Best Multi Moving Average Indicator with Four SMA and EMA Lines

Written by Dominic Walsh · Published 28 May 2026 · Last updated 9 Sep 2026

The best multi moving average indicator puts four averages on the MT4 and MT5 price chart in one drop. You get a gold Fast SMA and a dodger blue Fast EMA. You also get a tomato Slow SMA and a medium sea green Slow EMA. Its defaults are 8, 13, 50 and 100 bars of closes. The two fast lines track the swing. The two slow lines track the trend. It is a ribbon for traders who read stacking order and pullbacks rather than a single signal line.

This build ships as best-multi-moving-average-indicator-indicator-forexmt4systems.ex4 for MT4 and best-multi-moving-average-indicator-indicator-forexmt4systems.ex5 for MT5; the screenshots below come from EURUSD H1.

Platforms	MT4 (.ex4) + MT5 (.ex5)
Chart window	Main price chart
Plots	4: Fast SMA, Fast EMA, Slow SMA, Slow EMA
Alerts	popup, push notification, email, sound
Inputs	10

What the Best Multi Moving Average Indicator draws on the chart

Fast SMA is a gold line, width 2. It is the FastSmaPeriod (default 8) simple average of closes. Fast EMA is a dodger blue line. It is the FastEmaPeriod (default 13) EMA of closes. Together they form the quick pair. That pair hugs price during a swing and flattens when it stalls.

Slow SMA is a tomato line. It is the SlowSmaPeriod (default 50) simple average. Slow EMA uses medium sea green. It is the SlowEmaPeriod (default 100) EMA. These two sit further from price and define the trend side of the chart. Above both is bull ground; below both is bear ground.

All four draw on the main chart window as plain lines. There is no fill between them and no markers. Drawing starts SlowEmaPeriod plus two bars into history. So the left edge stays blank until the longest line has a full window.

• Fast SMA: line, gold, width 2
• Fast EMA: line, dodger blue, width 2
• Slow SMA: line, tomato, width 2
• Slow EMA: line, medium sea green, width 2

How the Best Multi Moving Average Indicator calculates its values

Four iMA calls

Each bar calls iMA four times. Simple mode handles FastSmaPeriod and SlowSmaPeriod. EMA mode handles FastEmaPeriod and SlowEmaPeriod. All four read the close price with zero shift. There is no custom smoothing and no extra maths on top. The lines are the platform’s own MAs, so you can check them against a stock MA.

Why mix SMA and EMA

A simple average weights every close the same. So the gold and tomato lines move late but smoothly. An EMA leans on recent closes. So the dodger blue and green lines turn sooner. Pairing one of each at both speeds shows where the two means agree and where they split. That split is the useful part of a pullback.

Each new tick

On first load the loop runs from the oldest usable bar to the current one. On later ticks it only recomputes the newest bar or two. The iMA values for closed bars do not change.

How to read the signals

Read the stacking order first. Gold above dodger blue above tomato above green, with price on top, shows a fully ordered uptrend. The reverse stack is a downtrend. When the two fast lines tangle while the slow pair stays ordered, the trend is intact and price is resting.

Pullbacks to the Fast EMA and Fast SMA are the shallow dips inside a move. A return to the Slow SMA or Slow EMA is the deep reset. Many trend traders only look for longs while price holds above the tomato and green lines. They only look for shorts below them.

Crosses between the fast and slow pairs mark regime changes, but this build does not flag them. You read the cross by eye. A visual read of the whole ribbon usually runs ahead of any four-line crossover rule.

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

The inputs panel shows EnableAlerts, EnablePopup, EnablePushNotify, EnableEmail and EnableSound for popup, push, email and sound. This build draws lines only and never calls the alert routine. So no message fires.

