MACD Crossing Zero Level Indicator: Arrows On The Chart

Written by Dominic Walsh · Published 15 Jun 2026 · Last updated 18 Sep 2026

The macd crossing zero level indicator moves the signal to where you are looking. There is no pane and no histogram. The MACD main line crossing zero simply prints an arrow beside the candle on the price chart.

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	2: BUY, SELL
Alerts	popup, push notification
Inputs	6

What you see once it loads

`BUY` uses arrow 233 where the main line crosses above zero.

`SELL` uses arrow 234 where it crosses below.

Marks sit `ArrowOffset` `10` points from the candle.

No lines and no pane ship with this build.

• BUY: arrow, lime, width 2, arrow code 233
• SELL: arrow, red, width 2, arrow code 234

Behind the plots

Only the main line matters

iMACD runs at `FastEMA` `12`, `SlowEMA` `26` and `SignalSMA` `9`. The code reads the main buffer alone, so the signal line never takes part in a decision.

Zero is where the averages meet

The main line is the fast average minus the slow one. It reaches zero exactly when those two are equal, which makes a zero cross the same event as a moving average crossover.

Two bars decide it

The value on this bar and the previous one get compared against zero. A value already positive raises nothing, so each crossing produces one mark.

What you act on

A zero cross is slower than a signal line cross, so marks are less frequent.

Arrows sit on price, which makes them easy to line up with candles.

`SignalSMA` `9` still has to be supplied even though nothing plots it.

The tool says nothing about how far the averages have separated.

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

Two routes ship here. `AlertOnCross` arrives true and raises a terminal message, while `PushOnCross` starts false and adds a mobile notification when you turn it on. There is no mail route and no clip route in this build.

Every MACD Crossing Zero Level Indicator input

Core settings

Setting	What it does	Default
FastEMA	MACD fast EMA period. Quick average inside the study, default `12`.	12
SlowEMA	MACD slow EMA period. Slow average inside the study, default `26`.	26
SignalSMA	MACD signal SMA period. Signal length the terminal needs, default `9`.	9

Display settings

Setting	What it does	Default
ArrowOffset	Arrow vertical offset (points). Gap from candle to mark, in points, default `10`.	10

Alert settings

Setting	What it does	Default
AlertOnCross	Alert on zero-line cross. Terminal message on a zero cross, default `true`.	on
PushOnCross	Send push notification on cross. Mobile notification on a zero cross, default `false`.	off

Markets that suit it

A zero cross on 12 and 26 is a slow event. EURUSD H1 is the reference chart, where marks arrive a few times a month. On M5 they come weekly. Daily bars turn each one into a swing-scale signal.

What to watch out for

A zero cross is a lagging crossover by another name.

Without a pane you lose all sense of how strong the move behind it was.

In a range the main line hovers around zero and marks cluster.

Copy the compiled MACD Crossing Zero Level 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 MACD Crossing Zero Level Indicator for MT4 and MT5

The zip holds the compiled MACD Crossing Zero Level 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 a zero cross mean for FastEMA and SlowEMA?

That the two are equal at that moment. The main line is one minus the other, so it reaches zero precisely when they meet. A zero cross is therefore the same event as a 12 and 26 crossover.

Why is SignalSMA 9 still an input?

The terminal function needs it to return the main buffer at all, even though nothing here plots or reads the signal line. Changing it has no effect on where the arrows appear.

What does dropping the MACD pane cost?

You lose the histogram and both lines, so you cannot see how far apart the averages have travelled. What you gain is the signal sitting beside price, where a chart reader is already looking.

Does ArrowOffset 10 suit every instrument?

It suits a five-digit currency pair. Ten points on gold or an index is invisible, so raise it there. The value is a fixed point count rather than a scaled distance.

Are results guaranteed?

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