Know Sure Thing: a weighted blend of four smoothed rates of change, with a 9-bar signal line.
Overview
The Know Sure Thing (KST), by Martin Pring, combines momentum from four time spans into one line in its own pane, with a signal line in orange.
Colors show direction: green while KST is above its signal, red while below.
How it works
Take four rates of change (10, 15, 20 and 30 bars) and smooth them with simple averages (10, 10, 10 and 15). KST = RCMA1 x 1 + RCMA2 x 2 + RCMA3 x 3 + RCMA4 x 4.
The signal line is a 9-bar SMA of KST.
How to use it
- Some traders watch KST crossing its signal line as a change in momentum.
- Use zero-line crosses as broader momentum shifts.
- Look for divergence between KST and price.
- Use it on higher timeframes for a long-term momentum view.
These are ways some traders read it, for learning. They are not trade signals.
Settings
| Setting | Default |
|---|---|
| Settings | |
| ROC Length #1Lookback of the first (shortest) rate of change. | 10 |
| ROC Length #2Lookback of the second rate of change. | 15 |
| ROC Length #3Lookback of the third rate of change. | 20 |
| ROC Length #4Lookback of the fourth (longest) rate of change. | 30 |
| SMA Length #1Smoothing length applied to the first rate of change (RCMA #1). | 10 |
| SMA Length #2Smoothing length applied to the second rate of change (RCMA #2). | 10 |
| SMA Length #3Smoothing length applied to the third rate of change (RCMA #3). | 10 |
| SMA Length #4Smoothing length applied to the fourth rate of change (RCMA #4). | 15 |
| Signal LengthSimple moving average length of the signal line. | 9 |
| Style | |
| BullishColor of the KST line while above zero. | #089981 |
| BearishColor of the KST line while below zero. | #f23645 |
| SignalColor of the signal line. | #ff9800 |
Alerts
You can alert on its line crossing a value or the candle close (from the chart's + menu); checked while ZoroCharts is open.
Notes and limits
- Works on any symbol and timeframe; it only needs candle data.
- It is smooth and slow; turns appear after price has moved.
Education only. Not financial advice. Indicators mark what happened on the chart; they do not predict what price will do. Trading futures, forex, crypto and other markets carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for everyone.