Every Best Multi Moving Average Indicator input

Core settings

Setting	What it does	Default
FastSmaPeriod	FastSmaPeriod (default 8) sets the gold line; shorten it to track a scalp, lengthen it to cut the whipsaw on choppy symbols.	8
FastEmaPeriod	FastEmaPeriod (default 13) sets the dodger blue line; keep it a touch longer than the fast SMA so the two separate cleanly on a swing.	13
SlowSmaPeriod	SlowSmaPeriod (default 50) sets the tomato trend line; a larger value turns it into a longer-term line that price visits rarely.	50
SlowEmaPeriod	SlowEmaPeriod (default 100) sets the medium sea green line and also decides the warm-up, so raising it pushes the start of all four plots further to the right.	100

Alert settings

Setting	What it does	Default
EnableAlerts	(see inputs panel)	on
EnablePopup	(see inputs panel)	on
EnablePushNotify	(see inputs panel)	off
EnableEmail	(see inputs panel)	off
EnableSound	(see inputs panel)	off
SoundFile	(see inputs panel)	alert.wav

Settings that fit your chart

Start on EURUSD H1. There the 8 and 13 lines ride the intraday swings and the 50 and 100 sit near the weekly mean. Moving average ribbons work on anything that trends, such as forex majors, gold and indices. The periods carry across timeframes unchanged. Sideways symbols turn the ribbon into a braid, which is itself a warning.

When the Best Multi Moving Average Indicator fails

Averages lag by construction. The slow pair confirms a trend long after it began. It also stays stacked after the trend has ended. A trader who waits for the full stack misses the first leg of every new move.

In a range all four lines converge and cross again and again. The gold and dodger blue lines flip sides several times a day. The tomato and green lines flatten into one band. Every pullback read fails because there is no trend to pull back from.

There is no signal logic. The tool draws the four lines and stops. It does not mark crosses or colour the gap, and the alert toggles have nothing to fire on. On M1 the 100-bar lines barely move while the fast ones thrash.

Copy best-multi-moving-average-indicator-indicator-forexmt4systems.ex4 into MQL4/Indicators and best-multi-moving-average-indicator-indicator-forexmt4systems.ex5 into MQL5/Indicators, then restart the terminal and drag the Best Multi Moving Average Indicator onto a chart. The step-by-step guide with screenshots is at how to install MT4 and MT5 indicators.

Related on forexmt4systems.com: Multi-Timeframe Strategy.

Background reading on the method behind the Best Multi Moving Average Indicator: Moving average crossover on Wikipedia, Percent Above Moving Average at StockCharts ChartSchool.

Download the Best Multi Moving Average Indicator for MT4 and MT5

The zip best-multi-moving-average-indicator-indicator-forexmt4systems.zip holds best-multi-moving-average-indicator-indicator-forexmt4systems.ex4, best-multi-moving-average-indicator-indicator-forexmt4systems.ex5 and a short README, compiled files only. Enter your email below and the download link arrives in your inbox.

FAQ

Which line is the Fast SMA and which is the Fast EMA?

Fast SMA is the gold line, a FastSmaPeriod (default 8) simple average of closes. Fast EMA is the dodger blue line, a FastEmaPeriod (default 13) EMA. The simple one is smoother and later. The EMA hugs the latest closes.

Why does the best multi moving average indicator start drawing so far right?

Because the draw-begin follows SlowEmaPeriod (default 100) plus two bars. With the default, the first hundred-odd bars of history carry no plot at all. The ribbon only appears once the longest line has a full window. Drop SlowEmaPeriod and the blank region shrinks.

How do traders use the Slow SMA and Slow EMA as a trend filter?

The common rule: longs only while price closes above both the tomato Slow SMA and the green Slow EMA. Shorts only count below both. Between them the trend has not picked a side and the fast pair gives more false reads. Both are long averages, so the filter flips slowly. That costs a later entry but saves whipsaws.

Does this four-line ribbon fire a crossover alert on MT4 or MT5?

No. The inputs panel lists EnableAlerts, EnablePopup, EnablePushNotify, EnableEmail and EnableSound. But OnCalculate only fills the four line buffers and never calls the alert function. The toggles change nothing on this build. If you need a ping at a cross, pair it with a separate crossover tool.

Are results guaranteed?

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