looking for ideas for interesting indicators and strategies that I could code, so if you don't know Pinescript, just message me, and I would be glad to write your own indicator/strategy for free, obviously.

-----May the force of the market be with you, and until we meet again,