YFX Currency Strength


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This is a very simple indicator that displays the relative strength values of the currencies on te current chart and timeframe. The strength is only calculated for the currencies:

  • AUD - Australian Dollar
  • CAD - Canadian Dollar
  • CHF - Swiss Franc
  • EUR - European Union Euro
  • GBP - Great Britain Pound
  • JPY - Japanese Yen
  • NZD - New Zealand Dollar
  • USD - United States Dollar

These are considered the major currencies in the world. There are 28 distinct combinations of major currency pairs. Other currency values are not included in the calculation. Sometimes, there are no direct quotes for some currency pairs. Quotes in this situation are then derived from other currency pairs. If derived values are use then only a few real quotes are needed for major currency pairs. In derived mode, quotes are only need for:

  • AUD/USD
  • EUR/USD
  • GBP/USD
  • NZD/USD
  • USD/CAD
  • USD/CHF
  • USD/JPY

These are the main pairs that are quoted directly against the USD. All the other currency pair values are derived from the above pairs. If using the derived values, then only the main pairs are required to be included in the terminal. Else all pairs are required if not using the derived mode. If the derived mode is used then estimated values are created in cases where a currency pair is not available.



USAGE


Using the indicator is very simple. Add it to any chart containing one of the 28 supported currency pairs. The indicator shows the currency pair and strength values, e.g.

Currency Strength (EUR / USD) 3.4 / 5.4

The first number, e.g. 3.4, is the relative strength of the first (base) currency, e.g. EUR. The second number, e.g. 5.4, is the relative strength of the second (quote) currency. Only the current time frame is used in calculations.

Relative strength values range between 9.0 and 0.0. Higher values are stronger. In the above example, USD's value of 5.4 is greater than the EUR's 3.4 and thus USD is stronger than the EUR. The amount of the difference between relative strength values is important. A large difference usually indicates a trend moving in the direction of the stronger currency. Smaller differences will usually indicate range-bound conditions.

Notifications are available for this indicator. The spread, i.e. absolute difference, between the relative strength values is used for notifications where an e-mail can be sent when the spread reaches a certain level. For example, if the spread alert level is set at 1.0 for the above example, an e-mail would be sent because the absolute difference is 2.0.



NOTES


  • Only the current symbol and current time frame are used for all calculations.
  • Changing the symbol or time frame will cause all calculations to re-calculate.



PARAMETERS


The Currency Strength has many configurable parameters. This allows for all aspects of the indicator to be changed for the user’s preferences. The parameters are divided into the following categories:

  • Yancy Indicator Parameters
  • Candlestick Parameters
  • Currency Strength Parameters
  • Display Parameters
  • Font Parameters
  • Message Parameters
  • Quiet Time Parameters
  • Message Info Parameters
  • Debug Parameters
It should be noted that the user does not have to change any parameters for the indicator to work. All parameters have default values that have the lowest impact on the indicator and user. The Currency Strength is designed to work perfectly by just placing it on a chart.



Yancy Indicator Parameters


These parameters control the overall functionality of the indicator. More specifically, it controls how the Currency Strength is used within the trading terminal. The parameters in this section are:

IndicatorName – Default: YFX Currency Strength
This is the indicator name that is displayed in the chart data window. Changing this value does not impact the indicator’s calculations.
IndicatorOffset – Default: 0
The indicator calculations are made on the current data bar by default. This value can change the default and force calculations to be made based on previous bars. It is recommend to leave this parameter set to the default value.
CalculationIntervalSeconds – Default: 60
Calculation of strength values is done on a set interval of seconds. This interval frequency is controlled by this parameter. The interval can be set to any number of seconds.



CandlestickParameters


The candlestick parameters control how much candle data is used in the calculations. Parameters in this section are:

UseCandles – Default: false
Some candle patterns can be used in making calculation. This functionality can be enabled by setting this parameter to ‘true’. By default, the candle integration is disabled
MaxCandleLookBackPeriods – Default: 100
The default number of periods to use when calculating the currency strength values. More periods can give a more accurate strength values. This can be changed by the user according to the user’s preferences.



Currency Strength Parameters


The Currency Strength parameters allow users to customize the currency strength calculations. The default values should work perfectly. More advanced users may want to change the definitions. Parameters in this section are:

UseCurrencyStrength – Default: false
This is a flag to indicate whether the currency strength indicator should be used in trading decisions. This flag is only used by YancyFX Expert Advisors (EAs). Changing this value has no impact on the indicator functionality.
StrengthPeriodMinutes – Default: CS_MINUTES_CHART
This parameter determines which time period should be used in calculating the currency strength values. By default, the current symbol and time frame. Changing the value of this parameter will impact the underlying calculations but will not change the current chart symbol or time frame.
UseStrengthSpread – Default: false
Use the spread between the currency strengths for messaging or trading decisions. The strength spread is tracked between two currencies. Generally, a trader wants to trade a strong currency against a weak currency. The spread indicates how strong one currency is against another currency.
StrengthSpreadAlerts – Default: 4.0
The spread difference on which an alert will be triggered. A value above this parameter's value will trigger the alert. Only one alert per period can be generated. This helps to prevent repetitive messages from being sent during a single time period.
UseDerivativeCalculations – Default: false
The flag to indicate whether to use "Derived Mode" for calculating currency strengths. The strength values are estimated in this mode. Derived calculations may be useful if some currency pair quotes are not available.



