Purpose of the Accelerator Oscillator
The Accelerator Oscillator (AC), developed by Bill Williams, measures the acceleration or deceleration of the current market momentum. It is calculated as the difference between the Awesome Oscillator and its own 5-period simple moving average. Because it reacts before the Awesome Oscillator does, traders use it as an early warning that momentum is changing.
How It Works
The Accelerator Oscillator has no period settings of its own. It always uses the standard Bill Williams calculation (5- and 34-period averages of the median price).
When you select Accelerator Oscillator (AC) in the Trade Rule block, you can configure it with the following settings:
Time Frame of AC
Sets the chart time frame for the AC calculation.
Can be replaced with a variable or input for quick testing and optimization.
Candle ID of AC
Defines which candle the calculation starts from.
0: Current candle (still forming).
1: Most recently closed candle.
Higher IDs refer to older candles.
Adjust of AC (Modify the Result)
Apply an adjustment to the calculated value by adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing by a number.
Example
If you set:
Candle ID: 1
You get the Accelerator Oscillator value of the most recently closed candle. A value above 0 means momentum is accelerating upward; below 0 means it is accelerating downward.
Use Cases
Detect accelerating bullish momentum when the AC is above 0 and rising.
Detect accelerating bearish momentum when the AC is below 0 and falling.
Use a cross of the zero line as an early momentum signal.
Combine with the Awesome Oscillator to confirm momentum shifts.
⚠ Tip: AC values are expressed in price units, so their size differs per symbol. Compare them with 0 or with earlier AC values rather than with a fixed number.