TMA + Center of Gravity Indicator for MT4 and MT5

Written by Dominic Walsh · Published 13 Jul 2026 · Last updated 24 Sep 2026

This build pairs two ideas. A triangular moving average with ATR bands frames where price usually trades, and John Ehlers’ center of gravity oscillator flags turning points early. The TMA + center of gravity indicator draws the bands on price and marks the bar where the oscillator makes a trough or a peak.

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	5: TMA, TMA Upper, TMA Lower, CG Buy, CG Sell
Alerts	popup, push notification, email, sound
Inputs	11

What the TMA + Center of Gravity Indicator draws on the chart

A line, two bands and two marks on price.

`TMA` runs dodger blue at width 2.

`TMA Upper` and `TMA Lower` run tomato.

`CG Buy` prints lime at an oscillator trough.

`CG Sell` prints red at an oscillator peak.

`ArrowGapPts` `12` sets the mark gap.

• TMA: line, dodger blue, width 2
• TMA Upper: line, tomato, width 1
• TMA Lower: line, tomato, width 1
• CG Buy: arrow, lime, width 2, arrow code 233
• CG Sell: arrow, red, width 2, arrow code 234

Inside the calculation

Triangular average

`TmaPeriod` `12` averages a simple average of the median price again. The result is a smooth centre line.

Bands

`BandMult` `1.6` times an `AtrPeriod` `14` range sits on each side of the TMA.

Center of gravity

`CgPeriod` `10` weights recent median prices by position, as Ehlers described. A trough prints a buy and a peak prints a sell.

What the output means

Price near the upper band is stretched up.

Price near the lower band is stretched down.

Marks show oscillator turns, not band touches.

Turns come often, so marks are frequent.

Marks on the forming bar never appear.

Warm-up needs about twenty-five bars.

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

Oscillator turns report once per closed bar under `EnableAlerts`; the popup is on, the other routes off.

Every TMA + Center of Gravity Indicator input

Core settings

Setting	What it does	Default
TmaPeriod	TMA period (triangular window). Length of the triangular average, `12`.	12
CgPeriod	Center of Gravity length (Ehlers). Center of gravity window, `10`.	10
AtrPeriod	ATR period for the envelope. Range window for the bands, `14`.	14
BandMult	Band width = Mult * ATR. Band width in ranges, `1.6`.	1.6

Display settings

Setting	What it does	Default
ArrowGapPts	Arrow offset from bar (points). Mark gap in points, `12`.	12

Alert settings

Setting	What it does	Default
EnableAlerts	Master alert switch. Master alert switch, `true`.	on
EnablePopup	Popup alert. Popup, `true`.	on
EnablePushNotify	Push to mobile MetaTrader. Phone route, `false`.	off
EnableEmail	Email alert. Email route, `false`.	off
EnableSound	Sound alert. Speaker, `false`.	off
SoundFile	(see inputs panel)	alert.wav

Picking a chart for it

A fast oscillator with slow bands suits intraday charts. The hourly EURUSD screenshot shows several marks a day. On M15 read marks near the bands only. On H4 each turn is a swing to note.

When not to trust the output

The oscillator turns often, so many marks are noise.

Marks ignore where price sits in the bands.

ATR bands widen late after spikes.

Only the popup route starts enabled.

Copy the compiled TMA + Center of Gravity 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 TMA + Center of Gravity Indicator for MT4 and MT5

The zip holds the compiled TMA + Center of Gravity 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 CgPeriod 10 measure?

Where the weight of the last ten median prices sits. Ehlers built it so the line turns close to price turning points, with less lag than most averages.

Do CG Buy marks need the lower band?

No. They mark every trough of the oscillator, wherever price sits. Many traders only act on marks near the lower band, where price is already stretched down and a turn matters more.

Why use BandMult 1.6 on the TMA?

It places each band about one and a half average ranges from the centre line. Most bars stay inside, so a close outside the band shows unusual stretch worth noticing.

How is the TMA line built?

It averages the median price over twelve bars, then averages that result again. The double pass gives a smooth line that bends less often than a single average.

Are results guaranteed?

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