Display Parameters


The display of the currency strength indicator can be controlled by the user, who can choose to display where the indicator is displayed. Parameters in this section are:

DisplayCorner – Default: CS_CORNER_TOP_RIGHT
This parameter determines where to display the currency strength indicator. The indicator can be displayed in any corner on the chart. If the 'CS_CORNER_NONE' option is selected, then the indicator will be displayed in the comment field on the chart.
DisplayColumnX – Default: 5
The horizontal location at which to display the indicator on the chart. The number represents the number of pixels to offset from the corner that is selected in DisplayCorner.
DisplayRowStartY – Default: false
The vertical location at which to display the indicator on the chart. This number represents the number of pixels to offset from the corner that is selected in DisplayCorner.



Font Parameters


Colors can be strongly preferred by users. The Currency Strength indicator allows all colors to be changed according to each user’s preference. The specific colors do not change the underlying calculations of the indicator. Parameters in this section are:

DefaultFont – Default: Verdana
The font used to show indicator. This can be changed to any font name available on the trader's computer.
DefaultFontSize – Default: 10
The default size of the font shown on the screen. This can be set to any value (whole number).
DefaultColor – Default: Yellow
The color of the text shown on indicator. Any color can be selected.
SignalColor – Default: Red
The color of the text to show indicator when an alert is triggered.



Message Parameters


The message parameters determine how the indicator alert notifications are conveyed to the user. There are several option and the user can select which ones to use at any time. Multiple options can be enabled simultaneously. Parameters included in this section are:

DoShowComments – Default: false
Messages can be displayed in the comment section on the chart. By default, this option is disabled. Users can enable the option by setting parameter to ‘true’.
DoShowAlerts – Default: false
Alerts can be displayed on the chart. By default, this option is disabled. Users can enable the option by setting parameter to ‘true’
DoMailMessages – Default: false
Messages can be emailed to users if this option is enabled. By default, the option is disabled but can be enabled by setting the parameter to ‘true’. It is important that the user ensures that the mail options are configured and working in the trading terminal.
DoPushNotifications – Default: false
Messages can be pushed to a user’s mobile phone application. This option is disabled by default but can be enabled by setting the parameter to ‘true’. It is important that push notifications be configured correctly in the user’s trading terminal and mobile application.
DoPrintJournal – Default: false
Messages can also be written in the terminal’s journal. These messages are disabled by default but can be enabled by setting the parameter to ‘true’.
DoPrintFile – Default: false
Messages can be written to an external file on disk in the ‘Files’ folder. By default, this option is disabled by default but can be enabled by setting the parameter to ‘true’.
DefaultMessageFileName – Default: YFX_Messages.log
If the print to file option is enabled, then message notifications are written to a file with this name in the ‘Files’ folder.



Quiet Time Parameters


The quiet time parameters control when notification messages are conveyed to the user. Parameters in this section specify a time period when all notifications are disable. Settings in this section override the message parameters and alert parameters. No notification will be sent during quiet time. Parameters in this section are:

DoQuietTime – Default: false
The quiet time process can itself be enabled or disable. It is disabled by default and that means that all alert message notifications will be sent when they are generated. Quiet time can be enabled by setting this parameter to ‘true’.
QuietTimeStart – Default: 01:00
If quiet time is enabled, then this parameter sets the start time of the period. No alert message notifications will be sent after this time. This parameter is only used if quiet time is enabled. It is ignored if quiet time is disabled.
QuietTimeEnd – Default: 07:00
If quiet time is disabled, then this parameter sets the end time of the period. No alert message notifications will be sent before this time. The parameter is only used if quiet time is enabled. It is ignored if quiet time is disabled.



Message Info Parameters


The message info parameters are used to configure if internal statistics are maintained by the indicator. The information is generally not needed by the user. Thus, it is recommended to leave the options disabled. Parameters in this section are:

EnableInfo – Default: false
This parameter allow the statistics to be maintained by the indicator. It is disable by default but can be enabled by setting its value to ‘true’. If enabled, then statistical information will be maintained internally. That information would then be conveyed to user when the indicator starts and stops.



Debug Parameters


Sometimes it may be necessary to debug the indicator. Debugging can be configured with the parameters in this section. Debugging would cause a great number of messages to be generated if enabled. It is highly recommended to leave debug disabled. Parameters in this section are:

EnableDebug – Default: false
Debugging can be enabled or disabled. By default, it is disabled and no debugging information is generated. Debugging can be enabled by setting this parameter to ‘true’. It is highly recommended to leave this option disabled as the amount of debug logging can be huge and slow down the trading terminal.
DebugLevel – Default: DEBUG_LEVEL_NONE
The amount of debugging information can be configure. By default, no information is generated. This is a drop down list and the user can select any one of the values in the list.
UseDatedLogs – false
If debugging is enabled, the information is written to an external file. The name of the file can be coded to contain the date of the log file.

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