Slow Volume Strength Index (SVSI)

30 Apr

The Slow Volume Strength Index (SVSI), introduced by Vitali Apirine in Stocks & Commodities (Volume 33, Chapter 6, Page 28-31), is a momentum oscillator inspired by the Relative Strength Index (RSI). It gauges buying and selling pressure by analyzing the disparity between average volume on up days and down days, relative to the underlying price trend. Positive volume signifies closes above the exponential moving average (EMA), while negative volume indicates closes below. Flat closes register zero volume. The SVSI then applies a smoothing technique to this data and transforms it into an oscillator with values ranging from 0 to 100.

Traders can leverage the SVSI in several ways:

1. Overbought/Oversold Levels: Standard thresholds of 80 and 20 define overbought and oversold zones, respectively.
2. Centerline Crossovers and Divergences: Signals can be generated by the indicator line crossing a midline or by divergences from price movements.
3. Confirmation for Slow RSI: The SVSI can be used to confirm signals generated by the Slow Relative Strength Index (SRSI), another oscillator developed by Apirine.

🔹 Algorithm

In the original article, the SVSI is calculated using the following formula:

Pine Script®

where:

Pine Script®

* Volume is considered positive when the closing price is higher than the six-day EMA.
* Volume is considered negative when the closing price is lower than the six-day EMA.
* Negative volume values are expressed as absolute values (positive).
* If the closing price equals the six-day EMA, volume is considered zero (no change).
* When calculating the average volume, the indicator utilizes Wilder's smoothing technique, as described in his book "New Concepts In Technical Trading Systems."

Note that this indicator, the formula has been simplified to be

Pine Script®

This formula achieves the same result as the original article's proposal, but in a more concise way and without the need for special handling of division by zero

🔹 Parameters

The SVSI calculation offers configurable parameters that can be adjusted to suit individual trading styles and goals. While the default lookback periods are 6 for the EMA and 14 for volume smoothing, alternative values can be explored. Additionally, the standard overbought and oversold thresholds of 80 and 20 can be adapted to better align with the specific security being analyzed.