SWMA

SWMA puts the symmetric weighted moving average on the chart with its defining property made explicit: constant, known delay. The default 4-bar window applies the classic 1-2-2-1 weights of the SWMA; any other Window Length builds the generalized mirrored profile, interior bars counting double and both edges single. Symmetry buys linear phase — everything the filter passes arrives exactly (length − 1) / 2 bars late — and the dashboard states that delay outright, so you always know how far behind the line runs.

How to Trade the SWMA?

• Slope color: the line colors by the sign of its bar-to-bar change — comparing consecutive SWMA values as the gentler stand-in for comparing consecutive closes.
• Turn events: slope flips from falling to rising and the reverse can print circle markers and always carry the two alerts.
• Pre-filter role: enable the pre-filtered average and a longer moving average is computed on the SWMA output instead of raw price — one-bar spikes are removed before the slower average sees them, at the cost of the same small fixed delay.

SWMA Settings

• Source (default close): series the symmetric weights are applied to.
• Window Length (default 4): bars in the symmetric window — 4 is the standard fixed SWMA; larger windows smooth more with proportionally more delay.
• Show Pre-Filtered Average (default off) with Method (default SMA; also EMA, RMA, WMA) and Length (default 20): the documented pre-smoothing stage.
• Show Dashboard (default on) with Location (Top Right) and Size (Small).
• Style: Directional Coloring (default on) and Show Turn Markers (default off).

Frequently Asked Questions

What separates the SWMA from a WMA of the same length?

The weight shape. A standard weighted average loads the newest bars most heavily, chasing price at the cost of uneven timing across components; the SWMA mirrors its weights around the window's center so everything it passes shares one delay. The Sine Weighted MA sits in the same symmetric family with a smoother bell of weights.

Is four bars enough to define a trend?

No, and it is not meant to be. The fixed form is a fast noise reducer — the double-weighted center suppresses one-bar spikes with only 1.5 bars of delay. For trend definition, raise the Window Length or run the SWMA as the pre-filter under a longer average.

Why does the line look shifted rather than lagging unevenly?

That is linear phase: a center-symmetric kernel delays every passed component equally, so the smoothed line keeps the shape of slow moves instead of warping them. Recursive averages smear timing across frequencies; this one trades a fixed shift for shape fidelity.