AtlasSMA
The simple moving average of the close, where every bar in the window counts the same, with an optional bar offset.
The SMA is the plain average of the last N closes. Every bar in the window counts the same, so it's slower to turn than an EMA and steadier through chop. On a daily SPY chart the 50 and 200 SMA matter less for their math than for the fact that so many traders watch them. A level the whole market is looking at tends to get a reaction.
Use it when you want the bigger picture: is price trending above its average, or stretched far away from it?
NQ 5m, Oct 16, 2026 · Atlas
Adding the indicator
Open the chart settings panel and use the Add button in the Indicators section. SMA sits in the Overlay group at the top of the menu, between EMA and HMA. Each instance gets its own settings cog and can be removed the same way, so a 50 and a 200 can run together.
Settings
| Setting | Options | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| Period | 9 (default), any whole number from 1 to 5,000 | How many closes are averaged. |
| Offset | 0 (default), -500 to 500 bars | Shifts the drawn line sideways. Positive moves it right (into the future), negative moves it left. |
| Colour | Any colour | Picked from the palette when you add it, changeable any time. |
| Width | 1 (default), 2, 3, 4 | Line thickness. |
| Style | Solid (default), Dashed, Dotted | Line pattern. |
| Opacity | 10% to 100% (default) | How strong the line draws. |
| Label | Always (default), On hover, Off | The price-axis badge and the name on the chart. On hover shows them only while the crosshair is close to the line. The crosshair readout keeps showing the value either way. |
Reading notes
- The default period is 9. Most people add an SMA to get a 50 or 200, so change the period right after adding it.
- It's built from the close. The forming bar's value moves with every tick until that bar closes.
- Nothing draws until the window fills. A 200 SMA needs 200 bars of history on the chart before its first point appears.
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