AROON OSCILLATOR

A trend-following indicator that uses aspects of the Aroon indicator ("Aroon up" and "Aroon down") to gauge the strength of a current trend and the likelihood that it will continue. The Aroon oscillator is calculated by subtracting Aroon down from Aroon up. Readings above zero indicate that an uptrend is present, while readings below zero indicate that a downtrend is present.

Aroon up and Aroon down are the two components that comprise the Aroon indicator. The notion is that an asset is trending up when a stock is trading near the high of its range. Aroon up is used to measure the strength of the uptrend, while Aroon down is used to measure the strength of the downtrend. Many traders will watch for a cross above the zero line to suggest the beginning of a new uptrend. Conversely, a cross below zero would indicate the start of a downtrend. Readings near zero suggest that a security may be trending sideways and that this period of consolidation could continue.