Momentum Velocity [BackQuant]

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Momentum Velocity [BackQuant]

Main Features:
- Momentum Based Oscillator
- Divergences
- Overbought and Oversold Conditions based off a VZO
- Alert Conditions
- Ability to make Adaptive
- Big User input menu for customisation


The Momentum Velocity indicator is based on the principle of momentum , which is a measure of the rate of change or the speed at which prices move over a specified time period. The underlying assumption of momentum trading is that assets that have performed well in the recent past will continue to perform well in the near future, and conversely, assets that have performed poorly will continue to perform poorly. This concept is widely accepted and empirically supported in financial literature, making the Momentum Velocity indicator empirically sound for several reasons:

Empirical Evidence on Momentum
Academic Research: A foundational piece of research that supports the momentum strategy is Jegadeesh and Titman's study, "Returns to Buying Winners and Selling Losers: Implications for Stock Market Efficiency," published in the Journal of Finance in 1993. The authors find that strategies which buy stocks that have performed well in the past and sell stocks that have performed poorly generate significantly higher than expected returns over 3- to 12-month holding periods. This study is one of many that empirically validate the momentum effect in stock returns.

Behavioural Finance Theories:
Behavioural finance provides explanations for the momentum effect that go beyond the efficient market hypothesis. Theories such as investor herding, overreaction and under reaction to news, and the disposition effect can cause price trends to continue. The momentum strategy exploits these behavioural biases by assuming that prices will continue to move in their current direction for some time.

Global Evidence:
The momentum effect is not limited to specific markets or asset classes. Studies have documented momentum profits across various countries, markets, and asset types (stocks, bonds, commodities, and currencies). For instance, Asness, Moskowitz, and Pedersen in their paper, "Value and Momentum Everywhere," published in the Journal of Finance in 2013, show that momentum strategies can yield positive returns in different international markets.

Risk Factors:
Some researchers argue that the returns to momentum strategies are compensation for bearing certain risks. However, the empirical evidence suggests that momentum returns are difficult to explain by traditional risk factors alone, adding to the strategy’s attractiveness. The factor model of Carhart (1997), which adds a momentum factor to the Fama and French three-factor model, highlights the importance of momentum as a distinct source of returns.

Empirical Evidence Application
The Momentum Velocity indicator applies these empirical insights by quantitatively measuring the speed and direction of price movements over a given period, adjusting for recent market conditions through adaptive filtering, and normalizing the results to identify potential trading signals. By doing so, it provides traders with a tool that not only captures the essence of the momentum anomaly but also enhances it with modern technical analysis techniques for real-time market application.

Trading Application
Due to the robustness of momentum, traders are able to use this as a confluence metric into their system on any timeframe. Providing robust signals, that by extention are adaptive to the market. This is also further enabled by using adaptive filtering.

Conclusion
In summary, the empirical soundness of the Momentum Velocity indicator is grounded in the well-documented momentum effect observed in financial markets. By leveraging historical price data to predict future price movements, it aligns with both academic research and observed market behavior, making it a potentially valuable tool for traders seeking to exploit momentum-based trading opportunities.

User Inputs:
Calculation Source: Choose the price component (e.g., close) to base calculations on.
Lookback Period: Define the period over which momentum and normalization are calculated.
Use Adaptive Filtering?: Toggle the use of DEMA for more responsive momentum calculation.
Adaptive Lookback Period: Set the period for the adaptive filter when enabled.
Show Momentum Moving Average?: Option to display a moving average of the plotosc for trend smoothing.
MA Period: Specify the period for the momentum moving average.
Show Static High and Low Levels: Display predefined levels indicating extreme momentum thresholds.
Color Bars According to Trend?: Color price bars based on the momentum direction for quick visual reference.
Show Overbought and Oversold Signals: Highlight extreme volume conditions as potential buy/sell signals.
Signal Calculation Period: Set the period for calculating volume-based signals.
Show Detected Divergences?: Enable or disable the visualization of bullish and bearish divergences.

How it can be used in the context of a Trading System
Momentum and momentum divergences are pivotal concepts in trading systems, offering traders insights into the strength and potential reversal points of market trends. Momentum, a measure of the rate of price changes, helps traders identify the velocity of market movements, allowing them to ride the wave of prevailing trends for profits. When momentum divergences occur—where price movement and momentum indicators move in opposite directions—they signal a weakening of the current trend and potential for reversal. Traders can use these signals to adjust their positions, entering or exiting trades based on the anticipation of trend changes. Incorporating momentum and its divergences into a trading system provides a dynamic strategy that leverages the market's natural cycles of trend strength and exhaustion, aiming to capitalize on both continuation and reversal opportunities for enhanced trading outcomes.
We have also added a volume based component for traders to use as a point of confluence. It is shown on the chart giving background hues for overbought and oversold signals.

Thus following all of the key points here are some sample backtests on the 1D Chart
Disclaimer: Backtests are based off past results, and are not indicative of the future.
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