Moving averages, golden cross & death cross
Moving averages cut through the daily noise to show the trend — and when they cross, you get the golden cross and death cross signals. Here's what they mean.
What a moving average is
A moving average is the average closing price over the last N days, recalculated each day. It smooths out the daily noise so you can see the underlying trend. The common ones are the 20-day (short term), 50-day (medium) and 200-day (long term).
The simplest read: when price is above its 200-day average, the long-term trend is up; below it, down.
The golden cross & death cross
The most-watched signals come from two averages crossing:
| Signal | What happens | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Golden cross | 50-day crosses above 200-day | Momentum turning up (bullish) |
| Death cross | 50-day crosses below 200-day | Momentum turning down (bearish) |
Oak Growth marks these on the chart with a dot at the exact crossover — a gold dot for a golden cross, a red dot for a death cross.
The honest caveat
Moving averages lag the price by design — they confirm a trend change after it's begun, they don't predict it. So a golden cross tells you momentum has turned, not that it's about to. Treat these as confirmation to use alongside the fundamentals, never as a standalone reason to buy or sell. See the dots in our method →
Put this into practice — open the screener →