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Trend Intensity Index Indicator: Measure Market Momentum Strength on TradingView

· 6 min read
Pineify Team
Pineify Team

The Trend Intensity Index (TII) is a powerful momentum oscillator that measures the strength of price trends by comparing current prices to their simple moving average. This indicator helps traders identify when a trend is gaining or losing momentum, making it easier to time entries and exits in the market.

What is the Trend Intensity Index (TII)?​

Think of TII as a “trend conviction meter.” It compares price to a simple moving average (SMA) and asks: over the last N bars, how much of the move happened above the average vs. below it? The answer is shown on a 0–100 scale.

How to read it at a glance:

  • Above 80: strong upside pressure
  • Below 20: strong downside pressure
  • Near 50: neutral or choppy

Under the hood, TII sums positive and negative deviations from the SMA over a lookback window, then expresses the positive share as a percentage. You don’t need to memorize the math—just remember it’s a trend strength gauge, not an overbought/oversold signal like RSI.

Trend Intensity Index Indicator

What is Pineify?​

Pineify Website

Pineify is a toolkit for building and testing Pine Script indicators and strategies for TradingView—handy if you want to tweak TII or combine it with other signals. You can edit, backtest, and send scripts to your TradingView chart without juggling multiple tabs.

How to add TII to TradingView​

How to search for and add indicator pages in the Pineify editor

Here’s the quick path via Pineify:

  1. Open the Pineify editor
  2. Search for “Trend Intensity Index”
  3. Load the indicator and adjust inputs (SMA length and TII length)
  4. Click “Add to TradingView” to drop it on your chart
  5. Tidy up colors/levels and set alerts if you use them

Tip: If you’re exploring trend strength broadly, you may also like the ADX. Here’s a friendly walkthrough: ADX Indicator: Master Trend Strength & Direction in TradingView.

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How to use TII (signals that actually help)​

The Trend Intensity Index indicator is designed to help traders identify trend strength and potential reversal points. Here's how to effectively use TII in your trading:

Signal basics:

  • Strong uptrend: above 80 → favor longs, buy pullbacks
  • Strong downtrend: below 20 → favor shorts, fade rallies
  • Neutral/transition: around 50 → be selective or reduce size

Simple ways to use it:

  • Trend following: consider longs when TII recovers back above 50 after a dip; consider shorts when it breaks and holds below 50. This avoids reacting too early at the extremes.
  • Mean reversion add‑on: when TII tags an extreme (≥80 or ≤20) and then rolls back toward 50, watch price for a pullback entry in the direction of the larger trend.
  • Confirmation: pair TII with structure (higher highs/lows) or a moving‑average framework so you’re not trading TII in a vacuum. A great visual helper is the Moving Average Ribbon.

Visual cues (if you enable them):

  • Green shading/line when TII > 80
  • Red shading/line when TII < 20
  • Blue/neutral styling around the mid‑zone

Best TII settings (by use‑case)​

The optimal TII settings depend on your trading style and market conditions. Here are recommended configurations for different approaches:

Balanced default (good starting point):

  • SMA: 60
  • TII length: 30
    Works nicely on daily charts without being too jumpy.

Short‑term (intraday/swing):

  • SMA: 20–40
  • TII length: 14–21
    More responsive; you’ll see more signals and more noise.

Long‑term (position/weekly):

  • SMA: 100–200
  • TII length: 50–100
    Smoother, slower, better for trend context.

Choppy/volatile markets:

  • SMA: 80–120
  • TII length: 40–60
    Helps cut false flips when price is whipsawing.

Key levels to keep:

  • Upper: 80
  • Mid: 50
  • Lower: 20
    Tweak modestly for assets with unusual volatility.

How to backtest TII (so you trust it)​

Backtesting the Trend Intensity Index indicator helps validate its effectiveness and optimize settings for your trading strategy. Through the Pineify editor, you can create comprehensive backtesting strategies that include:

Starter rules to test:

  • Long when TII crosses up through 50 and price is above your SMA; flat/exit if TII closes back under 50
  • Short when TII crosses down through 50 and price is below your SMA; flat/exit if TII closes back above 50

Risk basics:

  • Use a fixed stop (recent swing or ATR‑based) and a 1:2+ target, or trail behind structure as trend develops.

Iteration tips:

FAQs​

Q: What timeframes work best with TII? A: It scales well. Daily and 4‑hour charts tend to be clean. For intraday, shorten the SMA and TII lengths.

Q: Can TII be used alone? A: You can, but context helps. Pair with structure or a trend tool (e.g., ADX or a moving‑average framework) for fewer false starts.

Q: How is TII different from RSI? A: RSI tracks speed of price changes (momentum). TII measures how consistently price stays above/below its average (trend strength/consistency).

Q: What markets suit TII? A: Stocks, forex, crypto, futures—anything that trends. Expect more whipsaws in thin or range‑bound conditions.

Q: How often should I retune settings? A: Not often. Start with defaults, test across regimes, and only adjust when there’s a clear, validated edge.

Wrapping up​

TII is a straightforward way to see whether buyers or sellers have the upper hand over your lookback window. Keep it simple: use 80/20 for context, 50 for decisions, and price structure for confirmation. If you want another lens on trends, compare it with ADX and visual tools like the Moving Average Ribbon. And if you’re building full strategies, these Pine Script v6 examples and the Bollinger + RSI combo are good next steps.

Nothing here is financial advice—test first, size small, and adapt.