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TRIX indicator: formula, Pine Script and limits

TRIX measures the one-bar rate of change after three EMA smoothing passes. This guide implements the percentage-change definition, so its output is in percent. Use the worked values and copyable script to check the calculation before interpreting zero crossings or adding trading rules.

Source → EMA1 → EMA2 → EMA3 → 1 bar % ROC

A signal line is a separate EMA of TRIX. Neither line is a complete trading strategy.

Inspect the Pine Script

Three smoothing passes, then a percentage change

E1 = EMA(source, N)

E2 = EMA(E1, N)

E3 = EMA(E2, N)

TRIX = 100 × (E3 − E3[1]) / E3[1]

Signal = EMA(TRIX, M)

The [1] index means the previous chart bar. The denominator must exist and be nonzero. TradingView's TRIX documentation describes this sequence using an 18-period EMA. The sample below makes N and M editable.

Check which implementation you are comparing. A log-price variant calculates 10000 × change(EMA³(log(close))). That is a scaled difference of smoothed logarithms, not the exact percentage formula above. Matching length alone will not make the values match, and the logarithm requires positive input.

TEMA also uses three EMAs, but combines their levels as 3 × E1 − 3 × E2 + E3. It is a moving average in price units. Raw price ROC omits the three smoothing passes.

Worked example: price drops before TRIX crosses zero

Hypothetical inputs only. Set N = 3 and M = 3, so each EMA uses α = 2 / (3 + 1) = 0.5. Seed all three price EMAs at 100 on bar 0, then seed the signal at the first valid TRIX. Each following EMA is half its current input plus half its previous value. There are no missing observations; displayed percentages are rounded to six decimals.

Demonstration, not market data or a backtest
BarSourceEMA1EMA2EMA3TRIX %Signal %
0100100100100nana
11081041021011.0000001.000000
2108106104102.51.4851491.242574
3108107105.51041.4634151.352994
4100103.5104.5104.250.2403850.796690
5100101.75103.125103.6875-0.5395680.128561
6100100.875102102.84375-0.813743-0.342591

At bar 4, source falls from 108 to 100, but EMA3 still rises from 104 to 104.25. TRIX is 100 × 0.25 / 104 = 0.240385%. It crosses below its signal on that bar while remaining positive. The zero crossing follows on bar 5. This one-bar separation belongs to this example; it is not a fixed lag estimate for other inputs or lengths.

Bar 0 has no previous EMA3, so its TRIX is unavailable. A nonzero constant input gives zero TRIX from the next bar. With N = 1, all three EMAs equal the source and the result becomes its one-bar percentage ROC.

Pine Script v6: TRIX with a signal line

Create a new indicator in TradingView's Pine Editor, replace its contents with this source, save it and select Add to chart. Blue is percentage TRIX; orange is its EMA signal. The triangles and alert conditions require the chart bar to close. Create an alert separately in TradingView if needed.

Pine Script v6
//@version=6
indicator("TRIX: percent ROC", overlay=false, precision=6)

length = input.int(18, "EMA length", minval=1)
signalLength = input.int(9, "Signal EMA length", minval=1)
source = input.source(close, "Source")

e1 = ta.ema(source, length)
e2 = ta.ema(e1, length)
e3 = ta.ema(e2, length)
valid = not na(source) and not na(e3) and not na(e3[1]) and e3[1] != 0
trix = valid ? 100 * (e3 - e3[1]) / e3[1] : na
signal = ta.ema(trix, signalLength)

crossUp = ta.crossover(trix, signal)
crossDown = ta.crossunder(trix, signal)
ready = valid and not na(trix[1]) and not na(signal[1])
confirmedUp = ready and crossUp and barstate.isconfirmed
confirmedDown = ready and crossDown and barstate.isconfirmed

plot(trix, "TRIX (%)", color=color.blue, linewidth=2, style=plot.style_linebr)
plot(valid ? signal : na, "Signal (%)", color=color.orange, style=plot.style_linebr)
hline(0, "Zero", color=color.gray)
plotshape(confirmedUp, title="Confirmed upward cross", style=shape.triangleup, location=location.bottom, color=color.blue, size=size.tiny)
plotshape(confirmedDown, title="Confirmed downward cross", style=shape.triangledown, location=location.top, color=color.orange, size=size.tiny)
alertcondition(confirmedUp, "TRIX upward cross", "TRIX crossed above its EMA signal at bar close.")
alertcondition(confirmedDown, "TRIX downward cross", "TRIX crossed below its EMA signal at bar close.")

