Simple Moving Average (SMA) Function for Tracking Stock Trends

The SimpleMovingAverage function in MarketXLS helps you analyze a security’s price trend over a specified period directly in Excel. By quickly returning a single SMA value or an entire price series (based on your needs), it gives you valuable insights into market movements for more informed decision-making.

Why Use This Function?

• Perfect for quickly gauging a security’s recent price trend
• Ideal for comparing different ticker symbols on short or long time horizons
• Allows you to specify a start date for historical analysis right in Excel
• Optionally fetches a full series of SMA values if you want more data points
• Integrates seamlessly with other MarketXLS analytics and standard Excel formulas

How to Use in Excel

=SimpleMovingAverage(Symbol, [Days], [StartDate])

• Symbol (required) – The security’s ticker symbol (e.g., "AAPL").
• Days (optional) – Period for SMA calculation; defaults to “30” if left blank.
• StartDate (optional) – The date from which to begin analysis; defaults to the current date.

Note: If you pass a start date with a year less than 1978 or leave it out entirely, the function retrieves a standard dataset without a start date parameter. Otherwise, it includes your specified start date in the server call.

Parameters Explained

Example Usage

Basic Examples

• Retrieve a 30-day SMA for AAPL, with no start date:
=SimpleMovingAverage("AAPL")
? Returns the latest 30-day simple moving average.

• Specify a 50-day period for MSFT, ignoring start date:
=SimpleMovingAverage("MSFT", 50)
? Returns the 50-day SMA.

• Use a custom start date for a 20-day SMA of TSLA:
=SimpleMovingAverage("TSLA", 20, "01/01/2021")
? Returns the 20-day SMA beginning from January 1, 2021.

Advanced Scenarios

• Long-Term Analysis (200-Day SMA with a Specific Date):
=SimpleMovingAverage("AAPL", 200, "06/01/2020")
? Evaluates the 200-day SMA from June 1, 2020, making it ideal for longer-term trend following.

• Retrieving a Full SMA Series (If series were exposed to Excel directly):
=SimpleMovingAverage("AAPL", 30, "01/01/2022") with an internal call to "series=TRUE"
? Would return a CSV file-like string of daily SMA values for deeper analysis or custom charting.

• Pairing with Other MarketXLS Functions:
Combine with MarketXLS’s RSI, EMA, or other indicators for multi-factor analysis (e.g., RSI to confirm overbought or oversold signals while referencing SMA to confirm general trend direction).

Common Questions and Troubleshooting

1. “Why do I get 'NA' for certain symbols or period lengths?”

   • The symbol may be invalid, or you might have used a day period of “1.” Verify that the ticker is spelled correctly and the chosen period is appropriate.

2. “How do I get an entire historical series?”

   • Generally, the function returns only a single SMA value by default. If you need multiple data points, check advanced usage or consult MarketXLS documentation on returning a full series (the “series” parameter).

3. “My start date is being ignored—what’s happening?”

   • If the year in your start date is less than 1978, the function automatically omits it to ensure compatibility. Confirm that you’ve used a valid date format and year.

4. “I see ‘Refreshing’ in Excel instead of a value.”

   • MarketXLS handles data caching and refresh queues automatically. “Refreshing” indicates data is being pulled or updated in the background.

Remember:

• This function simplifies price trend analysis with minimal input.
• Try different day ranges to find short- or long-term signals (like 30-day vs. 200-day).
• Combine the SimpleMovingAverage with other MarketXLS or Excel formulas for more comprehensive trading strategies.
• For best results, focus on valid US stocks, ETFs, and major indices.