# Motive Wave Motive Wave is an indicator on [Vela](https://vela.luxalgo.com/chart), our next-generation charting platform, written in Pine Script®. Counts completed five-wave motive structures on a 10-bar ZigZag swing base, keeping only counts that pass the Elliott hard rules and classifying each as impulse or diagonal. Numbered labels carry ratio measurements, a developing count projects the presumed fifth wave with its invalidation level, and an RSI comparison flags fifth-wave momentum divergence. - Indicator in the LuxAlgo Library, by LuxAlgo, published Jun 14, 2026. - Access: free. - Concepts: [Motive Wave](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/concept/motive-wave/) (primary) - Open on Vela: https://vela.luxalgo.com/chart?pineScriptCodeId=b00h3po61kdrzhj01l9ww74n - Page: https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/motive-wave/ **Motive Wave** hunts for completed five-wave structures on a swing base built from a 10-bar ZigZag, keeping only counts that survive the [motive wave](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/concept/motive-wave/) hard rules: wave 2 may never retrace beyond wave 1's origin, and wave 3 can never finish shortest of the advancing waves. Counts are drawn and numbered through their pivots and classified by form (impulse when wave 4 holds out of wave 1 territory, diagonal when the waves overlap in a wedge) with labels reporting each wave's ratios against the standard relationships. ## How to Trade the Motive Wave? - **Completed count**: argues for a corrective phase against the move. The summary label reports form, extension, and the ratio fit out of 4. - **Fifth wave underway**: with waves 1-4 in place, a dotted developing count projects the fifth, plus a dashed Invalidation line at wave 1's origin. - **Truncated 5th**: a fifth wave stopping short of the wave 3 extreme is flagged as severe weakness. - **Momentum divergence**: a fifth-wave extreme on a weaker 14-length RSI reading than wave 3 is flagged as an exhaustion cue. Alerts cover completed counts, fifth waves underway, divergences, and invalidations. ## Motive Wave Settings - **ZigZag Length** (default 10): pivot length of the swing base; larger values count larger-degree waves. - **Show Last Motive Waves** (default 3): completed counts kept on the chart. - **Show Developing Count** (default on): draw the partial count and invalidation level. - **Larger-Degree Trend Filter** (default off) with **x** (default 4): only accept counts moving with a ZigZag leg four times larger. - **Check Subdivisions** (default off) with **Minor Length** (default 3): require five minor sub-swings inside actionary waves, three inside interruptions. - **Ratio Tolerance** (default 0.1): slack around the standard relationships. - **Momentum Length** (default 14): RSI length behind the divergence check. - Style inputs set line width, label size, and colors. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How is this different from a plain ZigZag? A [ZigZag](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/zigzag/) draws every swing and stops there; this build reads those swings through Elliott's rulebook, discarding sequences that break the hard rules and labeling survivors with form and ratio evidence. ### What invalidates a count? A retrace through wave 1's origin while the fifth wave develops, or a wave 5 extension that leaves wave 3 shortest of the advancing waves. Both fire an invalidation alert and free the region for a recount. ### Do the wave labels repaint? Pivots confirm after the ZigZag length elapses, so counts appear with that delay rather than on the live bar. A completed count can still be upgraded in place if the fifth wave keeps extending from the same origin. ## Related indicators - [Elliott Wave](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/elliott-wave/) (Impulse): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/elliott-wave.md - [Truncation](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/truncation/) (Elliott & Harmonics): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/truncation.md - [Elliott Hard Rules](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/elliott-hard-rules/) (Elliott & Harmonics): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/elliott-hard-rules.md - [Triangle](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/triangle/) (Elliott & Harmonics): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/triangle.md - [Wave Degree Hierarchy](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/wave-degree-hierarchy/) (Elliott & Harmonics): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/wave-degree-hierarchy.md - [Diagonals](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/diagonals/) (Elliott & Harmonics): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/diagonals.md - [Wave Extension](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/wave-extension/) (Elliott & Harmonics): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/wave-extension.md - [NeoWave Logic](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/neowave-logic/) (Elliott & Harmonics): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/neowave-logic.md --- Source: https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/motive-wave/ (LuxAlgo Library). Free to use with attribution: https://www.luxalgo.com/library/license/