A Consideration of the Calculation Method for the Base Line in Ichimoku Kinko Hyo and Alternative Methods in the Modern Era
Introduction Ichimoku Kinko Hyo is a widely used technical analysis tool for identifying turning points and trends in the market. One of its distinctive features is the calculation method for the base line. The base line is generally calculated as the average of the highest and lowest prices within a specific period.
This paper examines how the calculation method for the base line in Ichimoku Kinko Hyo was conceived in the context of the computational environment at that time. Furthermore, it proposes that, given the current computational capabilities, the base line should be replaced with a moving average and provides reasons and specific alternatives to support this argument.
Computational Environment and Calculation Method of the Base Line in the Past In an era before the widespread use of computers, analyzing market data and calculating averages was a very time-consuming task. In particular, as the period length increased, the computational load increased exponentially, posing a significant obstacle to practical analysis.
Under these circumstances, the creator of Ichimoku Kinko Hyo is believed to have developed a mechanism that allowed for relatively easy calculation of the base line even by hand by adopting a simple calculation method using the average of the highest and lowest prices within a specific period. The highest and lowest prices are important information that indicates the range of the market within that period, and taking the average of these two values allows for a simple calculation of a representative value of the market movement.
Replacement with a Moving Average in the Modern Era With the advancement of computers, it has become possible to process large amounts of data at high speed. Therefore, it is now easier to use moving averages based on more complex calculations rather than simple averages like the base line in Ichimoku Kinko Hyo.
If the intention of the creator of Ichimoku Kinko Hyo was to find the average within a specific period of the market, it might be possible to obtain what the creator was seeking by replacing the calculation methods of various lines in Ichimoku Kinko Hyo with moving averages, from the average of the highest and lowest prices within a period.
In fact, in the attached chart, the base line (period 200) and conversion line (period 75) of Ichimoku Kinko Hyo are plotted along with moving averages of the same periods. As can be seen, the trajectories of each are almost identical.
The calculation methods of technical indicators are significantly influenced not only by the intentions of their developers but also by the prevailing technological and historical contexts. The advent of computers marked a pivotal shift in the underlying assumptions of technical analysis.
For instance, price action analysis and chart patterns, famously known as "Sakata Gōhō" in Japan, required analysts to identify patterns and derive insights from relatively short-term charts in an era devoid of multi-timeframe analysis and extensive historical data.
By understanding the original intent of these indicators and adapting them to modern computing capabilities, we can enhance their efficacy as analytical tools.
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