Gann HiLo Activator

Gann HiLo Activator trails price with a stepped line that swaps sides only on a close through it: while the state is up the line is a short average of the lows under price; when a close breaks it, the state flips and the average of the highs takes over above. This is the definitive clean build of the Gann HiLo Activator — Krausz's construction, comparing each close against the previous bar's averages, with only visual and alert plumbing added. Because only closes flip the state, intrabar pokes leave it unchanged; this build turns those pokes into signals of their own.

How to Trade the Gann HiLo Activator?

• Bullish flip: a close above the high-side average — the line jumps beneath price and trend-followers treat it as the entry or re-entry cue; bearish flips mirror it.
• Trailing stop reference: the active line is a natural stop rail — up-state positions exit on the close that flips the state rather than on a wick touch.
• Pullback tests that held: an intrabar poke through the line that closes back on the trend side (alertable both ways) marks an absorbed test — often a lower-risk continuation entry than the flip itself.

Gann HiLo Activator Settings

• Length (default 3): lookback of both averages — the classic default from Krausz's construction. Longer flips less often and trails looser; shorter hugs price and whipsaws in ranges.
• Average Type (default SMA): the classic simple average, or the EMA / VWMA substitutions from later variants.
• Flip Markers (default enabled): a dot on the new side of price at each state flip.
• Gradient Trail Fill (default enabled): shades the span between price and the line — the room a close has left before the state would flip.
• Bullish/bearish colors and Line Width (default 1) are cosmetic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Gann HiLo Activator or Supertrend?

Supertrend trails at an explicit ATR multiple, so its distance from price is a volatility setting; the HiLo Activator keys off smoothed highs and lows, so the trail adapts to recent bar range with a single parameter. It flips faster on tight tapes, while Supertrend gives moves more room.

Why do only closes flip the state?

Closes are compared with the prior bar's averages — the line the trader was watching while the bar formed is the line that decides — and intrabar noise cannot flip the state. That filter is much of the tool's edge over a stop resting exactly at the line.

What is its main weakness?

Ranges. A 3-period trail flips repeatedly in sideways tape and bleeds small losses; lengthening the lookback or standing aside when flips cluster are the standard defenses. In trends the same tightness is what keeps positions in.