All indicators

Squeeze Index

By LuxAlgoSep 19, 2022

Squeeze Index is an indicator on Vela, our next-generation charting platform, written in Pine Script®.

Static chart image

The Squeeze Index measures how hard price is being squeezed, expressed as a percentage: the higher the reading, the tighter the coil. It is a direct gauge of the market's contraction phase: as ranges tighten and price goes stationary, the index climbs, flagging the conditions that precede a directional break. Under the hood it tracks the distance between converging exponential envelopes (borrowing the mathematics of damping), takes its logarithm, and scales the result with a correlation oscillator.

How to Trade the Squeeze Index?

  • High readings: intense compression; price is winding into a narrow range, and a breakout becomes the scenario to prepare for.
  • Falling from a peak: the squeeze is releasing. The break's direction, not the index itself, tells you which side to trade.
  • Low readings: price is moving freely, and breakout tactics have little to grip.

The relationship between the two main inputs decides sensitivity: a Convergence Factor above the Length flags more areas of compression, while a Length above the Convergence Factor flags fewer. Matching the two values (or setting the Convergence Factor to roughly double the period) is the recommended starting point. Very high Convergence Factors can occasionally read a sharp retracement as a squeeze, so check elevated readings against the actual range.

Squeeze Index Settings

  • Convergence Factor: governs the convergence of the exponential envelopes; higher values detect more compression areas.
  • Length: the indicator's period; lengthening it relative to the Convergence Factor makes squeezes rarer.
  • Src: the source series for the calculation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Free to use

Run it on Vela. Go further with a paid plan.

  • Up to 500 Custom Alerts, with webhook automation
  • Up to 10× the chart history of Free
  • Orderflow lookback up to full history
  • More Quant usage to customize it, plus extra usage when you need it
  • Futures data alongside crypto, stocks, forex and commodities
See plans

Also works on

TradingView
NinjaTrader
MetaTrader 4/5
Original indicatorBuilt in-house by LuxAlgo

Run it on Vela. Make it yours with Quant.

Open this indicator free on Vela, our next-generation charting platform. Then ask Quant, our coding agent built into Vela, to retune it or turn it into a backtested strategy of your own.