The lines can move while a bar is open. The confirmation condition only restricts markers and alerts. Missing source or a missing/zero previous EMA3 produces a gap. The signal EMA can retain its previous state across unavailable TRIX values; this script does not reset the entire history after a gap.

Parameters, initialization and comparison checks

InputSample defaultWhat to check
EMA length N18Applied to every smoothing stage, not the ROC interval.
Signal length M9An example choice. At M = 1 the signal equals TRIX, so strict crosses disappear.
SourcecloseMatch source and chart type when comparing scripts.

ta.ema is recursive. A plotted value can appear before the effect of its starting history is negligible. Loading a longer history, using an SMA seed in another implementation or changing adjusted prices can alter early values. Do not treat 3 × N bars as a guaranteed convergence period.

  1. Match formula, units, symbol, timeframe, source and all lengths.
  2. Compare EMA1, EMA2 and EMA3 before comparing their ROC. A seed mismatch starts upstream.
  3. Load more history and compare overlapping closed bars against an explicit tolerance.
  4. Check flat inputs, N = 1, a zero denominator and missing data before testing trading conditions.

Read the condition before assigning a trade

With positive EMA3 values, TRIX above zero means EMA3 rose from the prior bar. Falling positive TRIX means that percentage rise is slowing. Neither statement requires the current source bar to rise, as bar 4 demonstrates.

A cross above the signal says TRIX has moved above its own EMA. It can happen below zero. Repeated crosses in sideways data are possible; smoothing does not establish a win rate or remove loss risk. Divergence also needs an explicit pivot rule and confirmation delay before it can be coded or tested consistently.

For negative inputs, the denominator can reverse the sign interpretation. Near zero, small changes can create extreme percentages. Inspect synthetic spreads or external indicator sources before applying price-based interpretations.

Educational calculation example, not investment advice. This indicator has no position sizing, exits, execution model or trading costs. A confirmed crossover does not establish profitability.

Take an explicit TRIX specification to Pineify

The Pine Script AI Coding Agent can help turn the calculation into an editable script. Include the percentage formula, source, both lengths, missing-value handling and closed-bar confirmation in your request. Ask for intermediate EMA plots when diagnosing differences.

First compare values bar by bar. If you later request a strategy, define the entry, exit, position size, fill timing, commission and slippage separately. Review the generated source and test it on TradingView.

Open the Pine Script AI Coding Agent

TRIX questions

This version measures the one-bar percentage change of a price series after three consecutive EMA passes. A value of 0.25 means the third EMA rose 0.25% from its previous value. It does not mean the market price rose 0.25% during that bar.

No. TRIX applies a rate-of-change calculation to the third EMA and produces an oscillator. TEMA combines the levels as 3 × EMA1 − 3 × EMA2 + EMA3 and remains in price units. The shared use of three EMA passes does not make the outputs interchangeable.

Check the formula before comparing values. A script using 10000 times the change of triple-smoothed log price has a different scale and calculation from the percentage ROC shown here. Then match source, EMA lengths, signal smoothing, chart timeframe, price adjustments and available history.

A first numeric value is not proof that initialization effects have disappeared. Recursive EMAs retain diminishing influence from their starting values, and three stages transmit that influence. Compare overlapping bars after loading more history and choose a tolerance for your use case; there is no universal 3 × length convergence guarantee.

The percentage calculation is undefined. The example returns na and hides both plotted values for that bar. It also suppresses cross markers when the preceding TRIX value is unavailable. A very small nonzero denominator can still produce a large value; inspect the source rather than treating it as strong evidence for a trade.

No. A signal crossover compares TRIX with its own smoothed series. It can occur above or below zero. A zero crossover compares the current third EMA with its previous value when the denominator is positive. These are different conditions and need separate rules.

Yes. The source and both lines can change on an open candle. The example restricts its markers and alert conditions to barstate.isconfirmed on the chart timeframe. It does not freeze the live lines or provide confirmation for a separate higher-timeframe request.

No single setting is established here as best. The sample uses an EMA length of 18 and a signal length of 9 as editable starting values. Compare candidate settings on the same data, keep a separate evaluation period, and define exits and trading costs before judging a strategy.

Sources and related guides

Official references checked October 17, 2026. The worked table is an independent calculation under its stated assumptions.

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