Calculate Midpoint Values for a Specified Period in Excel

The MidPointOverPeriod function helps you quickly pinpoint the midpoint of price data for a given Symbol over a defined time span. By leveraging MarketXLS’s direct data integration, this function streamlines your technical analysis and trading strategy by providing a clear snapshot of historical price midpoints.

Why Use This Function?

• Quickly identify midpoints in price data for more informed trading decisions.
• Great for confirming support and resistance levels when analyzing market trends.
• Offers a flexible time period (e.g., 5 days, 14 days, or 20 days) to suit short-, medium-, or long-term analysis.
• Simplifies data gathering by automatically retrieving values from MarketXLS’s data feed in Excel.
• Optional start date parameter lets you fine-tune historical lookbacks, enabling specialized or backtested strategies.

How to Use in Excel

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

1. In any cell, type “=MidPointOverPeriod(” and enter your symbol in quotes (e.g., "AAPL").
2. Optionally specify the number of Days (e.g., 14) to define the calculation window.
3. Optionally specify a StartDate to focus on data beginning from a specific date. If omitted, the function uses the current date.
4. Press Enter to see the result automatically pulled into your spreadsheet.

KEY NOTES:
• If the Symbol or license is invalid, the function returns “NA.”
• If Days = 1, the result is “NA,” since single-day data is insufficient for the midpoint calculation.
• If you provide a StartDate older than the recognized threshold, the function defaults to the standard endpoint (ignoring the date).

Parameters Explained

Example Usage

Basic Examples

1. Retrieve the 14-day midpoint for Apple (AAPL):
   =MidPointOverPeriod("AAPL")
   • Days default to 14 when not supplied.

2. Specify Days for a shorter period (e.g., 10-day midpoint for Microsoft):
   =MidPointOverPeriod("MSFT", 10)
   • Focuses on the last 10 trading days up to the current date.

3. Use a custom StartDate (e.g., begin at January 1, 2021):
   =MidPointOverPeriod("TSLA", 30, "1/1/2021")
   • Grabs the midpoint based on a 30-day window starting from January 1, 2021.

Advanced Scenarios

1. Long-Term Trend Analysis
   • If you want the midpoint over a 50-day period starting six months ago to detect trend shifts, you could do:
   =MidPointOverPeriod("NVDA", 50, "3/1/2022")
   • This is helpful for detecting pivotal points in a mid-term trading strategy.

2. Comparative Analysis Across Symbols
   • Place multiple MidPointOverPeriod formulas in adjacent columns for different symbols (e.g., "GOOG", "AMZN," and "AAPL").
   • Compare midpoints side-by-side to analyze which stocks might have stronger support zones.

3. Integrating with Other Functions
   • Use the results of MidPointOverPeriod in other Excel formulas (e.g., to calculate differences between two midpoints).
   • For example:
   =IF(MidPointOverPeriod("SPY", 20) > 400, "Above", "Below")

Common Questions and Troubleshooting

• Why am I getting “NA”?

• Check if the symbol is valid. Also confirm the license is active. Setting Days = 1 will also produce “NA.”

• Can I use future dates for StartDate?

• Yes, but it simply calculates from the latest current data. You typically won’t see a meaningful midpoint if the date hasn’t passed.

• What if I see an unexpected result or no data?

• Make sure the symbol is traded on a recognized exchange. Also verify the date range is appropriate for historical data availability.

• Handling older start dates?

• If your date is before 1978, the function defaults to the standard calculation without the StartDate.

By understanding these details, you can harness the MidPointOverPeriod function as a powerful addition to your MarketXLS technical analysis workflow. Experiment with different date ranges and incorporate results into your larger trading strategies for the best outcomes.