# SMA

> 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?

![SMA 9 on NQ 5m sitting above price through the late-morning selloff until the 13:30 bounce tags it](https://www.skylit.ai/docs/images/atlas/indicators/sma.light.webp)

*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.