ATR Volatility Indicator: ATR As A Percent Of Price

Written by Dominic Walsh · Published 27 May 2026 · Last updated 9 Sep 2026

The atr volatility indicator solves one problem with plain ATR. Raw ATR is quoted in price units, so 12 on gold and 0.0012 on a currency pair mean nothing to each other. Dividing by the close and multiplying by 100 turns both into a percentage, and percentages compare across instruments.

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

Platforms	MT4 (.ex4) + MT5 (.ex5)
Chart window	Separate window
Plots	1: ATR % of price
Alerts	popup, push notification, email, sound
Inputs	7

What the Atr Volatility Indicator draws on the chart

ATR % of price is a single dodger blue line in its own pane.

The line reads as a percentage, so 0.15 means the average range is 0.15% of price.

Bars inside the warmup region hold EMPTY_VALUE and draw nothing.

A close of zero also writes EMPTY_VALUE, which guards against a divide by zero.

• ATR % of price: line, dodger blue, width 2

How the Atr Volatility Indicator calculates its values

Taking the average true range

iATR supplies the average true range at `AtrPeriod`, which defaults to `14`. True range covers the gap between bars as well as the bar itself, so an opening jump counts toward the reading rather than being ignored.

Turning it into a percentage

PctBuf takes 100 times ATR divided by the close of the same bar. That single division is the whole idea. It strips out the price level, leaving a number that describes movement relative to what the instrument costs.

Handling the edges

The loop stops short of the last `AtrPeriod` bars plus two, so the pane stays clear until ATR has settled. A close of exactly zero writes EMPTY_VALUE instead of a result. Both guards keep an odd data feed from drawing a spike into the pane.

How to read the signals

Rising values mean ranges are expanding relative to price.

Falling values mean the market is compressing, whatever direction it is drifting.

Compare the current reading with its own recent range rather than with a fixed number.

The same reading on gold and a currency pair means comparable movement.

Alert channels in this build: popup, push notification, email and sound.

`EnableAlerts` ships on with `EnablePopup` carrying the message, while `EnablePushNotify`, `EnableEmail` and `EnableSound` stay off. `SoundFile` names the clip. This build has no once-per-bar guard, so keep the noisier channels off unless repeats suit you.

Every Atr Volatility Indicator input

Core settings

Setting	What it does	Default
AtrPeriod	Bars in the ATR average, default `14`. Raise it for a slower, steadier line.	14

Alert settings

Setting	What it does	Default
EnableAlerts	Master alert switch, default `true`.	on
EnablePopup	Terminal popup, default `true`.	on
EnablePushNotify	Mobile push, default `false`.	off
EnableEmail	Mail delivery, default `false`.	off
EnableSound	Sound playback, default `false`.	off
SoundFile	Clip played when sound is on, default `alert.wav`.	alert.wav

Settings that fit your chart

XAUUSD H1 is the reference chart, and it shows expansion and contraction more clearly than most. The percentage form is what makes that comparison possible in the first place. On M5 the line reacts quickly and reads as session rhythm. On daily charts it describes the volatility regime the instrument has been in for weeks.

When the Atr Volatility Indicator fails

The reading says how far price moves, never which way it moves.

Dividing by the close means a large price change alters the percentage even when ranges are steady.

A single gap inflates true range for `AtrPeriod` bars afterwards, so a holiday can distort a whole week.

Copy the compiled Atr Volatility 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 Atr Volatility Indicator for MT4 and MT5

The zip holds the compiled Atr Volatility 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

Why divide ATR by the close at all?

Because raw ATR carries the price level with it. Gold near 2400 prints an ATR in whole dollars while a currency pair near 1.09 prints one in ten-thousandths. Dividing by the close removes that difference, so a reading of 0.15 means the same thing on both.

What does AtrPeriod at 14 average?

Fourteen bars of true range, smoothed the way Wilder defined it. True range takes the largest of the bar range, the distance from the previous close to the high, and the distance from that close to the low. Gaps therefore count instead of disappearing.

Is there a level on the ATR % of price line that means high?

No, and adding one would mislead you. Each instrument has its own normal band, and it shifts between sessions. Read the current value against the last few weeks of the same line rather than against any fixed threshold.

Does XAUUSD H1 suit this pane best?

It is the reference chart because gold expands and contracts visibly, which makes the shape easy to learn. The percentage form works identically on any symbol though. Once you know what the line looks like on gold, the same pattern reads the same way on a currency pair.

Are results guaranteed?

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