Apex Trend Indicator: A Banded Line With Flip Arrows

Written by Dominic Walsh · Published 29 Jul 2026 · Last updated 26 Aug 2026

The apex trend indicator hangs two bands around the median price and shows whichever one the trend is using. `AtrPeriod` sets the volatility window and `Mult` sets the distance. Each band only tightens while the trend holds. When a close breaks the far band, the line flips and an arrow marks the bar.

This build ships as a compiled .ex4 for MT4 and .ex5 for MT5; the screenshots below come from EURUSD H1.

Platforms	MT4 (.ex4) + MT5 (.ex5)
Chart window	Main price chart
Plots	4: Apex Trend Up, Apex Trend Down, Apex Buy, Apex Sell
Alerts	popup, push notification, email, sound
Inputs	9

What the Apex Trend Indicator draws on the chart

Apex Trend Up is the dodger blue line, drawn while the direction reads up.

Apex Trend Down is the red line for the other direction.

Apex Buy and Apex Sell mark the bar where the direction flipped.

The code stitches one bar of the previous segment so the colours join cleanly.

• Apex Trend Up: line, dodger blue, width 2
• Apex Trend Down: line, red, width 2
• Apex Buy: arrow, dodger blue, width 3, arrow code 233
• Apex Sell: arrow, red, width 3, arrow code 234

How the Apex Trend Indicator calculates its values

Building the raw bands

hl2 takes high plus low over two. upBasic adds `Mult` `3.0` times iATR at `AtrPeriod` `10`, and loBasic subtracts it. Those two are recalculated fresh on every bar before any ratcheting happens.

Ratcheting the final bands

fUp keeps the tighter of upBasic and the previous upper band, unless the previous close broke above it. fLo does the mirror. That rule is what stops the line drifting back toward price during a pullback.

Flipping the direction

dir moves to 1 when the close clears the previous upper band and to minus 1 when it breaks the previous lower one. Otherwise it carries forward. STBuf then takes fLo in an uptrend and fUp in a downtrend.

How to read the signals

The visible line is the band the trend is leaning on.

A flip arrow marks the close that broke the opposite band.

Distance from price to the line tells you how much room the current setting allows.

Lower `Mult` for a line that hugs price and flips sooner.

Alert channels in this build: popup, push notification, email and sound, one message per closed bar.

The alert block sits behind `EnableAlerts`, which ships on, and `EnablePopup` delivers the text. `EnablePushNotify`, `EnableEmail` and `EnableSound` all start false. `SoundFile` picks the clip. One turn message follows each closed bar.

Every Apex Trend Indicator input

Core settings

Setting	What it does	Default
AtrPeriod	ATR period. Bars in the ATR reading, default `10`.	10
Mult	ATR band multiplier. Band distance in ATR units, default `3.0`.	3.0

Display settings

Setting	What it does	Default
ArrowOffset	Flip-arrow offset (points). Flip mark distance from the bar in points, default `30`.	30

Alert settings

Setting	What it does	Default
EnableAlerts	Master alert switch. Master switch over the turn alerts, default `true`.	on
EnablePopup	Popup alert. Terminal dialog when the line turns, default `true`.	on
EnablePushNotify	Push notification to mobile. Mobile push when the line turns, default `false`.	off
EnableEmail	Email alert. Mail delivery when the line turns, default `false`.	off
EnableSound	Sound alert. Sound playback when the line turns, default `false`.	off
SoundFile	Sound file. Wav clip for the turn alert, default `alert.wav`.	alert.wav

Settings that fit your chart

A ten-bar ATR reacts quickly, so the bands adapt within a session. EURUSD H1 is the reference chart. On M5 the short window makes the line jumpy and flips arrive in bunches. On H4 the same setting covers under two days, which keeps the line responsive without constant turns.

When the Apex Trend Indicator fails

A short ATR window makes the bands widen and narrow sharply after one busy bar.

Ranges produce repeated flips, each giving back the band distance.

The flip test reads the previous band, so a violent bar can flip the line and reverse on the next.

Copy the compiled Apex Trend Indicator file into your MQL4/Indicators folder, and the MT5 build into MQL5/Indicators, then restart the terminal and drag it onto a chart. The step-by-step guide with screenshots is at how to install MT4 and MT5 indicators.

Download the Apex Trend Indicator for MT4 and MT5

The zip holds the compiled Apex Trend Indicator build for MT4 and MT5, plus a short README. Compiled files only, no source. Enter your email below and the download link arrives in your inbox.

FAQ

What does AtrPeriod at 10 change here?

How quickly the bands respond to a change in volatility. Ten bars is short, so one large candle widens the bands noticeably. A longer window smooths that out and keeps the line steadier through a single busy session.

Why does Mult default to 3.0?

It is the usual starting distance for a banded trend line. Three ATR is wide enough to sit through an ordinary pullback and tight enough to flip when a real turn happens. Lower it to 2.0 for a line that tracks price more closely.

What stitches the Apex Trend Up segments together?

The code writes the previous bar value into the same buffer at each flip. Without that step the two coloured lines would leave a one-bar gap where the direction changed, which makes the chart harder to read than it needs to be.

Does ArrowOffset affect the calculation?

No. It only moves the flip mark away from the candle, by `30` points at the default. The band values, the ratcheting and the direction test all run the same whatever you set here. Raise it on charts with tall bars.

Are results guaranteed?

No. Trading involves risk. Results are not guaranteed; past performance is not indicative of future results. Use the Apex Trend Indicator as one input. Always backtest before trading live.