How do you trade a moving average?

I'm trying to learn more about trading and so I started by trying to trade using a simple SPY 200SMA rule. If SPY > 200SMA, go long, otherwise go to cash. Lot of research papers have talked about this, but implementing it is pretty hard. I tried using stops but my stops (both on the up move and down move) kept getting hit on a random tick and I'd then have to close at a loss. Trying to do it discretionary but it's hard to hit the exact tick and sometimes it touches and goes back in the other direction.

I'm curious how do professional/experienced traders do something like this. Are there software packages for traders that allow you to put in a price and tell it to long above and exit below or do people just get really good at hitting the specific number?

2 Comments
 

Just talking about your personal accounts, the 20ema is a pretty good tool if you're intraday trading. I would do some due diligence and see if there's any relation to the moving averages alignment and your subsequent MAEs or MFEs (maximum adverse/favorable excursions). Do your trades improve or deteriorate in the direction or counter to the direction of the moving averages, and if so, by how much?

 

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