Fifty Day Moving Average
Returns the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) of closing prices for a stock. This is a widely used technical indicator for identifying short to medium-term trends.
Supported Symbol Formats
| Type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| US Stocks | SYMBOL | AAPL, MSFT |
| ETFs | SYMBOL | SPY, QQQ |
Technical Analysis Use
- Price above 50 MA: Short-term uptrend
- Price below 50 MA: Short-term downtrend
- 50 MA crossing 200 MA: Golden Cross (bullish) or Death Cross (bearish)
Syntax
=FiftyDayMovingAverage(Symbol)Examples
=FiftyDayMovingAverage("AAPL")=FiftyDayMovingAverage("SPY")=Last("AAPL")-FiftyDayMovingAverage("AAPL")=IF(Last("AAPL")>FiftyDayMovingAverage("AAPL"),"Above","Below")When to Use
- Identifying short-term trend direction
- Finding dynamic support/resistance levels
- Golden/Death cross analysis
- Trend-following strategies
When NOT to Use
| Scenario | Use Instead |
|---|---|
| Need 200-day MA | TwoHundredDayMovingAverage() |
| Need custom period | SimpleMovingAverage() |
| Need percent from MA | PercentChangeFrom50_dayMovingAverage() |
Common Issues & FAQ
Is this an EMA or SMA?
This is a Simple Moving Average (SMA).
How is it calculated?
It's the average of the last 50 closing prices.
Related Formulas
More MarketXLS Technical Indicators formulas you can use in the same worksheet:
- Mid Point Over Period
- Minus Directional Indicator (-DI)
- Momentum
- Money Flow Index (MFI)
- On Balance Volume
- Percent Change From 200-Day Moving Average
- Plus Directional Indicator (+DI)
- Relative Strength Index (RSI)
See FiftyDayMovingAverage used in a complete workbook: Bank Earnings Tracker Excel: Q1 2026 Dashboard for Fed-Sensitive Financial Stocks
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