The Ichimoku Cloud is a group of technical indicators that shows support and resistance levels, in addition to momentum and trend direction. In Japanese, the word ‘ichimoku’ translates to ‘one look’, as all the information can be absorbed in a glance when trading.
The Ichimoku Cloud was developed by Japanese journalist Goichi Hosoda and published in the late 1960s. It provides traders with more information than the standard candlestick chart, making it widely used. What sets it apart is that it also shows projections of any future support and resistance levels, not only present levels.
The Ichimoku Cloud consists of five plots. These are:
The Tenkan-sen: Known as the conversion line, this is the nine-period high plus the nine-period low, divided by two. This is the midpoint of the nine-day high-low range, which is around two weeks.
The Kijun-sen: Known as the base line, this is the 26-period high plus 26-period low, divided by two. It is the midpoint of the 26-day high-low range, which is around one month.
The Senkou Span A: Known as the leading span A, this is the conversion line plus base line, divided by two. It shows the midpoint between the conversion line and the base line and forms the top of the two cloud boundaries.
The Senkou Span B: Known as the leading span B, this is the 52-period high plus the 52-period low, divided by two. It is the midpoint of the 52-day high-low range, which is just under three months. It forms the lower cloud boundary.
Chikou Span: Known as the lagging span, it shows the closing levels that have been plotted 26 days in the past.
The Ichimoku Cloud can help traders determine any trends, support and resistance levels, as well as momentum, in a single glance when analysing price charts. Additionally, while the Ichimoku Cloud takes up a lot of space on a price chart, it reduces the number of individual indicators a trader will need, meaning there is less risk in receiving conflicting signals.
One limitation is that the indicator can make the chart look extremely busy. Beginners may find themselves overwhelmed by all the information available in its analysis. Many novice traders find that it will take some time to learn what all the components of the Ichimoku Cloud represent and how to use them in a trading strategy effectively. Fortunately, most charting programmes allow certain lines to be hidden. This way, traders can focus on the lines that provide the most information to them, clearing away any distractions.
The Ichimoku Cloud also analyses price charts based on extrapolation from historical data. As financial markets can behave unpredictably, it is not a foolproof analysis method that guarantees profits, as no trading indicators are.
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